Figuring out why Outlook gets stuck offline really helps you fix it—and keeps it from coming back. This guide covers the usual suspects, troubleshooting steps, and a few advanced tricks to get your email flowing again. However, when Outlook cannot connect to the Exchange server, it automatically switches to Offline mode.

How to Fix Outlook Stuck in Offline Mode Issue? Simple Methods

Sometimes a VPN or firewall blocks Outlook, so try turning those off for a minute to see if it helps. If, in any case, you encounter fix MFA prompts not working any problems or issues in installing these updates, you must delete and uninstall all the updates and restart Outlook. By default, Outlook configures Exchange and Microsoft 365 accounts to only synchronize 12 months of your email.

My windows live mail is stuck in the work offline mode. I cannot send or receive emails using wlm. I can access my

All the modifications are stored locally in the OST data file before syncing with the mailbox server. Users can also utilize the 'Work Offline' option FixTechGuide email error solutions when there is an unreliable internet connection. How do you know when you're working offline or online in Outlook? There are visual cues, starting with the status bar at the bottom of your Outlook window. If either of the following status indicators are shown, it means Outlook isn't connected to your mail server. Profile or configuration mistakes cause trouble too.

Create or Repair Outlook Profile

If you're running in a virtual desktop environment, we recommend you only synchronize one month of data. If you try to do something that's not available offline, you'll get an error message, or the changes you made will revert back to what was previously saved. It’s a good idea to turn on automatic updates in Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise.

• If it gets corrupted, Outlook might not connect and just stay offline.
• Your mailbox data is safe on the Exchange server, but if you have local stuff that hasn’t synced, export it first so you don’t lose anything.
• That often sets off Autodiscover conflicts and lands you in offline mode.
• If it is not displayed, double-check your internet connection and re-examine it.
• Sometimes Exchange server permissions or policies get set up wrong.
• To keep Outlook from slipping into offline mode again, sort out account conflicts and keep your software up to date.

Setup Exchange Server Account Manually

If Outlook asks if another Exchange server can manage your system, hit No unless it’s your main domain. That keeps Outlook from getting confused and stuck offline. By handling the setup yourself, you make sure Outlook always connects to the right server.

Role of Exchange Server and Office 365

Confusion happens when a device hooks up to more than one Office 365 environment. Autodiscover might send Outlook to the wrong Exchange server, so you can’t get to your mailbox. Now, on your keyboard, press the Send/Receive button. It should be switched from offline to online mode.

Status: Disconnected

To resolve the Outlook stuck offline working issue, click "Work offline" to reset and reconnect the Exchange server. Outlook status says offline then it can happen when offline mode enabled, server connection is lost, or your internet isn’t stable. Corrupted Outlook profile, faulty add-ins or outdated version of Outlook can also be reasons to remain offline. If these manual Troubleshoot Office 365 Sync and Login Issues approaches do not work then it may happen due to damaged Outlook files. We have explained all the essential methods to fix the Outlook stuck in offline mode error.

Making a new profile tends to work better, especially if your old one has lots of accounts or long-standing sync problems. If Outlook says Working Offline and won’t budge, you’re probably dealing with a network glitch, a bad setting, or a profile error. Tackling these one by one usually gets things back on track. Hybrid setups—where you’ve got both on-premises Exchange servers and Office 365—can run into DNS or Autodiscover problems.



When Outlook switches between working online and offline in classic Outlook, all email accounts are changed. Your offline settings determine which items are saved to your device and for how long. To set these, see the section below Update offline settings. When you're back online, new Outlook for Windows automatically updates the items that were saved to your device.