Send & Receive Issues

How to Fix Outlook Not Sending Task or Excel Mention Notifications

John Wilson Oct 9, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user is not receiving email notifications from Outlook for assigned tasks or when mentioned in Microsoft Excel documents.

Fix Outlook Not Sending Task or Excel Mention Notifications

Product: Microsoft Outlook and Excel
Device & OS: Windows
Scenario: A user is collaborating on Excel files or managing tasks and relies on Outlook alerts to track @mentions and new assignments.
Observed behavior: Outlook fails to deliver notifications for Excel mentions or assigned tasks, even if other group notifications are working properly.

Before you start

Verify whether you are using a personal or a work/school Microsoft account, and check if you are running the New or Classic version of Outlook, as notification settings and menus differ between them.

Solution 1Recommended

Enable Notifications in Outlook and Windows Settings

Ensuring that both your email client and operating system permit alerts is the most common fix for missing mention notifications.

Sometimes, notifications are blocked at the operating system level or disabled in the new Outlook client. Both need to be enabled for mentions to trigger an alert.

Open Outlook settings

Launch Outlook, navigate to Settings (the gear icon), and select Notifications.

Enable Outlook mentions

Ensure the toggle options to receive notifications for messages, tasks, and @mentions are turned on.

Open Windows settings

Click the Windows Start menu, open Settings, and navigate to System > Notifications.

Allow Windows notifications for Outlook

Scroll down the app list to find Outlook and ensure the toggle is switched to 'On', allowing banners and sounds.

Enable Notifications in Outlook and Windows Settings

Account differences: Work or school accounts may have administrative policies applied that limit certain types of cross-app notifications.

Solution 2

Configure Reminders in Microsoft To Do

If your issue is specific to assigned tasks not triggering reminders, you need to configure Microsoft To Do directly.

Solution 3

Review Group Notification Settings

Microsoft 365 collaboration groups have distinct notification rules that might override your personal alerts.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I get group emails but not individual Excel mention notifications?

Group emails are delivered through standard mailing list routing, whereas @mentions in Excel rely on a background sync process connected to your OneDrive/SharePoint and personal Outlook notification settings.

Does the New Outlook handle notifications differently than Classic Outlook?

Yes, the New Outlook behaves more like a web application and relies heavily on native Windows OS notification settings, whereas the Classic desktop client manages alerts internally.

How long does it usually take for an Excel mention email to arrive?

Mention notifications typically arrive within a few minutes. However, server sync intervals or delayed batching in Microsoft 365 can occasionally cause alerts to be delayed by up to an hour.

Outlook & Email Problems