Overview
Outlook is open, mail looks normal, but nothing new arrives and messages sit in the Outbox. The status bar at the bottom of the window reads Disconnected, Working Offline, or Trying to connect…
In most cases this is not a mailbox problem. Outlook has simply lost its connection to Microsoft 365 and needs a nudge — or the internet connection underneath it has a problem.
Likely cause
- Work Offline was switched on by accident (very common).
- The internet or Wi-Fi connection dropped briefly and Outlook did not recover.
- The saved password expired or MFA needs to be re-approved.
- A damaged Outlook data file or profile.
- A Microsoft 365 service incident affecting Exchange Online.
Before you begin
Check your webmail first — it takes ten seconds and saves a lot of guessing.
Open outlook.office.com in a browser. If mail flows normally there, the problem is on this PC. If webmail is also broken, the issue is with the account or the service, not Outlook.
Step-by-step
Step 1 — Turn off Work Offline
In Outlook, go to Send / Receive → Work Offline. If the button is highlighted, click it once to turn it off. Watch the status bar change to Connected to: Microsoft Exchange.
Step 2 — Confirm the internet connection
Open a browser and load any website. No internet means no mail — fix the connection first (see our Wi-Fi article).
Step 3 — Force a send and receive
Press F9, or go to Send / Receive → Send/Receive All Folders.
F9Step 4 — Restart Outlook completely
Close Outlook, wait ten seconds, and reopen it. If it will not close, use Task Manager to end the OUTLOOK.EXE task before reopening.
Step 5 — Sign in again if prompted
If a Microsoft sign-in window appears, enter the password and approve the MFA prompt on your phone. Tick Keep me signed in if offered.
Step 6 — Restart the computer
A full restart clears stuck network sessions and cached credentials. This resolves a surprising number of “Trying to connect…” cases.
Step 7 — Repair the Outlook profile
Creating a new profile removes local Outlook settings such as signatures, rules and custom views.
Note anything you need to recreate before you start.
Go to Control Panel → Mail (Microsoft Outlook) → Show Profiles, add a new profile, set it as the default, and open Outlook again.
What the status bar is telling you
| Status message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Connected to: Microsoft Exchange | Everything is healthy. | No action needed. |
| Working Offline | Offline mode was switched on manually. | Send / Receive → Work Offline (Step 1). |
| Disconnected | Outlook cannot reach Microsoft 365. | Check internet, then Steps 3–6. |
| Trying to connect… | Outlook is retrying, often a credential issue. | Sign in again (Step 5), then restart. |
| Need Password | Saved credentials expired. | Sign in and approve MFA. |
Expected result
The status bar reads Connected to: Microsoft Exchange, queued messages leave the Outbox, and new mail arrives within a minute.
Troubleshooting
Still stuck?
If you'd rather not work through this yourself, CYBER904 can take it from here. Reach the team directly during business hours and we'll get it sorted.