An email I was expecting hasn't arrived in Microsoft Outlook

If an email you were expecting hasn't turned up, it's usually still recoverable - most of the time the message has simply been filed somewhere other than your Inbox, held for review as suspected spam, or hasn't quite made it across to the app on your computer yet. Genuine, permanent loss of an email is rare.

This article walks through the Microsoft 365 services and locations to check, in order, starting with the quickest and most common. Work down the list until you find the message.

Before you start, if you can, it's worth a quick word with the sender to confirm they actually sent the message, and sent it to the correct address. That rules out a problem at their end before you go looking at yours (there's more on this in the last check).

These steps assume your mailbox is hosted in Microsoft 365 (Exchange Online). If your organisation also uses Proofpoint Essentials for mail filtering, see the note under "Check 7" as well.

Check 1: Search your whole mailbox

The message may have arrived but been filed in a folder, or landed in a tab you don't usually look at.

1. In the search box at the top of Outlook, type the sender's name, their email address, or a word from the subject line.
2. Change the search scope from Current Folder to All Mailboxes (or All Outlook Items) so the search covers every folder, not just your Inbox.
3. If you use the Focused Inbox, also click the Other tab - automated emails, newsletters, and first-time senders often land there rather than in Focused.

If you find it, you can right-click the message and move it back to your Inbox.
 

Check 2: Check your Junk Email folder

Microsoft may have decided the message looked like spam and moved it to Junk Email.

1. Open the Junk Email folder in your folder list.
2. If you find the message there, right-click it and choose Junk → Not Junk (or Move → Inbox). This also helps Outlook learn that future emails from that sender are wanted.
    

Check 3: Check your Deleted Items folder

A rule, an accidental click, or a sweep setting can send a message straight to Deleted Items.

1. Open the Deleted Items folder and look for the message (or search within it).
2. If it's there, right-click and choose Move → Inbox.

If you suspect it was deleted but it's not in Deleted Items, Outlook can often still recover it - log a case with RWTS Support and we can help retrieve it.
 

Check 4: Check your inbox rules

If you (or someone setting up your mailbox previously) created a rule, it may be quietly moving or deleting messages from that sender.

1. In Outlook, go to File → Manage Rules & Alerts (classic Outlook), or Settings → Mail → Rules (new Outlook / Outlook on the web).
2. Review the list for any rule that matches the sender, subject, or that moves mail to a folder or to Deleted Items.
3. If you find a rule that's catching the message, you can turn it off or adjust it - and then check the folder it was sending mail to.
    

Check 5: Check your Blocked Senders list

You may have previously blocked the sender or their domain, which sends their mail straight to Junk or stops it appearing.

1. In Outlook on the web, go to Settings → Mail → Junk email.
2. Review the Blocked senders and domains list and remove the sender if they've been added by mistake.
    

Check 6: Check Outlook on the web

Checking your mailbox in a browser shows you exactly what has actually been delivered to your mailbox in the cloud, separate from the app on your computer. This tells us whether the problem is with the mailbox itself or just with your desktop Outlook.

1. Open a browser and go to https://outlook.office.com, then sign in with your work account.
2. Search for the message using the steps in Check 1.

If the message IS there on the web but NOT in your desktop Outlook: the email is fine - the problem is your desktop app syncing. Go to Check 8.

If the message is NOT there on the web either: it hasn't been delivered to your mailbox. Continue to Check 7 (Quarantine), then the sender check.
 

Check 7: Check Quarantine

If a message looks like spam or phishing, Microsoft may hold it in Quarantine so it's never delivered to your Inbox at all.

1. Look out for the quarantine notification email from Microsoft (it arrives periodically and lists messages being held for you). From that email you can Release a message you trust, or Request release.
2. You can also review held messages at https://security.microsoft.com/quarantine, signed in with your work account.
3. If you find the message and it's legitimate, choose Release (or Request release).

Please note: for messages that genuinely look like phishing, a release request may be reviewed and declined by an administrator to keep everyone safe. If that happens and you're certain the message is legitimate, log a case with RWTS Support so we can take a closer look.

If your organisation uses Proofpoint Essentials: suspected spam may be held by Proofpoint rather than Microsoft. Check your Proofpoint quarantine digest email, or the Proofpoint portal. See the Proofpoint Essentials articles in this section of the Help Centre for more detail.

Check 8: Make sure Outlook is syncing (desktop app)

If the message is in Outlook on the web (Check 6) but not on your computer, your desktop app isn't fully syncing.

1. Check the bottom of the Outlook window - if it says Working Offline or Disconnected, go to the Send / Receive tab and click Work Offline to turn it back online.
2. Click Send/Receive All Folders to force a refresh.
3. If it still doesn't appear, close and reopen Outlook and allow a minute or two for it to catch up.
    

Check 9: Check with the sender

If you've worked through every check and the message simply isn't in your mailbox anywhere (including on the web), the issue is most likely at the sending end.

Ask the sender to confirm:

• They sent it to your correct email address (a single wrong character is enough for it to never arrive).
• They didn't receive a bounce-back / delivery failure message (often titled "Undeliverable" or "Delivery has failed"). If they did, ask them to forward it to you - it usually explains exactly why the message didn't get through.

If the sender confirms it was sent to the right address and they got no bounce-back, log a case with RWTS Support and include the sender's address, the rough date and time, and the subject line so we can trace the message.
 

Log a case with RWTS Support

If you've worked through these checks and still can't find the email - or you need help recovering a deleted or quarantined message - please log a case with RWTS Support. It helps us a lot if you can include the sender's email address, the approximate date and time you expected it, and the subject line if you know it.

Contact RWTS Support

• Email: support@rwts.com.au
• Phone: 1300 798 718
• Or submit a request through the Real World Help Centre.