Table of Contents
Step 1: Close Outlook on Your Desktop Computer
The initial move towards rebooting your Outlook program when it has issues sending or receiving emails is to shut down the application on your desktop computer. Execute this by navigating to the File menu, found at the top part of the window. Then, choose either the "Exit" or "Quit" option from the drop-down menu. This action will terminate the program and all associated operations and files.
Disabling the COM Add-ins
In some situations, COM Add-ins can present some issues that might interfere with Microsoft Outlook's ability to send or receive emails until restart. For this reason, it might be necessary to disable them. To execute this, endeavor to follow these steps:
Launch Microsoft Word
Start by launching Microsoft Word on your computer. Although it might seem like an unusual place to start, Word features options that control add-ins, making it a useful tool for solving this problem.
Open File Menu
After successfully launching Microsoft Word, click on the "File" menu. This option is typically situated at the top left corner of your window.
Go to the Add-ins Tab
While on the File menu, navigate downwards and select the "Add-ins" tab.
Change Manage to COM Add-Ins
On the Add-ins page, look down through the window till you see the "Manage" section. Click on the drop-down button and switch to "COM Add-ins".
Uncheck All Add-ins
For the final step, a list of all COM Add-ins currently installed and enabled in your Office application will be shown. Simply uncheck all of these add-ins.
Final Step: Press OK
Once the necessary add-ins are unchecked, click on "OK" button to save the changes and close the window.
Step 2: Open Outlook on Your Desktop Computer
After your desktop computer gets rebooted, the subsequent move is to re-launch Outlook. You can do this by clicking the "Start" button on the extreme lower left corner of your screen and choosing the "Microsoft Outlook" option. At this point, the application should open up, and you should be able to utilize it without experiencing any more issues regarding emails not being sent or received until restart.
Email Account: Office 365 Exchange
If you're using the Office 365 Exchange mail service and you're experiencing the said issues, it might be due to incorrect send and receive settings. One solution to this is locating the SRS file and either renaming it or deleting it. The SRS file stores the send and receive settings for various operations and deleting it will cause the settings to be reset to their default state.
Ensure Outlook Isn’t Offline
At times, the explanation behind Microsoft Outlook not sending or receiving emails until a restart could be as simple as the application being in Offline mode. Whenever there's a short-lived issue with your internet connection, Outlook may inadvertently switch to Offline mode, and fail to revert back after the internet connection has been restored. Thus, if you find Outlook not working properly, as it should, then you might need to check whether it's operating in Offline mode. You can check the status at the bottom right corner of the Outlook window - it should display "Connected". If it shows "Offline", it implies that the program is currently in Offline mode.
Switching Off the Offline Mode
If your Outlook is indeed in Offline mode, you'll have to switch it off to resolve the problem. Follow the steps below to switch off the Offline mode:
Access Microsoft Outlook
To begin, open Microsoft Outlook on your system.
Go to the Send/Receive Tab
After opening Outlook, navigate to the Send/Receive tab located at the top of the window.
Disable the Work Offline Option
If your Outlook application is in offline mode, you'll notice that the Work Offline option is highlighted. Click on the Work Offline option in the Preferences section to deselect it and switch off offline mode. Once offline mode has been disabled, Outlook should now be back online. It may take a minute or two for it to refresh and initialize the mode change successfully.
Check Your Internet Connection Status
In addition to checking the offline mode status in Outlook, you should also evaluate the status of your internet connection. Outlook won't receive or send new emails if there's no internet connection or if the connection is very poor. So, ensure your device is connected to a stable internet connection to circumvent the problem of Microsoft Outlook not being able to send or receive emails until a restart.
Ensure Outlook is Up-to-Date
Before troubleshooting any further, it is crucial to make sure that you are running the latest version of Outlook. To check this, open your Outlook application and navigate to: File > Office Account > About Outlook. If an update is available, it is recommended to install it and restart your computer before testing Outlook's email sending and receiving functionality again.
Creating a New Profile through the Control Panel
In some cases, creating a new profile through the control panel can resolve this issue. Here's how to go about this task:
Open Control Panel
The first phase in creating a new profile involves opening the control panel on your PC.
Switch View to Small Icons
Once you have the control panel open, see to it that you switch the 'View by' category to 'Small icons'. This will make all the available options in the control panel much more accessible.
Open Mail (Outlook) (32-bit)
From the available options displayed under the 'Small icons' view, select and open the 'Mail (Outlook) (32-bit)' option.
Create a New Profile
Under the Mail Setup - Outlook window, look for the 'Show Profiles' option and click on it. From here, you can add a new profile by clicking on the 'Add' button.
Testing the Account through Control Panel
Testing the account can be done through the Control Panel as well. Here's how:
Access Email Accounts Option
After opening the Mail (Outlook) (32-bit) dialogue box through the control panel, navigate and click on the 'Email Accounts' option.
Start Testing the Account
From the email accounts window, you can initiate the testing process of the account that's experiencing the issue of not sending or receiving emails until a restart.
Change the Email Settings if Necessary
If the testing reveals that there are some issues with your email accounts' settings, take the necessary steps to modify the settings. This could potentially solve the problem you're facing with your Outlook application.
Repair Outlook or Your Profile
If the above fixes fail to remedy the situation, it may be time to consider repairing Outlook or your profile. Microsoft has made available some tools that can repair Outlook should certain aspects of the program get corrupted. It's important to note that it's quite a time-consuming process (can take up to an hour), so it's advisable to reserve this as a last resort.
