Launched by Jack Smith and Sabeer Bhatia, Hotmail was believed to be one of the first webmail services on the Internet. The webmail service grew later and has been used by millions of people (for both professional and personal use) across the globe. If you are a Hotmail user, at some point or the other you would have faced several problems. You might have wondered “how do I fix Hotmail problems”. In this blog, we will know some of the major email issue and how to fix it.
How to Fix Hotmail Problems – “Not Receiving Emails” or “Can’t Receive Emails”
Sometimes your Hotmail account might not receive emails or can’t receive emails due to the following reasons –
- Invalid account configuration.
- An email filter is landing emails not in the ‘Inbox’ but in an ‘unknown’ folder.
- The browser is not updated or unable to sync with the outlook server.
- The email forwarding option has been enabled accidentally.
Troubleshooting Hotmail Problems
Any of these common causes might create a problem that would further stop you from receiving emails. It is important to fix these issues in the first place. We have tried to troubleshoot each issue with appropriate steps underneath.
- Invalid Account Configuration: The wrong account configuration could be a major reason why you are not receiving emails in your Hotmail account. Check the mail settings immediately.
Incoming Server for Outlook Account –
IMAP-mail.outlook.com
SSL Type: Yes
Port no: 993
Outgoing Server for Outlook Account –
SMTP-mail.outlook.com
SSL Type: Yes
Port no: 465
- Email Filter Issue: Have you created an email filter for your Hotmail account? You need to delete it right away as it might be causing problems to your account. “An email filtering service is a process of filtering emails inbound to the user’s mailbox and outgoing from the user’s server”. When you create a filter for inbound, it checks each incoming email and filters it for suspicious links, malware, spam, etc. It further organizes all the emails into various (specified) folders or categories.
Here’s how you can delete the email filter –
- Login to your Hotmail account.
- Go to the ‘Settings’ option and view all settings.
- If you could see the ‘rule’ option, click on it.
- Next, you need to delete it, click on the ‘Okay’ button and ‘Save’ changes.
- Browser Not Updated Or Unable To Sync With The Outlook Server: One of the most reliable techniques to deal with Hotmail problems and make sure there’s inbound email flow is to update your browser or sync with the Outlook server. You may want to access your Hotmail account on a different computer via another web browser. If you receive emails by using another browser, you need to fix the browser issue.
- Open the browser and delete the wrong extension, cookies, and history.
- Look for the recent update. If you find any, update it.
- Disable Email Forwarding Option If Enabled by Mistake: Check the email forwarding settings and make sure that you have disabled it. If you have enabled it by mistake, some of your emails might land in other addresses. You can disable it like this –
- Go to the Outlook settings option.
- Look for the forwarding tab. You need to disable the enable forwarding option by unticking it.
- Save ‘Settings’.
Some Other Issues and Their Fixes
You have followed the troubleshooting tips and fixed all the errors. However, you might still not be able to receive emails. Here are a few more issues and their fixes that are worth checking –
- Hotmail Server Is Down: It has nothing to do with your email on your side. The Hotmail server is down. You will have to wait and watch. Although it seldom happens, you may call upon the official team and get it fixed. You can even chat with knowledgeable professionals.
- Correct Email Address: Has the sender entered the correct email address? When you know that the sender has sent the message and you haven’t received it. You ran through the troubleshooting steps but in vain. Maybe, the sender hasn’t provided the correct address. You may contact the sender to confirm it.
Hotmail Not Working Today – What to Do?
If your Hotmail is not working today, you may hold the following issues responsible.
- Browser not compatible.
- The security of your Hotmail account has been compromised.
- Slow Internet connection.
- Device compatibility issue.
- Old or outdated browser.
- The account has been blocked or suspended temporarily.
Check these issues first and try again. If you are still unable to use your Hotmail account, get in touch with the Hotmail Customer Support team.
Note: Hotmail is now Outlook.com. That’s why we have mentioned ‘Outlook’ on several occasions.