Recent Discussions
New Outlook Offline Mode: Add and open attachments while offline
Microsoft has been rolling out offline functionality in phases, and the latest update now allows users to add and open attachments while offline. I created a short walkthrough covering what works offline now, what users need to know about attaching files from OneDrive versus local drives, and which features still require an internet connection. I also shared my discoveries when creating a calendar event that you don't want to miss. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYsraZBTack traccreations4e-p26 6/15/2026
Outlook on Windows 11: when local sync re‑contaminates global settings
Introduction I want to share a finding that I believe is concerning: the Outlook client on Windows 11 can act as a vector of “re‑contamination” of local data, reactivating settings that were already disabled in the cloud. While this is not malware in the strict sense, the behavior is contradictory enough that it undermines privacy and user trust. Context of the issue To avoid any doubt, I disabled the Expanded People Suggestions option in all three possible places: Outlook client on Windows 11. Outlook Web. Global Privacy settings in my Microsoft Account. In every case, the option was disabled and the exported configuration file appeared empty, confirming that the deletion had been applied correctly. Cross‑account contamination → when another account was added to the Outlook client, the contaminated suggestions were transferred and appeared in that account as well, even though those addresses had never been used there. Evidence observed Empty file in the cloud → confirms that the deletion was effective. Desktop client re‑sync → uploads obsolete local data and reactivates the option. Result → the global configuration once again shows suggestions that had already been disabled. Injected email addresses → the suggestions included addresses that I have never used or contacted. These appear to have been introduced by third parties or internal contamination, not by my own activity. Cross‑account contamination → when another account was added to the Outlook client, the contaminated suggestions were transferred and appeared there too. Implications The Outlook client does not respect privacy preferences set in the cloud. Local data takes precedence over global settings, which contradicts modern synchronization logic. The presence of never‑used, injected email addresses raises serious concerns about data integrity and possible external contamination. This may affect many users, not just an isolated case. Reflection This behavior creates the perception that the client acts like intrusive software: even if the user deletes data in the cloud, the client “resurrects” it from its local cache. In practical terms, it is a form of re‑contamination that compromises confidence in synchronization between client and server. The fact that injected addresses appear in suggestions makes the issue even more problematic, as it suggests external influence beyond the user’s own history. Conclusion The cloud should be the source of truth. If a user disables data in Outlook Web and in the global Microsoft Account settings, no local client should have the ability to reactivate it. This finding deserves attention because it directly affects privacy, data integrity, and the coherence of the Microsoft ecosystem. Invitation Has anyone else observed this behavior in Outlook for Windows 11? Have you seen deleted cloud settings reappear after reinstalling or re‑synchronizing the client, or injected email addresses that were never used showing up in suggestions?New Way to Insert Graphics in New Outlook
If you’re using New Outlook or Outlook on the web, you may have noticed a change in the Insert ribbon while composing an email. Microsoft has added a Graphics option to the Insert Ribbon when composing an email. The new Graphics button gives users a single place to insert Emojis, Stock images, and Stickers. I put together a quick breakdown covering: What the Graphics button actually adds Where to find Online Pictures now Which Classic Outlook illustration tools are still unsupported Full post here: https://traccreations4e.com/new-outlook-graphics-button/ If you find this post helpful, please like it to help others. traccreations4e-p26 4/30/2026
Personal Microsoft account security code
Dear Microsoft Outlook Support Team, I am currently facing an issue while trying to reset my Outlook account password. I have forgotten my password and attempted to reset it, but I am encountering problems during the verification process. The system is asking for mobile verification codes multiple times, and I am receiving an error message stating that the service is not available. Because of this, I am unable to complete the password reset process. I kindly request you to assist me in resolving this issue and help me regain access to my account as soon as possible. Thank you for your time and support.Classic Outlook: The People Card Is Not Retiring, Just the Expanded View
One part of this Classic Outlook update could easily confuse people, so it is worth clearing up. In June 2026, Microsoft is retiring the People Card Expanded View in Classic Outlook. The full People Card is not going away. Users will still be able to open the standard contact card. What is changing is the expanded view, which gives users a little more context and a few extra details in one place. It may seem like a small change at first, but these types of updates can still affect how users look up contact information and move through their daily work. I put together a full blog post that explains what is changing, what stays, and where users can still get the richer contact experience. Read the full post here: Classic Outlook Is Retiring the People Card Expanded View traccreations4e-p26 4/7/2026
Internet Subscribed Calendar Refresh/Sync RAGE!!!
Words can't express the rage I feel at Microsoft for eliminating the ability to force refresh/sync internet subscribed calendars on demand. I have multiple calendars that I need to overlay IN REAL TIME to do my job - PTO, work anniversaries, holidays, and work events via GoCo (our ASO), Kayak for travel, and Planner Tasks (Microsoft's own product!) to name a few. Moreover, I like to overlay my personal calendars (Google and Apple) as well so I can get a full view of my life on one screen. Is saving a little money by limiting users to one scheduled sync every 24 hours worth it if it makes your product absolute trash?! Fix this or people will flock to other providers - like Google or Apple - who apparently still care about customer experience. GAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOutlook contact CSV import corrupts existing contacts without warning
Outlook (classic) corrupts existing contacts during CSV import without any warning. When I re-import a CSV exported by Outlook itself (UTF-8 with BOM), the contacts lose their names and email addresses and appear as “Name not available”. Using the exact same CSV content re-encoded as Shift-JIS imports correctly. This behavior is reproducible and cannot be prevented by user actions. It appears to be a defect or a flawed design in Outlook’s CSV import logic. Please investigate and provide an official explanation.Nuevo formato mensaje para borrar los elementos eliminados.
Nuevo formato mensaje para borrar los elementos eliminados en Outlook Office16. Hasta hace pocos días cuando aparecia este mensaje el puntero del ratón se quedaban apuntando a autorizar el borrado (SI). Ahora con el nuevo formato el punreto no lo hace y tengo que desplazarlo para ponerlo encima del "SI". No se si se puede solucionar eso. Saludos.
Attachments to calendar events
I have outlook version 16.106.1 and for some reason the attach file icon is not active. Can I get some advice on how I can activate this so I can add attachments to events I schedule in my calendar. I don't seem to be able to even copy over emails to scheduled events. Any advice appreciated.
When will Microsoft fix the IMAP Search BUG in Outlook for Android?
There has been a BUG with Outlook For Android Search and IMAP email accounts for many years. If you use an Outlook or Gmail email address all seems Ok. But if you use a different IMAP email provider, and use Folders to save read emails in, the Outlook Search function will never find those emails in the folders. It will find emails within the Inbox, but the moment you move them to another folder nothing will ever be found. I have reported this to Microsoft many times, and have had confirmation from them there is a BUG and they are aware of it... But the BUG never gets fixed, and the next time I report the BUG they start all over again saying they have never heard of such a BUG and it must be my phone, etc., etc... But a quick Google finds many users have issues with the exact same BUG - I guess Microsoft Support don't know how to use Google??? Anyway, I am stuck in this loop with Outlook For Android Support yet again! So I have a request: CAN EVERYONE PLEASE REPORT THIS BUG TO OUTLOOK FOR ANDROID SUPPORT??? Please use the "Settings/Help & feedback/Contact Outlook mobile support" option within the app, and report you have the "IMAP Folder Search BUG". Maybe, just maybe we can get Microsoft to take this years old bug seriously! (I have found reports of the BUG back to 2019...)Outlook For Android Search Not Working with IMAP Folders
There has been a BUG with Outlook For Android Search and IMAP email accounts for many years. If you use an Outlook or Gmail email address all seems Ok. But if you use a different IMAP email provider, and use Folders to save read emails in, the Outlook Search function will never find those emails in the folders. It will find emails within the Inbox, but the moment you move them to another folder nothing will ever be found. I have reported this to Microsoft many times, and have had confirmation from them there is a BUG and they are aware of it... But the BUG never gets fixed, and the next time I report the BUG they start all over again saying they have never heard of such a BUG and it must be my phone, etc., etc... But a quick Google finds many users have issues with the exact same BUG - I guess Microsoft Support don't know how to use Google??? Anyway, I am stuck in this loop with Outlook For Android Support yet again! So I have a request: CAN EVERYONE PLEASE REPORT THIS BUG TO OUTLOOK FOR ANDROID SUPPORT??? Please use the "Settings/Help & feedback/Contact Outlook mobile support" option within the app, and report you have the "IMAP Folder Search BUG". Maybe, just maybe we can get Microsoft to take this years old bug seriously! (I have found reports of the BUG back to 2019...)"Add to Calendar" functionality in the New Outlook
When a user receives an email with a Calendar meeting attached to it, they are able to click on the dropdown in the attachment and select "Add to Calendar". This functionality is supposed to add the meeting to the calendar without opening the attachment/invite itself. However, when the user clicks on "Add to Calendar", the meeting is displayed temporarily on the Calendar and then disappears. If another calendar meeting is being "Added to Calendar", it doesn't show up at all, even temporarily. Occasionally, the second meeting is added successfully, however, the first meeting then disappears. This behaviour is reproducible using different, independent accounts and devices - personal devices, corporate devices, personal Live accounts, corp email accounts, etc. The only thing that does work is to open the attachment and use "+Add to Calendar" feature from the invite. Any ideas on what is causing this or how to address this?
Major journal's email does not pass Microsofts arbitrary standards nothing I can do about this
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5755307/emails-not-being-recieved-from-sender-******@hotcr And to everyone thats defending this please tell me one advantage this has over putting it in the spam folder with warnings and blocking links etc. Tell me how this isn't the technological equivalent of not letting you buy laundry detergent because its poisonous if consumed. Look at all the people that were hospitalized from eating laundry detergent, clearly laundry detergent needs to be baned.Outlook for Mac issue with contacts when saved
very strange issue with outlook for mac, if I add to contacts, the FILES, Messages and Linkedin tabs disappear. I contact microsoft support and they said this is a outlook for mac limitation but will look into it with internal team. Can anyone confirm they have the same issue ?
Outlook - 2 step verification on Android device
I received an email on my phone from Microsoft that I needed to sign in and go through their app and fill out info or I would not be able to access my email. Instructions were nonexistent or not intuitive and ended up in a rabbit hole. I ended up with 2-step verification and would like to get rid of it. Every time I have to access my phone I have to go through entering email and passwords. I need to get out of this messOutlook solution 50+ email accounts?
I'm looking for a solution for the following: I have about 50 email accounts that I want to manage from a single interface. I'd also like to add some rules so that certain messages containing, for example, a specific word in the subject line are automatically archived. In Outlook Classic, I can only add a maximum of 10 email accounts. Or rather, I can add 50 accounts, but messages from only the first 10 are loaded via IMAP. Is that correct? What's the solution if you have, for example, 50 email accounts? In Outlook Light/365 (1.2026.114.100), I can add more than 10 email accounts, but the order of the accounts can't be changed and creating rules is not possible. Does anyone know a good solution?MS Mail servers claim Hotmail domain does not exist
In my Gmail account I have a rule that forwards everything to my Hotmail/Outlook account where I primarily read all of my mail. This has worked well for a long time until the 16th January 2026 when I started to realise I was missing a few mails. Looking in the Gmail inbox I could see a few NDRs from Googlemail saying that it had failed to forward a message. I'm assuming this is an issue at the Microsoft end as the NDRs say it is a remote (i.e. Microsoft) mail server claiming that the domain Hotmail.co.uk doesn't exist, so the mail gets bounced. BTW, this is not an issue with my individual account, my wife and I have similar setups (both our Gmails forward to our Hotmails) and we both started having the same issue from that date. The key NDR details are always of this form: Address not found Your message wasn't delivered to ***@hotmail.co.uk because the domain hotmail.co.uk couldn't be found. Check for typos or unnecessary spaces and try again. The response from the remote server was: 501 5.5.4 Invalid domain name [AM4PEPF00027A67.eurprd04.prod.outlook.com 2026-01-20T22:06:56.421Z 08DE543D7B61AE38] So, it looks like some server in the chain is claiming that the whole domain "hotmail.co.uk" cannot be found!!! Surely I can't be the only one with this issue? I guess many people will be unaware they're missing mails as the original senders will be the ones receiving the NDRs, and where that is a company (rather than an individual) they probably just bin them and never investigate. This seemed to get worse over a few days and then stabilise to ~25% of mails failing: 16th Jan - 3 of 31 emails had this issue 17th Jan - 0 of 19 failed 18th Jan - 3 of 16 emails had this issue 19th Jan - 1 of 34 emails had this issue 20th Jan - 5 of 27 emails had this issue 21st Jan - 10 of 34 emails had this issue 22nd Jan - 8 of 31 emails had this issue 23rd Jan - 8 of 28 emails had this issue The issue seems to be random, there is no pattern with the times of day or senders - sometimes a particular sender is fine (e.g. Netflix, eBay), sometimes they suffer this issue. In the NDRs I'm not sure what the naming convention of the Outlook servers is but re. the above example's "AM4PEPF00027A67.eurprd04.prod.outlook.com", I've looked at all the servers mentioned in each NDR (up to 22nd) and again there's no real pattern - the hostname's always begin with either AMS0, AMS1, AM3, AM4, DB1, DB3, DB5, DU2, DU6, with the 4 character ones being followed by "EPF000xxxxx" and the 3 character ones being followed by "PEPF000xxxxx". The following subdomain is always eurprd02-eurprd05 with just two examples using EURPRD83. I did try and report to Outlook.com but their online help system currently gives an error (Error 500.30 - ASP.NET Core app failed to start). I hope this is a better place where someone might have a chance of convincing someone that there is a mail server config error somewhere?
Recent Blogs
- Hello, Outlook community. I’m Vicki Milton, a Principal Product Manager on the Outlook team. Over the last year, we’ve added important capabilities across areas such as offline support, shared mail...Jun 03, 2026
- Copilot in Outlook is now agentic, taking on the ongoing work of running your inbox and calendar. It triages emails, reschedules conflicts, and surfaces what matters most before you even ask. ...Apr 27, 2026
