Resolve Issue: Outlook Disconnected from Exchange Server

Yash Sinha | Updated On - May 09, 2023 |

Read time: 7 minutes

There is no doubt that Microsoft Outlook is the most prominent application for email communication. But in some cases, you may find an Outlook error named “Outlook disconnected from Exchange Server” even when the system is online, and the server is available. If this error occurs, you will be unable to access your email account. There might be various reasons behind the specific issue; it is necessary to determine the actual cause to resolve it immediately.

To check whether your Outlook is connected to the Exchange Server, view the connectivity status in the status bar displayed at the bottom of the Outlook window. The connectivity status shows Connected to: Microsoft Exchange if it has been connected successfully. Trying to connect…. status displays in Outlook if any network problem occurs. It represents the Disconnected status when the outlook is disconnected from the Exchange server.

If you try to update or synchronize the mailbox manually, you may encounter Send/Receive error code 0x80040115.

Reasons for Outlook disconnected from Exchange Server

The error “Outlook disconnected from Exchange Server” display in the Outlook app includes various reasons that need to be understood to know why is Outlook disconnected from Exchange Server:

• Absence of proper internet connectivity.
• Damaged Outlook files.
• Corrupted Outlook profile.
• Faulty add-ins.
• Certificate issue (HTTP/HTTPS).
• Server is down due to maintenance or network issues.

If you want to ensure that the server is working correctly, try to log in to your Outlook and check whether the Exchange of the messages is working correctly. If yes, it means that the server is working fine; the actual cause of the issue may be related to the computer updates or account settings.

To resolve the error, you need to follow various solutions that are listed below:

Before moving to the advanced solutions, you must try the primary solutions to resolve the specific error. In this solution, you must check your system’s connectivity and the mail server’s status. Ensure that the system must be connected to the internet and the mailbox server is online. For the mail server, try to log into the Exchange Server via OWA (Online Web Access). If you succeed in logging in, it means that the server is online and working correctly. If not, contact the administrator.

Outlook includes a feature named Work offline, where a user can use Outlook without interruptions of incoming mail. Basically, it disconnects Outlook from the exchange server by which you would not be disturbed by the incoming mails. You may encounter the error if this option is enabled in Outlook. If you want to check the status, you need to click on the Send/Receive tab at the top of the Outlook window. If the displayed Work Offline button is grayed or shaded, it means that the option has been enabled. To re-establish the connection between Outlook and Exchange Server, disable the option by clicking on the button.

The faulty and incompatible add-ins can also cause error as it creates inconsistencies in the Outlook data file and damages the OST file. To resolve the issue and ensure add-ins are not responsible in Outlook disconnection, the following steps need to be taken such as:

Close the Outlook application and open the run window by pressing Windows + R key.

In the run window, type Outlook.exe/safe and press Enter. and press the Enter key.

Check the connectivity status of Outlook in the status bar after entering your login password. If it is connected to Exchange Server, you need to disable all the add-ins in Outlook and restart the application.

To determine the faulty add-ins, enable the add-ins one after another and observe Outlook for disconnected status.

Finally, remove the faulty add-ins from Outlook, if any, and use the Outlook application without the specific issue.

When you access your on-premises exchange server mailbox, you may find that the security certificates have expired, preventing Outlook from connecting to the Exchange Server. You may encounter Outlook disconnected from Exchange Server error if any issue occurs due to the security certificates. To resolve this issue, you need to contact the administrator.

If you create a new Outlook profile for the Exchange Server, the chances of resolving the specific error will be high. By performing this action, the corrupted files will be replaced in Outlook, which will help to fix the error. To create a new profile in Outlook, you need to follow the below steps:

1. 1. First, close Outlook and then open the Control Panel in your system.
   2. Click on Mail in the Control Panel window.
   3. After that, a pop-up window will display on the screen where you need to click on the Show profiles in the Mail Setup.
   4. Now, click on Add.
   5. Enter the profile name of Outlook and click on the OK.
   6. To proceed further, follow the instructions displayed on the wizard to configure your email profile.
   7. After the setup, you will see that the new profile has been added to Outlook. Now, connect your Outlook to the Exchange Server and synchronize the emails.

Once the synchronization has been completed successfully, check the status if it is now Connected or Disconnected after restarting Outlook.
After the issue has been resolved, remove the corrupted Outlook profile.

When all the above solutions fail to resolve the error, rebuilding your Outlook data file (OST) will always be reliable. To perform this, you need to follow the below steps:

1. 1. In the Outlook window, right-click on your email profile.
   2. In the available options, click on the Open File Location.

You will be redirected to the default file location when you click on it.

1. After that, close Outlook.
2. After keeping the backup in a safe location, you need to delete the default Outlook data file (OST).
3. Restart Outlook normally and then wait for a while.
4. Finally, Outlook will connect to the Exchange Server and synchronize the mail items.

To resolve Outlook disconnected from Exchange Server issue, follow the below technical steps:

1. Click on the “Start” menu & select “Control Panel“.
2. Choose “Programs and Features” from the list.
3. Scroll down to locate “Microsoft Office Outlook” in the installed programs.
4. Select “Uninstall” to remove Outlook completely from your system.
5. Wait for the uninstall process to complete & then reboot your computer.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to reinstall Outlook on your system.
7. After the installation process is complete, reboot your computer again.
8. Launch Outlook & check if it’s connected to the server.

There might be a chance of data loss while attempting the above solutions. In such cases, you need to use the various OST Converter software available in the market. Kernel for OST to PST Converter is an innovative tool capable of recovering permanently deleted Outlook mailbox items. It supports the OST files of all Exchange/Outlook versions. In addition, you can also migrate OST items to your Exchange or Office 365 mailbox.

Wrapping Up

In this blog, you will get an idea about the possible causes of Outlook disconnection from the Exchange Server, which you can easily resolve using the above solutions. The solutions vary based on the cause of the issue; therefore, it is recommended to find the actual cause before attempting the solutions. From the listed solutions, creating a new Outlook profile and rebuilding Outlook Data File are the most capable solutions to resolve the error. But before practicing these, it is recommended to keep the backup of the OST file in a secure location to avoid data loss.