How to Fix Office 365 Not Syncing with Outlook? Expert Ways

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  • Updated on
    May 12th, 2026
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    5 minutes
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Summary: The issue is encountered by many users. It is very frustrating when your emails stop showing up, the inbox freezes, or nothing updates. There can be multiple causes of it, like a weak internet connection or your Outlook needs and upde. This blog goes through the common reasons behind the Office 365 Not Syncing with Outlook problem and shows you how to fix it without any complicated steps.

Why Outlook 365 Desktop App Not Syncing with Outlook?

  • Slow or unstable internet is usually the first thing that breaks Outlook syncing without warning.
  • An outdated Outlook app version sometimes just stops working properly with Office 365 accounts.
  • Wrong email account settings can quietly prevent Outlook from connecting to the Office 365 servers.
  • A damaged or corrupted Outlook profile is a common reason syncing breaks out of nowhere.
  • Cached data piling up inside Outlook over time can start causing unexpected sync problems.
  • An expired or recently changed Office 365 password will stop Outlook from authenticating and syncing.

How to Fix Office 365 Not Syncing with Outlook?

If you are facing this problem, then some methods can help you to resolve this issue. We have discussed some solutions below to resolve this issue without any affect in mailbox data.

Solution 01: Verify Your Internet Connection

For this sync, it is important to have a stable internet connection. To very first, you need to check you internet connection is active and stable to connect Outlook with Office 365. And if you are connected with the company network, then make sure that the firewall or proxy settings are not blocking the services of Outlook.

Solution 02: Disable Work Offline Mode

  1. Open Outlook on your computer.
  2. Navigate to the Send/Receive tab.
  3. Click the Work Offline option if it is enabled.
  4. After disabling it, Outlook will reconnect to the server and begin syncing emails automatically.

Solution 03: Reconfigure Your Office 365 Account

  1. Open Outlook and move to File > Account Settings > Manage Profiles.
  2. Remove the existing Office 365 profile.
  3. Add the account again using the correct email credentials.
  4. Complete the verification process if multi-factor authentication is enabled.

Solution 04: Delete and Rebuild the OST File

  1. Close Outlook completely.
  2. Press Win + R and type:
    %localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook\
  3. Locate the OST file associated with your account and delete it.
  4. Restart Outlook.
  5. Outlook will automatically create a new OST file and begin syncing mailbox data again.

Solution 05: Update Outlook and Windows

Here we will see how we can update the Outlook in both the OS

To update Outlook:

  1. Open Outlook.
  2. Go to File > Office Account.
  3. Click Update Options > Update Now.

To update Windows:

  1. Open Settings > Windows Update.
  2. Click Check for Updates and install any available updates.

Solution 06: Check Microsoft 365 Service Status

Sometimes you can face this issue because of a temporary outage on Microsoft. In this case, you can not fix this locally until Microsoft restores the services. If you want to check the current Microsoft 365 service, then you can visit the Microsoft service health portal.

Failed to Fix Office 365 Not Syncing with Outlook Problem?

It is not guaranteed that you can resolve the Office 365 email not syncing with Outlook with the above solution. But there is an alternate solution that you can use to get emails from Office 365 in Outlook. The MCD Office 365 Backup Tool can solve this issue by storing your emails in PST format. After that, you can import those files into Outlook and can access those emails in Outlook.

If you can’t fix Office 365 Email not syncing with Outlook, then this will be the best alternative to access your emails in Outlook.

Steps to Back up Office 365 to PST

  1. Download the tool and click Backup.
  2. Install tool and click Backup
  3. Then, log in with Office 365 credentials.
  4. log in with Office 365
  5. After that, add users and choose the mailbox, and click Next.
  6. Add users and choose the mailbox
  7. Further, preview the folder structure and press Next.
  8. preview the folder structure
  9. Afterwards, choose the PST file format and apply filters.
  10. choose the PST file format
  11. Thereafter, choose the destination and click Next.
  12. choose the destination
  13. Lastly, click Backup to start migration.
  14. click Backup to start migration

Also, you can check this to migrate Office 365 to Google Workspace.

Conclusion

Office 365 not syncing with Outlook is a common issue that can happen due to many reasons. You can fix them with the help of a manual solution, but there might be a chance that it will not work. In such cases, you need a alternate like Office 365 Backup Tool, which helps you to save your data in PST format. Later, you can import them into Outlook easily.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How do I fix Outlook not syncing emails in Office 365?

Ans: You can fix Outlook syncing issues by checking your internet connection, disabling Work Offline mode, updating Outlook, rebuilding the OST file, or reconfiguring the Office 365 account.

Q2. How do I manually sync Outlook with Office 365?

Ans: To manually sync Outlook with Office 365, open Outlook and press the F9 key or go to the Send/Receive tab and click Send/Receive All Folders. Make sure Work Offline mode is disabled, and your Office 365 account is connected properly.

Q3. Can outdated Outlook versions cause Office 365 sync issues?

Ans: Yes, outdated Outlook versions can create compatibility problems with Microsoft 365 services. Old versions may fail to connect properly with Office 365 servers, which can stop emails from syncing.

Q4. Can large Office 365 mailboxes affect Outlook synchronization?

Ans: Very large mailboxes can slow down Outlook synchronization, especially when the OST file becomes oversized. Outlook may freeze, stop updating folders, or take longer to sync new emails.

Q5. Does the Office 365 Backup Tool include public folder backup functionality?

Ans: Yes, the MCD Office 365 Backup Tool supports backup of Office 365 mailbox data, including public folders. It also allows users to save data into multiple file formats, such as PST, and migrate Office 365 mailboxes to other platforms like Google Workspace.

About The Author

Sachin Prajapati is an experienced technical content writer with a passion for simplifying complex topics. Specializing in email and cloud migration solutions, he crafts informative and reader-friendly content that empowers users to understand and manage their digital tools more effectively. His insights have been featured on several respected tech platforms, earning the trust of a wide audience.

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