Outlook Android app: auth succeeds but mail won't sync (empty inbox, search returns 0 results)

Pranav Mehta 0 Reputation points
2026-09-10T15:28:23.71+00:00

Device: Samsung Galaxy S26, Android (latest update)

App: Microsoft Outlook for Android (latest version from Play Store)

Account type: Personal Outlook.com/Hotmail account

Issue: Outlook app stopped syncing mail. Troubleshooting so far:

  1. Tried account reset, remove/re-add account, clear cache/data, full uninstall-reinstall — no change.
  2. Web login (outlook.com) works fine on both PC browser and phone browser.
  3. Gmail app successfully syncs this same account via IMAP — confirms account and credentials are valid.
  4. Changed account password fully — propagated correctly (confirmed via browser login).
  5. Found and fixed an Android System WebView regression (rolled back WebView update) which resolved an initial "error occurred during authentication" screen — account now adds successfully in the app.
  6. After successful sign-in, Inbox and Other tabs both show empty ("All done for the day" / "Nothing left to read").
  7. Used in-app Search for a term I know exists in my mailbox ("test") — returned zero results even with "Include Deleted Items" — this appears to query the server directly, suggesting the app is authenticated but not retrieving any mailbox data.
  8. Verified sync settings: Days of Email to Sync = 30 days, sync toggle appears enabled, no visible issue there.
  9. Checked battery optimization, background data permissions, Private DNS settings — all fine.
  10. Google Play Services updated to latest.

The pattern suggests the app has successful authentication but the mailbox sync/data channel isn't returning any messages, while the same account works normally via browser and via IMAP in a third-party app.

Would appreciate help identifying whether this is a known server-side sync issue for personal accounts on Android, or something specific to my mailbox that needs a backend reset.

Outlook | Outlook for mobile | Outlook for Android | For home
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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-10T15:28:45.7966667+00:00

    For this scenario, the supported next steps are:

    1. In Outlook for Android, force close and reopen the app, then go to Settings > select the affected account > Reset Account.
    2. If there is still no mail data, delete and re-add the account from Settings > select the account > Delete Account > Delete From This Device.
    3. Confirm the account is added as Exchange or Exchange ActiveSync, not IMAP or POP. IMAP and POP can sync email only and do not sync calendar or contacts.
    4. Since web access works and the account authenticates in the app, if Outlook for Android still does not retrieve mailbox data after reset and re-adding, contact Microsoft support for Outlook app or Outlook.com account issues.
    5. If the issue starts affecting only one device partnership, removing the mobile device partnership from the mailbox can help fix sync issues:
      • In Outlook.com, go to Settings > General > Mobile devices.
      • Select the device and delete the partnership.
      • Select Save.
      • Power off the phone completely, restart it, and sync again.

    Supported facts relevant to the symptoms:

    • If an Outlook.com or Microsoft 365 account was syncing before and now it is not, the issue can be with the email app even when email still works on the computer.
    • If mail works on the computer and there is no outage, checking Outlook.com service status is also a valid step.
    • Some Android devices can have sync problems caused by power-saving restrictions, especially when another Microsoft app such as Authenticator or Company Portal is installed. Those restrictions should be disabled so the related app can run in the background.

    The provided material does not confirm a known server-side Outlook.com Android sync outage pattern specific to personal accounts, and it does not document a mailbox-specific backend reset that can be requested directly through self-service.

    References:

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

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