Emails showing in Outbox on the server but not visible in Outlook user’s Outbox?

Summary: Learn the reasons behind emails stuck in Outbox but not showing in your Outlook user’s local Outbox folder and effective troubleshooting techniques and solutions to restore your Outlook email send/receive functionality. Also, learn to restore mail items from orphaned and inaccessible OST files to a new OST or profile using Stellar Converter for OST files when the issue isn’t resolved.

Email stuck in the outbox but not showing is one of the most annoying and frustrating things that can happen to Outlook users while sending an email. What makes it more annoying is the fact that you can’t even find it in the local Outbox folder in Outlook. On clicking on Outlook’s Outlook folder, it displays empty.

In this article, we will explore the possible reasons why emails showing in Outbox on the server but not visible in Outlook users’ Outbox folder and provide troubleshooting workarounds and solutions to help you resolve it.

Table of Content:

• Common Reasons for Email Stuck in Outbox but Not Showing
• Solutions to Fix Email Stuck in Outbox but Not Showing Issue
• Conclusion- Email Stuck In Outbox But Not Showing

Common Reasons for Email Stuck in Outbox but Not Showing

Below are some common reasons that can lead to Emails showing in Outbox on the server but not visible in local Outbox folder issues in Outlook 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, or 2021.

• Synchronization issues between the local OST file and the mailbox server
• Incorrect email settings
• Incompatible or faulty add-ins
• Low disk space
• Large attachments or files in the message
• Conflicting apps
• Oversized or large Outlook data file (OST)

Also Read: How to Convert an OST file into Outlook PST file?

Solutions to Fix Email Stuck in Outbox but Not Showing Issue

1. Disable Antivirus

Sometimes conflicts with the applications, such as antivirus may lead to such issues in Outlook. Try disabling your antivirus temporarily and check if this resolves the issue.

If it does, contact antivirus support to help you out. You may also add the Outlook program to the exceptions list in the antivirus tool or use an Outlook-aware antivirus software to permanently fix the issue.

2. Check the Internet Connection

A stable internet connection is essential for Outlook to sync properly with the email server. If your internet connection is unstable or having disruptions, it can lead to synchronization issues and cause emails to stuck in the Outbox or make them invisible from the local Outbox folder in Outlook. 

To avoid such issues, ensure that you have a reliable internet connection. Contact your service provider if required. 

3. Verify Email settings- Email Stuck In Outbox But Not Showing

Incorrect or wrong email configuration can lead to messages getting stuck in the server’s Outbox but not appearing in Outlook’s Outbox. Thus, it is crucial to ensure that your email account is properly set up in Outlook.

To do this, follow these steps:

• Open Outlook and navigate to File > Account Settings > Account Settings
• Check your email account settings and ensure they are correctly configured
• Also check outgoing email server settings in Advanced Settings Ensure that the server address, port number, and authentication settings match the requirements provided by your email service provider.

Also Read: How to Fix OST Error “File Access is Denied”?

4. Checking for conflicting programs or add-ins

Conflicting programs or add-ins can also cause emails to get stuck in the server’s Outbox while remaining invisible in Outlook’s Outbox. Follow these steps to disable add-ins, find the faulty add-ins, and remove them from Outlook to resolve the issue.

• Close Outlook if running and press Windows + R
• Type Outlook.exe /safe and click OK.
• Press the Enter key to start Outlook in safe mode

• Go to File > Options >Add-Ins and click the Go… button.
• Uncheck the checkboxes beside all add-ins and click OK to disable them.

• Close Outlook and then start it normally.

This should resolve the email stuck in the outbox but not showing an issue. After, activate one add-in at a time and restart Outlook to find the faulty add-in causing the issue, and deactivate it. 

5. Clearing the Outbox Folder on the Server

If none of the previous troubleshooting steps have resolved the issue, you can try clearing the Outbox folder on the server. The issue may occur due to large attachments or file sizes as many email providers impose restrictions on the size of attachments or files that can be sent. If you are trying to send an email with attachments that exceed the specified limits, the email may fail to send and remain stuck in the server’s Outbox.

In addition, a corrupted email or a temporary glitch can also cause emails to get stuck. 

In such a case, you can clear the Outbox folder on the server to eliminate any potential blockages that may be preventing the emails from being sent.

To clear the Outbox folder, 

• Log in to your email account through a web browser 
• Open the Outbox folder and delete any emails present in the folder. 
• After clearing the server’s Outbox, try resending the emails and check if they go through successfully. Make sure to compress your attachments or files before sending them.

6. Turn Off Cached Exchange Mode

Clearing the Cached Exchange mode setting can help resolve synchronization issues that may be preventing Outlook from sending emails and getting stuck in the Outbox folder on the server.

The steps are as follows:

• Click File and go to Account Settings > Account Settings
• Choose your email account and then click Change
• You will see Use Cached Exchange Mode Under Offline Settings. Clear the checkbox beside Use Cached Exchange Mode and click Next > Finish

• Exit, and then restart Outlook.

This will allow Outlook to connect to the mailbox server in online mode and let you see your emails in the Outlook folder in the Outlook client. However, it’s recommended to use the Cached Exchange Mode if you are using an Exchange or Office 365 account for better performance. 

Also Read: How to Turn off Cached Exchange Mode in Outlook 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, or 2019?

7. Create a New Outlook Profile- Email Stuck In Outbox But Not Showing

Follow the below steps to configure a new profile.

• In Outlook, open Control Panel and navigate to User Accounts > Mail.

• Click on the Show Profiles button and then click Add.
• In the Profile Name box, enter any name for your new profile and click OK.

• Follow the onscreen instructions and sign in using the same email account credentials.
• After the sign-in, make this profile default and then start Outlook.
• If you made the profile default, it will open and you should see the mail items in the Outbox folder. Otherwise, you will need to choose a new profile to access the mail items.

8. Recreate Outlook Data File

The issue may also occur due to oversized or corrupted OST files. In such a case, you can recreate or rebuild the OST file and resolve the issue. The steps are as follows:

• Locate the OST file. You can right-click on your email in Outlook in the left pane and choose Open File Location. This opens the default location where your Outlook data file (OST) is stored
  

• Copy the OST file to a different location for backup and then delete it from the default location.
• Restart Outlook. The Outlook will create a new OST file automatically at the default location and synchronize all mail items, including the Outbox folder from the mailbox server.

Also Read: Outlook Error “Something is wrong with your OST file”

This should resolve the email stuck in the outbox but not showing an issue. However, if you find that some mail items or folders are missing from your Outlook after recreating the OST file, you can use an OST to PST Converter tool, such as Stellar Converter for OST to convert, extract and save the missing mail items in a PST file. You can then import this PST file into your Outlook account to restore the mail items and folders.

The software also restores the mail items from orphaned or inaccessible and large-sized OST files directly to the live Exchange Server and Office 365 mailbox.

Also Read: Unlock the Secret: Free Methods to Convert OST to PST in Outlook

Conclusion- Email Stuck In Outbox But Not Showing

Getting your emails stuck in the Outbox on the server while being invisible from Outlook’s Outbox is a perplexing issue. However, by following the troubleshooting solutions outlined in this article, you can identify the underlying causes and resolve the email stuck in the outbox but not showing the issue. Make sure to extract and restore missing mail items from the backup OST file using Stellar Converter for OST to your new OST file or Outlook profile after recreating the OST file or creating the new profile., In both cases, your default OST becomes orphaned and inaccessible but contains all mail items.