Can't receive any new emails

Geraldine Bormida 0 Reputation points
2026-08-07T19:40:09.36+00:00

I am unable to receive any new emails, only junk mail. I can send emails and even take a junk mail and say it's safe and then it appears in my email. I was hacked a number of weeks ago and I even had a tech team do a scan on my computer and there was none. I've tried everything over and over again, and still no results. I have an IPhone and am unable to do the same for me mail issue on there as well.

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Email
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  1. Alice-N 13,245 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-08-08T05:00:59.2733333+00:00

    Hi

    Please follow these steps:

    1) Check Junk email settings

    In Outlook.com on the web, go to: Settings > Mail > Junk email

    Then review the settings there.

    2) Check Blocked senders and domains

    Under Blocked senders and domains, remove any trusted sender or domain that should not be blocked.

    If a sender is blocked, messages from that sender can be sent to the Junk email folder.

    3) Add trusted senders to Safe senders and domains

    Under Safe senders and domains, add important senders, then select Save.

    4) Check mailbox rules

    Go to: Settings > Mail > Rules

    Delete any rule you do not recognize, especially rules that move messages to:

    • Junk Email
    • Deleted Items
    • Archive
    • Another unknown folder

    5) Check forwarding

    Go to: Settings > Mail > Forwarding

    Make sure forwarding is turned off unless you intentionally enabled it.

    6) Secure the Microsoft account again

    Because the account was previously hacked, secure it again using How to recover a hacked or compromised Microsoft account | Microsoft Support

    7) Sign out and test from Outlook.com on the web

    After changing the password:

    • Sign out of Outlook.com on all devices.
    • Sign back in using Outlook.com on the web first.
    • Test the mailbox from the web before testing on the iPhone.

    8) Ask one trusted sender to send a new test email

    Ask a trusted sender to send a new message. If it still goes to Junk:

    • Open the message in Junk.
    • Select Not junk.
    • Check whether future messages from the same sender go to Inbox.

    9) If senders receive a bounce-back or delivery error

    Ask the sender to share the exact bounce-back or delivery error message.

    If there is no bounce-back and messages only appear in Junk, please confirm:

    • Whether all senders are affected or only specific senders.
    • Whether any unknown rules or forwarding entries were found.
    • Whether the issue also happens in Outlook.com on the web after signing out and back in.

    Please tell me how it goes. If the problem persists, please don’t hesitate to reply to this thread and I will be happy to help. Have a lovely day!  

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  2. AI answer

    2026-08-07T19:40:27.4866667+00:00

    Since the problem affects Outlook.com on both the web and iPhone, focus on mailbox settings and account state rather than the device.

    1. Check mailbox and cloud storage first. If Microsoft cloud storage is full, Outlook.com cannot send or receive email, and messages sent while storage was full are bounced back and unrecoverable.
    2. In Outlook.com, check whether mail is being hidden instead of missing:
      • Check the Other tab.
      • Check Junk Email, Deleted Items, and Archive.
      • Make sure the message list is sorted correctly: Filter > Sort > Date.
      • Ensure the inbox filter is not limiting what is shown.
    3. Check Outlook.com junk settings and blocked handling:
      • Open Junk Email settings and review them.
      • If a message is in Junk but is legitimate, right-click it and choose Mark as not junk.
    4. Check for mailbox rules or forwarding that may have been added during the account compromise:
      • Review email rules and remove any rule that moves, deletes, or redirects mail unexpectedly.
      • Check whether email forwarding is enabled and turn it off if it should not be active.
    5. Check account access and security state:
      • If the password was changed recently, update it where needed.
      • The account may be temporarily blocked because of unusual sign-in activity. If so, use the Outlook.com account unblock process.
      • If sign-in problems exist, use the Microsoft account sign-in helper.
    6. If only one device were affected, removing the device partnership could help sync issues. Since the issue is happening on both web and iPhone, that points more strongly to Outlook.com mailbox settings, storage, or account state.
    7. If specific senders cannot reach the mailbox and there is no visible error, ask those senders to check Sender Support in Outlook.com.

    Most likely checks for this scenario after an account hack are:

    • hidden mail in Other/Junk
    • malicious rules or forwarding
    • full cloud storage/mailbox
    • temporary account restriction from unusual sign-in activity
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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