outlook is not refreshing by itself needs to manually sync everytime to check if i got new mail

Nijanthan Pugalenthi 0 Reputation points
2026-09-02T16:54:44.28+00:00

Outlook not receiving mail, checked in other tab also in junk and all checked all tabs possible. But if i manually sync( pressed F9) it is receiving mail.

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For business

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  1. Ryan-N 15,555 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-09-02T17:35:55.33+00:00

    Hi Nijanthan,

    Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

    Based on your description, recently your New Outlook has not been syncing automatically, and instead you need to press F9 to trigger synchronization.

    Could you please check whether this issue also occurs when using Outlook on the web?

    In addition, please try the following steps and let me know whether the issue is resolved:

    1. Remove and re-add your account
    • Go to Settings > Your Accounts > Manage > Remove.
    • After removing the account, add it back and check whether the issue persists. User's image
    1. Clear the Outlook cache
    • Fully close the Outlook application.
    • Open Command Prompt and run the following command:

    olk.exe --devtools

    • In the Microsoft Edge DevTools window, select the Network tab.
    • Right-click anywhere within the Requests table, then select Clear browser cache.

    The 'Clear browser cache' option is selected in Microsoft Edge DevTools.

    You may also refer to the following documentation:

    Clear the Office cache - Office Add-ins | Microsoft Learn

    1. Reset Outlook

    Step 1: Completely close Outlook.

    Step 2: Press Windows + I to open Settings.

    Step 3: Go to Apps > Installed apps and locate Microsoft Outlook.

    Step 4: Click the ... menu > Advanced options > scroll down and select Reset.

    If you are using Classic Outlook, please let me know, and I will be happy to provide additional troubleshooting steps.

     I hope this information is helpful.

    If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

    I look forward to continuing the conversation.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes" and kindly upvote it.

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

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  2. AI answer

    2026-09-02T16:55:02.9466667+00:00

    In new Outlook for Windows, Send/Receive has been replaced by Sync. Pressing F9 or going to View > Sync forces a manual sync, so the current behavior confirms mail can arrive when sync is triggered.

    Try these checks and fixes:

    1. Force a manual sync once and watch for the status message
      • Go to Mail > View > Sync or press F9.
      • A status message should appear at the bottom of the message list while Outlook is syncing.
    2. Check whether this is a sync issue in new Outlook
      • If mail appears only after Sync, the issue is likely with background syncing rather than the mailbox itself.
      • Note: third-party accounts such as Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, or generic POP/IMAP do not have the same manual Sync capability from the button.
    3. If messages are delayed or stuck, check for a large message in Outbox
      • Open Outbox.
      • Start with the oldest stuck message.
      • If it has an attachment larger than 20 MB, remove the attachment and resend with a smaller file or a link instead.
      • A large stuck message can block sending and later messages.
    4. Compare with Outlook on the web
      • If new mail appears immediately there but not in new Outlook until F9/Sync, the problem is isolated to the Outlook client.
    5. Remove and re-add the account in new Outlook
      • Go to Settings > Accounts.
      • Remove the affected account.
      • Add it back, then test whether mail refreshes automatically.
    6. If the issue continues, create a new Outlook profile
      • This is a recommended next step for Outlook refresh/sync problems that persist after account re-add.

    If the mailbox is a shared mailbox, there is also a known issue where it may not automatically refresh for new email in Outlook.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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