How to Fix Outlook Is Not Connected to the Server
In short: When Outlook is not connected to the server, the cause is usually simple: Work Offline is switched on or the internet dropped. Turn off Work Offline on the Send and Receive tab, check your connection, then restart Outlook. If it persists, update and repair Office, disable add-ins in Safe Mode, then run Outlook /resetnavpane. If nothing helps, rebuild the OST or re-add the account, then check whether Microsoft 365 itself is down.
What the message means, plus the status bar
Outlook shows this when it cannot reach your mail server, so sending and receiving stop. Before you change anything, read the status bar at the bottom right of the window, because it tells you which problem you have. Working Offline means Outlook was told to stop syncing, an easy fix. Disconnected or Trying to connect points at the network, the account or the server. Need Password means your sign-in expired. Knowing which of these you see saves you from random fixes, so start there, then work down the list below from the quickest check to the most thorough.
Technical Executive and Staff Writer, Corbett Software
“Nine times out of ten it is Work Offline left on or a wobbly connection, both fixed in seconds. Read the status bar first so you fix the right thing. Only when the quick checks fail do you repair Office, reset the profile or rebuild the OST, which is the one place a tool actually helps.”
Quick fixes: Work Offline, connection, restart
Start here, since these clear most cases in under a minute.
- Open the Send / Receive tab and look at Work Offline. If it is highlighted, click it once to go back online.
- Check your internet in a browser. If it is down, reconnect or switch network, then watch the status bar return to Connected.
- Close Outlook fully and reopen it. If needed, restart the PC to clear a stuck connection.
- Click Send / Receive All Folders to force a sync once it reconnects.
Deeper fixes: repair, add-ins, reset the nav pane
If the status bar still will not say Connected, work through these in order.
- Update and repair Office. Update Office first, then in Control Panel open Programs, pick your Office install, choose Change, then Quick Repair, then Online Repair if needed.
- Start in Safe Mode. Hold Ctrl while opening Outlook. If it connects, a bad add-in is the cause, so go to File, Options, Add-ins and disable them, then re-enable one at a time.
- Reset the navigation pane. Close Outlook, press Windows + R, type outlook.exe /resetnavpane and press Enter.
- Re-check the account. In File, Account Settings, confirm the server and ports. If unsure, remove and re-add the account.
Rebuild the OST or the profile
A corrupted OST or a broken profile can also cause this, so both are worth replacing.
- For the profile, open the Mail applet in Control Panel, click Show Profiles, add a fresh profile, then set it as default.
- For the OST, close Outlook, rename the .ost file so Outlook rebuilds a new one from the server on the next launch.
If the mailbox is on a dead account and the OST is orphaned, it cannot rebuild from a server, so recover it instead.
The Corbett OST to PST Converter reads an orphaned or corrupted OST, with no server or account, then recovers the mail into a PST you open in Outlook, folders and attachments kept. This helps only when a bad OST is the cause, not a plain Work Offline or network issue. A free demo edition lets you preview first and runs on every edition of Windows.
When it is the server, not you
Sometimes nothing on your PC is wrong. Rule out the server side.
- Check the service status. Look at the Microsoft 365 status page or your provider’s status, since an outage stops everyone, not just you.
- Check antivirus and firewall. A security tool or VPN can block the mail ports, so pause it briefly to test.
- Ask your admin. On a work account, a changed password, a disabled mailbox or a server move can trigger this, which only IT can fix.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Outlook say it is not connected to the server?
Usually Work Offline is switched on or the internet dropped. Turn off Work Offline on the Send and Receive tab and check your connection. If that fails, repair Office, disable add-ins or rebuild the OST.
How do I get Outlook back online?
Open the Send and Receive tab and click Work Offline so it is no longer highlighted, then click Send and Receive All Folders. The status bar should change to Connected.
What does resetnavpane do?
Running outlook.exe /resetnavpane rebuilds the navigation pane settings, which clears a corrupt state that can stop Outlook connecting or loading. Close Outlook first, then run it from Windows plus R.
Can a corrupted OST cause this?
Yes. Rename the .ost so Outlook rebuilds it from the server. If the account is gone and the OST is orphaned, recover the mail to a PST with a tool, since it cannot rebuild.
Is it a problem on my side or the server?
Check the Microsoft 365 or provider status page. If others are affected, it is an outage and you wait. If only you are affected, work through the fixes above.
Does the New Outlook show this error?
New Outlook shows connection issues too, though the menus differ. The checks are the same in spirit: connection, sign-in and a real outage. Switch to classic Outlook if you need the repair and profile tools.