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As an avid email user, I have encountered several frustrating situations, but none are as disappointing as “Emails showing in Outbox on the server but not visible in Outlook user’s Outbox” issue. It happened to me a couple of weeks ago, and it was an issue I couldn’t solve alone. I was sending an important email to a client, and after hitting the send button, the email remained in the Outbox. It was showing in the Outbox on the server, but not visible in my Outlook user’s Outbox.
I tried everything I could, but something worked once I found easy ways to resolve the Emails getting stuck in the Outbox issue. In this article, I will share my experience and provide some tips and tricks to overcome the problem.
Why “Emails showing in Outbox on the server but not visible in Outlook user’s Outbox” Issue Occur?
There are several possible causes for the issue of the user’s Outlook outbox not showing emails. A few of the most common ones include:
- Synchronization Errors: This occurs when Outlook fails to communicate with the email server and causes discrepancies in the email messages.
- Exceedingly Large Local Cache: A large cache can lead to corrupt or inaccessible email data in Outlook.
- Low Storage Space: Low storage space on the system drive or email server can cause the inability to view email messages in the Outbox.
- Conflicting Apps: The conflict between Outlook & other applications, such as antivirus & add-ins, may cause the emails to go missing from Outbox.
How to Resolve “Emails showing in Outbox on the server but not visible in Outlook user’s Outbox”?
Here are a few effective methods that may also help you to fix “Emails showing in Outbox on the server but not visible in Outlook user’s Outbox issue. Try each of them respectively:
Method 1. Turn off the Cached Exchange Mode
You can prevent any OST file corruption by turning off Cached Exchange Mode in Outlook & this helps in countering the issue of insufficient storage space responsible for the ongoing problem. Here is what you need to do.
- Access Outlook & navigate to the File menu. Click on Account Settings > Account Settings in the drop-down menu.
- Select your account & tap on Change.
- Click on More Settings now.
- Under the Advanced tab, you need to uncheck the option “Download Shared folders” or the “Download Public Folder Favorites” option accordingly.
- Click OK & restart Outlook to check if the ongoing issue prevails.
Method 2. Disable Antivirus
The “Emails showing in Outbox on the server but not visible in Outlook user’s Outbox” error indicates a problem with the communication between your Outlook user interface & the email server. One solution to try is turning off your antivirus program temporarily. Many antivirus programs have email scanning features that can often slow down the sending and receiving of emails. This can cause certain emails to get stuck in the Outbox and not be visible to the user. To turn off your antivirus program, follow these steps:
- Locate your antivirus program icon in your taskbar or system tray.
- Right-click on the icon and select the “Disable” or “Temporary Disable” option from the options provided. In our case, we have the option of Pause Protection.
- Once disabled, try resending the affected emails from your Outbox.
Note:Different antivirus programs have different options, which you can easily find, and it depends on the Antivirus interface.
After successfully sending the affected emails, re-enable your antivirus program.
Method 3. Rebuild the Outlook OST file
To resolve the problem of emails showing in Outbox on the server but not visible in Outlook users’ Outbox, rebuilding the OST file is the recommended solution. This process involves removing the existing OST file and creating a new file based on the information contained in the mailboxes on the server. For you to rebuild the OST file, the following steps should be taken:
- Locate the default location of the OST file on the computer & then delete it
- Launch Outlook & access the File menu. Next, select Account Settings & Account Settings once again and then choose the Data Files tab.
- Click the Add button and select Outlook Data File. Specify a location where the file will be saved. Wait for some time to sync the changes.
Method 4. Using the Microsoft SaRA tool
To resolve emails that are showing in the Outbox on the server but are not visible in the user’s Outlook Outbox, Microsoft SaRA (Support and Recovery Assistant) tool is a reliable solution. This advanced diagnostic tool quickly checks Outlook’s configuration and identifies any configuration or technical issue related to the Outbox. With a user-friendly interface, SaRA can guide users through the process of diagnosing and solving the problem so that problematic emails are sent without any delays.
Method 5. Repair Outlook Profile
A corrupted Outlook profile can cause emails to get stuck in the Outbox. To fix this issue, you can try repairing the Outlook profile. To do this,
- Go to the Control Panel and select Mail.
- Click on the Data Files tab.
- Lastly, from the Email tab, select the Outlook profile that’s causing the issue & click on the Repair button.
The Bottom Line
It is essential to take preventive maintenance measures to avoid Outlook issues like Emails showing in Outbox on the server but not visible in Outlook user’s Outbox. Moreover, you may perform troubleshooting steps like turning off Cached mode and rebuilding OST files, as discussed, to resolve the issue. However, if none of this works out for you or you cannot open the OST file for any reason, then using a reliable OST to PST converter tool can be an excellent option.
Kernel for OST to PST Converter is an efficient tool that offers robust features such as the quick conversion of large-sized files with no size limitations, conversion of inaccessible OST files to PST, Office 365, Exchange & saving emails to Gmail & other IMAP servers, and more. This makes it easier for you to recover your data from the corrupt OST files and move it over to different platforms without hassle. So, take the trial today and feel the difference.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A. Outlook freezing while connected to the network can cause emails to disappear from the user’s Outbox. If this happens, the user should close the application and reopen it to see if the messages can be found in the Sent folder
A. To get rid of an email stuck in your Outbox, try setting Outlook to work offline & wait until the mail spooler process shuts down. Next, close and reopen Outlook & go to the Outbox to delete the message.
