Although most users prefer Gmail, Outlook remains a popular choice among businesses and professionals to handle emails. While Microsoft offers a solid Outlook experience on the web, desktop, and mobile, several glitches can cause confusion and headaches. Many have complained about Outlook emails getting stuck in the outbox, and if you face the same, here are the best ways to fix emails stuck in Outlook outbox.
Table of Contents
1. Check Network Connection
You should first check the network connection on your desktop and mobile. When your phone or desktop has a slow internet connection, your Outlook emails may get stuck in your outbox.
You need to connect to a high-speed Wi-Fi network and try sending an email again. You can check the internet speeds via apps like Speedtest. If your Android phone or iPhone has network connectivity issues, check our dedicated guides to fix the problem. Â
2. Check Outlook Server
If the Outlook servers are down, all your outgoing emails will be stuck in outbox. You can head to Downdetector and search for Outlook to confirm the issue. You may notice high outage graphs and user comments complaining about the same behavior.
You have no option but to wait for Microsoft to resolve server-side problems on their end.
3. Check Outlook Storage
Microsoft offers 5GB of Outlook storage to free accounts. While 5GB sounds like a lot for emails, you may run out of space if you receive hundreds of emails every day. You should check your Outlook storage and take the necessary steps.
1. Head to Outlook on the web and sign in with your Microsoft account details.
2. Select the Settings gear in the top-right corner.
3. Click Storage from the sidebar and glance over your Outlook account space.
4. Microsoft offers a detailed storage breakdown. You can empty deleted items, archive box, spambox, and junk emails to free up space.
You can subscribe to one of the Microsoft 365 plans to unlock 50GB of Outlook email space.
4. Don’t Attach Corrupt Files
When you attach corrupt files to your email, they may get stuck in Outlook Outbox. You should not attach such broken files to your email. You can download such files properly and attach them to an email again.
5. Don’t Upload Files to OneDrive Directly
When you drag and drop files from your Mac or Windows to Outlook, it offers two options. You can either upload files to an email or upload them to OneDrive and send the email. The latter can be quite irritating and may cause errors when sending an email.
You should drop your files on the right side of the compose screen. Outlook attaches these files to your emails directly. You shouldn’t upload them to OneDrive as it may lead to errors like these.
Note that this is true for attachments that are 20MB or less in size. Outlook doesn’t allow attaching files beyond that limit.
6. Force Stop Outlook
Many have complained about email stuck in Outlook outbox on mobile, too. If you face the same, force stop Outlook on Android and try again.
1. Long-tap on the Outlook app icon and open the info menu.
2. Select Force stop and try sending an email again.
iOS users can swipe up and hold from the bottom and swipe up on Outlook to close it completely.
7. Clear Outlook Cache
Outlook collects cache in the background to improve the overall app performance. When the service collects corrupt files in the background, your Outlook emails may get stuck in your outbox. You should clear the Outlook cache and try again.
1. Open the Outlook app info menu on Android (check the steps above).
2. Select Storage and data and tap Clear cache from the following menu.
You can also clear Outlook cache on Windows and Mac. You can read our dedicated post to learn about clearing Outlook cache and its implications. Â
9. Update Outlook
Do your Outlook emails still get stuck in outbox? You should update Outlook to the latest version on your mobile and desktop.
You can head to the Google Play Store or the App Store and install the latest Outlook build on your phone. Outlook is available on the Microsoft Store and Mac App Store as well. Once you install the latest Outlook version, try sending emails without any glitches.
Fix Outlook Irregularities
Outlook emails getting stuck in your outbox can waste your productivity hours before you switch to an alternative way to communicate and share files, use the steps above to send emails on Outlook without any issues. Â
