Cannot Send or Receive Outlook.com Email After Purchasing Microsoft Storage
Question details
The user is unable to send or receive emails in Outlook.com despite having recently purchased additional Microsoft storage space.
- Product
- Outlook.com
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- The user needs to restore their email sending and receiving capabilities after upgrading their storage plan.
- Observed behavior
- Outlook.com continues to block incoming and outgoing emails, behaving as if the storage quota is still exceeded.
Keep in mind that newly purchased Microsoft storage can take up to four hours to fully apply to your account. Please wait at least four hours before attempting advanced troubleshooting.
Verify Outlook and OneDrive Storage Limits
Check if the newly purchased storage has been applied and remove unnecessary files if you are still over the limit.
Your Microsoft storage quota applies to your personal Microsoft account and includes OneDrive files, Outlook.com attachments, and Microsoft Teams data. Even if you have not exceeded your specific email limit, exceeding the overall Microsoft storage limit will prevent you from sending or receiving emails.
Go to Outlook.com and log in with your Microsoft account credentials.
Click the gear icon in the top right corner to open Settings, then select 'View all Outlook settings'.
Click on 'General' in the left-hand menu, then select 'Storage'.
Check the available space in both Outlook and OneDrive. If either limit has been exceeded, delete unnecessary emails, large attachments, files, or items in the Recycle Bin to free up space.
Contact Microsoft Support
Reach out to Microsoft Support if four hours have passed and your purchased storage is still not reflecting in your account.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I send emails right after buying more Microsoft storage?
It can take up to four hours for a newly purchased storage subscription to sync and apply to your Outlook.com and OneDrive accounts. You need to wait for this processing time to complete.
Will I receive the emails that were sent to me while my storage was full?
No. When your storage is over the limit, incoming emails bounce back to the original sender with an error message. The sender will need to resend those emails once your storage space is restored.
What items actually count towards my Microsoft storage limit?
Your Microsoft storage quota includes OneDrive files and photos, Outlook.com attachments and inline images, items in your Recycle Bin, and Microsoft Teams message attachments and recordings.
