Outlook won't sync, keeps asking for a password, or a shared mailbox vanished

Almost every Outlook problem falls into one of four buckets: it is not connecting, it is asking for a password it already has, a mailbox has disappeared, or the profile itself has gone bad. Work down this page in order — the early steps are quick and fix the majority of cases.

Start with the status bar

Look at the very bottom of the Outlook window. That small line of text tells you more than anything else on screen.

• Connected to: Microsoft Exchange — Outlook is fine. If mail is still missing, the problem is a rule, a filter, or the folder you are looking at.
• Working Offline — click the Send / Receive tab and click Work Offline to toggle it back on. This is the single most common cause of “Outlook stopped getting mail.”
• Disconnected or Trying to connect — network or credentials. Continue below.
• Updating this folder that never finishes — usually a large mailbox catching up. Give it 20 minutes before intervening.

Quick fixes, in order

1. Toggle Work Offline off (above).
2. Press F9, or click Send / Receive All Folders. This forces a sync now rather than waiting.
3. Restart Outlook properly. Close it, then press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, find any lingering Microsoft Outlook process, and end it. Outlook often stays running invisibly after you close the window.
4. Restart the computer. Genuinely — an hour of poking at Outlook is frequently undone by a reboot that clears a stuck credential.
5. Check you can reach mail elsewhere. Open outlook.office.com in a browser. If mail is arriving there, the mailbox is healthy and the problem is on this computer. If it is not arriving there either, it is a service or routing problem and you should call us.

Endless password prompts

The window that keeps reappearing no matter how correctly you type the password.

1. Close Outlook completely, including the hidden process.
2. Clear the stored credential. Press the Windows key, type Credential Manager, open it, choose Windows Credentials, and look for entries starting with MicrosoftOffice or MS.Outlook. Remove those entries. You are not deleting your password — only the saved copy that has gone stale.
3. Reopen Outlook. Sign in once with your email address and current password, and complete the MFA prompt if asked.
4. If it still loops, sign out of Windows entirely and back in before trying again.

If you recently changed your password, also check your phone — a phone still holding the old password can trigger lockouts that look exactly like this. See Your password expired, or you need to change it.

A shared mailbox disappeared

Shared mailboxes (info@, accounts@, and so on) are added to your Outlook automatically once we grant you access. They can drop off after a password change, a profile rebuild, or a Microsoft-side hiccup.

First, confirm you still have access: open outlook.office.com, click your initials top right, choose Open another mailbox, and type the shared address. If it opens in the browser, your permissions are intact and only desktop Outlook needs fixing.

To re-add it manually:

1. In Outlook, go to File › Account Settings › Account Settings.
2. Select your email account and click Change.
3. Click More Settings › Advanced › Add.
4. Type the shared mailbox address exactly, click OK, then Next and Finish.
5. Restart Outlook. The mailbox appears as a separate folder tree in the left pane, below your own.

If it does not open in the browser either, your permission has been removed. That is something we need to restore — it usually happens when someone changes roles or a mailbox is reorganised.

Rebuilding a corrupted profile

Symptoms: Outlook crashes on launch, hangs on Loading Profile, shows folders that will not expand, or search returns nothing when you know the mail is there.

This is the reliable fix, and it does not delete any mail — everything lives in Microsoft 365 and re-downloads.

1. Close Outlook.
2. Press the Windows key, type Control Panel, and open it.
3. Set View by to Small icons, then open Mail (Microsoft Outlook).
4. Click Show Profiles.
5. Click Add, name the new profile something like Outlook2, and click OK.
6. Enter your name and email address and let it configure automatically. Sign in when prompted.
7. Back on the Profiles screen, choose Always use this profile and select the new one.
8. Open Outlook and let it download. A large mailbox can take an hour or more — leave it alone and keep the computer awake.

Do not delete the old profile until you are confident the new one is complete.

One caveat: if you have PST archive files attached, or locally-stored contacts, those are tied to the old profile and need re-attaching. If you are not sure whether you have any, stop and call us before you switch profiles.

When to stop and call

• Outlook crashes repeatedly even in a fresh profile.
• Mail is not arriving in the browser either.
• You are missing a folder or messages you know existed.
• Anything involving a mailbox you share with others — we would rather fix it centrally than have four people rebuild profiles.

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Still stuck? Call 440-991-9980 or email [email protected]. If email is the thing that is broken, phone us — and let us know whether webmail works, because that one detail tells us where the problem sits.