Easy Fixes – Microsoft Outlook Cannot Connect to Server Error

Read time: 7 minutes

Microsoft Outlook is a versatile email client designed for managing your email communication efficiently. This powerful application not only enables users to send and receive emails but also provides seamless access to a wide range of productivity tools, including calendars, contacts, and more. What sets Outlook apart is its integration with Microsoft Exchange Server and Office 365, allowing for seamless collaboration and enhanced productivity within your organization.

While Microsoft Outlook is a widely popular email client, it is not immune to occasional errors. One common issue that users encounter is the ‘Outlook cannot connect to the Exchange server’ error, which can disrupt email sending and receiving. In this article, we will delve into this error, providing comprehensive insights into its potential causes and troubleshooting solutions.

Reasons let Outlook delivers “Outlook Cannot Connect to Exchange Server” errors-

• Corrupt or damaged OST files
• Synchronization issue
• Corrupt Outlook Profile or Outlook Program files
• Connectivity issues

• Keep the Outlook application and Windows updated.
• Always verify your login credentials before signing in.
• Switch to the faster Internet service provider for the best experience.
• Uninstall the Microsoft Office program and reinstall it to eliminate the files causing connectivity issue.
• Always try to have a backup of mailboxes because sometimes, while fixing the error, data loss can happen.

Now, we’ll look at the solutions to fix Outlook not connecting to the server error.

Microsoft always comes up with new updates, so keep updating applications to avoid minor bugs and errors.

1. In Outlook, select File and go to Office Account.
2. Now go to Update Options and click on Update Now.

Now Outlook will look for updates; if any updates are available, it will update them.

Before logging in, you must verify your credentials, as the wrong id and password may block your signing process, affecting Outlook’s work.

1. In Outlook, go to the File menu.
2. In the info tab, click on Account Settings.

Now, hit the Account Settings option in the drop-down menu.

3. Select the Email tab in the Account Settings window.
4. Select the email account and click on the Remove button.

Once you remove the account, you need to add the account again.

5. Again, go to the File tab and click on Add Account.
6. Here, enter the email address , click the Connect button, and type your password.
7. Finally, hit on the OK button and click on Finish.

Now your newly added account is ready to use.

1. In Outlook, go to the File menu.
2. Now click on the Exit option at the bottom left corner.
3. Once the Outlook application is closed, restart it.

Sometimes due to improper internet connectivity, Outlook stops working. So, check the internet speed. Try a different service provider or different connectivity option to see if the problem is solved.

Offline mode in Outlook helps you work without internet connectivity. Sometimes issues with the offline settings may affect the server connectivity. So let’s disable it by following the steps-

1. In Outlook, go to the Send/Receive at the menu bar.
2. Now go to the Work Offline option.

Now you can see Work Offline is disabled, which means the Offline mode is turned off.

1. In Outlook, go to the File tab.
2. Now go to Account Settings inside the Account Settings menu.
3. Now go to the email tab, select the email account.
4. Finally, choose Repair.

1. In Outlook, go to the File tab.
2. Now go to Account Settings in Account Settings.
3. In the Account setting window, select the Data Files tab.
4. Here click on the Add button.
5. Now create a new Outlook data file and click on the OK button.
6. Now go to the Email tab, choose the email account, and select Remove.
7. Lastly, add your email account again after you have removed it.

Outlook allows users to enhance its functionality by installing add-ins. However, there are situations where users may want to deactivate these add-ins to prevent potential issues that can arise from their installation. To do this, the first step is to launch Outlook in safe mode.

1. Launch the Run command box by the Window+ R key, type “outlook.exe /safe” and press the OK button.

If Outlook gets connected after this, then definitely the problem is due to ad-ins. Hence we will disable the add-ins, but first, close the running Outlook and reopen the app in standard mode instead of in safe mode.

2. In Outlook, go to File and click on Options.
3. In the Outlook Options window, select COM-Add-ins and click on Go Button.
4. Here uncheck all add-ins, except one; click on the Ok button.

Keep checking all add-ins one by one to find out the problematic ones. Once you know the faulty add-in, follow the above steps, and remove it.

You can look to use the encryption method as SSL/TLS to fix the Outlook not connecting to Server issue. Follow the steps below to do so.

• Access Outlook and tap on the File menu. Go to Account Settings & click on Server Settings.
• From the dropdown menu, select the Encryption Method as SSL/TLS.

Corrupt PST files occasionally lead to Outlook not connecting server error. And in such a scenario, there is a need to repair the corrupt OST file. For this, there is a need for an OST repair tool that simultaneously looks for corrupt or damaged PST files from the entire system, scans them, and repairs them. Kernel for OST to PST Converter, is such a tool. It can recover data from orphaned and inaccessible OST files to various destinations like PST, Exchange, Office 365, Gmail, etc.

End Note

We trust that these solutions prove beneficial in resolving the ‘Outlook cannot connect to the Exchange server’ error. Additionally, consider Kernel for OST to PST as a reliable tool for repairing corrupt and damaged OST files. This software can recover nearly all items without any data loss, and it is compatible with all versions of Outlook and Windows. Please don’t hesitate to share your feedback or pose any further questions in the Comments section below.