How to use it
- Read the live status above. It tests Outlook from outside your network.
- Open the official Microsoft 365 Status page for confirmed incidents.
- If Outlook is up, work through the fixes below, cheapest first.
- Press the report button if it still fails, so other visitors see it.
Is Outlook down for everyone or only for you?
Outlook is both a service and a program. The service is the mailbox on Microsoft's servers, reached through outlook.com, Microsoft 365 or another provider. The program is Outlook for Windows, Mac or mobile that syncs with that mailbox. Both need Microsoft account sign-in. If sign-in is slow, every Outlook client can feel broken even when mail is fine.
Our check requests the Office website and the Microsoft account login page from outside your network. Microsoft publishes a service status page for Microsoft 365. If both checks answer, a problem such as Disconnected or Need Password is more often the client, a changed password or the network.
The live check on this page requests www.office.com and login.live.com from our servers every few minutes. A normal answer from those addresses means the service is reachable from outside your network. It does not prove that every feature inside Outlook works, which is why the problem reports and the fixes below matter.
What usually breaks with Outlook
Sign-in
Login pages fail or loop. Microsoft's account service is shared across Outlook, Office and Teams.
Sending and receiving
Mail sits in the Outbox or new messages do not appear. Microsoft's help covers this under cannot send or receive.
Disconnected status
The status bar shows Disconnected, Working Offline or Trying to connect. Outlook cannot reach the mail server.
Password prompts
Outlook asks for a password again and again. A changed password or a missing app password is the usual cause.
Crashes and freezes
Classic Outlook hangs or will not start, often because of add-ins or a damaged profile.
How to fix Outlook when it only fails for you
Start at the top. The first steps are the cheapest and fix most cases that are not a real outage.
- Check webmail. Sign in at outlook.com in a browser. If mail works there, the mailbox is fine and the app is the problem.
- Turn off Work Offline. In classic Outlook open the Send/Receive tab, find Preferences, and click Work Offline so it is not highlighted. Then run Send/Receive.
- Repair the profile. In classic Outlook choose File, Account Settings, select your account on the Email tab and click Repair.
- Start in Safe Mode. Press Win+R, enter outlook.exe /safe and press Enter. If it works, an add-in is the cause. Disable them under File, Options, Add-ins.
- Update the password everywhere. If you changed it on the provider site, update it in Outlook too. If your provider requires an app password, generate one there.
- Run Get Help troubleshooters. For classic Outlook, Microsoft's troubleshooter pages can check sign-in and profile issues. They do not apply to new Outlook for Windows.
- Allow Outlook in the firewall. Make sure Outlook is allowed on private and public networks, and temporarily test without a proxy.
- Update Office. Open File, Office Account, Update Options, Update Now so you run the latest build.
If none of this helps and the live check above shows the service as up, read our guide on why a website is not loading, or see how to flush DNS.
Common Outlook error messages
| Message or code | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Disconnected | Microsoft says this status bar message means Outlook cannot reach the email server. | Turn off Work Offline, check the internet connection and test webmail. |
| Working Offline | Outlook is in offline mode and does not try to send or receive. | On the Send/Receive tab turn off Work Offline and run Send/Receive. |
| Trying to connect... | Outlook is attempting to reach the server and has not yet succeeded. | Check the internet, then repair the profile if the status does not clear. |
| 0x800CCC0E | A connection error that Microsoft Q&A threads link to IMAP or SMTP accounts, such as Gmail. It is community reported, not an official definition. | Re-add the account, check the app password and port settings (IMAP 993 with SSL, SMTP 587 with STARTTLS). |
Official Outlook status and support
The company itself has the final word on outages. Check Microsoft 365 Status for confirmed incidents and use Outlook Help and Learning if your account has a problem that is not an outage. We are not affiliated with Outlook.
Facts and menu names on this page were checked against the official sources below on October 25, 2026. Apps change their menus, so a setting may sit in a slightly different place in your version.
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/i-can-t-send-or-receive-messages-in-outlook
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/fix-your-outlook-email-connection-by-repairing-your-profile
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3068991/outlook-displays-disconnected-in-the-status-bar-if-the-last-character
- status.cloud.microsoft
Other services people check
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if Outlook is down or if it is just me?
Run the live check above, then open outlook.com in a browser. If webmail works but the app does not, the problem is local.
Where is the official Outlook status page?
Microsoft 365 service status is at status.cloud.microsoft. It lists Microsoft 365 services. Admins can also see the Microsoft 365 admin center.
Why does Outlook keep asking for my password?
A changed password, an expired token or a provider that needs an app password are common causes. Update it in Outlook and use official recovery if needed.
What is the difference between new and classic Outlook?
Menu paths and tools differ. Troubleshooters such as Get Help work with classic Outlook but not new Outlook for Windows.
Should I disable my antivirus?
Only briefly to test, and add an exclusion rather than leaving it off. Email scanning plugins can block connections.