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Cannot receive emails in Hotmail account

Dipti Bhatt 0 Reputation points
2026-06-03T16:11:30.3666667+00:00

I am unable to receive emails.

My friend received email from me although she did not have my email address

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Email
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  1. Alice-N 10,035 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-06-04T04:39:10.79+00:00

    Hi Dipti Bhatt

    I understand you are experiencing an issue where your Hotmail account is not receiving emails, and you also noticed that a friend received an unexpected email from your address. I’m happy to help.

    Please reply with the following details:

    • Does the unexpected email appear in your Sent Items?
    • Do you see any unfamiliar sign-ins on the Recent Activity page?
    • Are you missing all incoming emails, or only emails from specific senders?

    Since an email was sent from your address without your knowledge, please first check for account compromise or email spoofing:

    • Check the Sent Items folder
      • Open your Sent Items.
      • If the unexpected email is there, it was likely sent from your account.
      • If it is not there, your address may have been spoofed.
    • Scan for malware and update your password
      • Run a full antivirus or malware scan on your device.
      • Then change your Microsoft account password using a trusted device.
      • Use a strong, unique password.
    • Review recent account activity
    • Check for security prompts or account restrictions
      • Sign in to Outlook.com and see if you are asked to verify your identity.
      • Complete any required verification to restore full access.
    • Review account settings after securing access  Check for unauthorized changes to:
      • Forwarding rules
      • Connected accounts
      • Automatic replies
      • Inbox rules
    • Test incoming email
      • After securing the account, ask a trusted contact to send you a simple test email.
      • If it still does not arrive, the sender may need to check if their messages are being blocked.
    • Follow official account recovery steps (if needed) 

    Please tell me how it goes. If the problem persists, please don’t hesitate to reply to this thread and I will be happy to help. Have a lovely day!  

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".   

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  2. AI answer

    2026-06-03T16:12:11.98+00:00

    Use the following checks in Outlook.com (Hotmail) to find why emails are not arriving:

    1. Confirm storage is not full
    • If Microsoft cloud storage is full, Outlook.com cannot receive email and messages sent to the account are bounced and unrecoverable.
    • Check mailbox storage using the storage page linked from the article. If it is full, delete emails and files until there is free space.
    1. Check Focused/Other and filters
    • In Outlook.com, open the Inbox and check both the Focused and Other tabs.
    • Select Filter above the message list and choose All so no filter hides messages.
    1. Check Junk Email and blocked senders
    • Open the Junk Email folder and look for expected messages. If any valid messages are there, right‑click and choose Mark as not junk to move them back to Inbox.
    • Review Junk Email settings and blocked senders/blocked domains to ensure the sender is not blocked.
    1. Check rules, forwarding, and Archive
    • Go to Rules settings and verify there is no rule moving all new mail to another folder (for example, RSS or Archive) or deleting it. Edit or delete any incorrect rule.
    • Check if email forwarding is enabled. If forwarding is on and the option to keep a copy in Outlook.com is turned off, new mail will go only to the forwarded address and not appear in Outlook.com.
    • Check the Archive folder and move any important messages back to Inbox using Move to > Inbox.
    1. Check account status and sign‑in activity
    • If there is unusual sign‑in activity or the account was temporarily blocked, follow the guidance to unblock the Outlook.com account.
    • Review the Recent activity page to ensure no suspicious access or changes.
    1. If only one sender’s messages are missing
    • Ask that sender to review Sender Support in Outlook.com guidance to ensure their messages are not being rejected or filtered before reaching the mailbox.

    If none of these steps restore incoming mail, use Outlook.com in a browser, select Help, run the interactive troubleshooter, and if needed choose Still need help? to contact Outlook.com support while signed in.

    The fact that a friend received an email from this account even without having the address simply means the message reached them (for example via reply or contact sync); it does not affect the ability of the mailbox to receive new mail. Focus instead on storage, rules, forwarding, and Junk/filters as above.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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