Hotmail can send emails but cannot receive new emails

diane tomlin 100 Reputation points
2026-09-15T01:19:39.5566667+00:00

My @hotmail.com account can send emails, but I cannot receive new emails. I tested sending an email to it from another email account. There is no bounce or delivery error, but the message never arrives. I checked Outlook on the web, Inbox, Junk, Deleted Items and Archive. I have no mail rules or blocked senders, and my mailbox is only 49% full. Old emails are still visible. Forwarding settings also will not open.

Outlook | MacOS | New Outlook for Mac | For home
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Answer accepted by question author
GsN5034 - IA 76,995 Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-09-15T02:42:15.8066667+00:00

Hello,

It appears that your incoming emails are being forwarded to another email address.

Once done, sign out and sign in with your Microsoft account in normal mode.

See if you can receive emails afterward.

If you are having trouble accessing the 'Email-forwarding rules' settings, share the error message here.

Alternatively, try resetting your Microsoft account password once and then access the webpage.

Let me know if you still need more help.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-15T01:19:54.14+00:00

    Since mail can be sent, old mail is still visible, storage is only 49% full, and the test message shows no bounce but never appears in Outlook on the web, focus on account-level receive settings and account state rather than the Mac app.

    1. Check the Other tab and message sorting in Outlook on the web.
      • Open the mailbox and look in Other.
      • Set Filter > Sort > Date to restore chronological order.
    2. Recheck junk handling.
      • Review the Junk Email folder.
      • If any expected message is there, right-click it and choose Mark as not junk.
      • Also review Junk Email settings.
    3. Verify forwarding and connected mail settings again.
      • Since forwarding settings are not opening, try Outlook on the web in a different browser session or private/incognito window and check whether forwarding is enabled.
      • If forwarding is on, turn it off.
    4. Check account access state.
      • If the password was changed recently, update the password in Outlook.
      • The account can also be temporarily blocked because of unusual sign-in activity. If sign-in or mailbox behavior looks abnormal, use the account unblock/sign-in help flow.
    5. If the issue is only on the Mac app, force a resync there.
      • In Outlook, select the account and complete the sign-in prompt if shown.
      • If Outlook shows connection problems, check whether it is offline and switch back online.
    6. If mail still does not arrive in Outlook on the web, use Outlook.com support.
      • When messages do not appear in Outlook on the web and there is no sender-side bounce, the issue is not limited to the Mac client.
      • Use Help in Outlook.com, then Still need help? if the self-help steps do not resolve it.
    7. If a specific sender is affected, ask that sender to review Outlook.com sender guidance.
      • Microsoft recommends that senders check Sender Support in Outlook.com when mail is not arriving and no obvious mailbox-side rule explains it.
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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