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By keeping unnecessary connections out and your profiles tidy, you keep Outlook connected to the right Office 365 environment. Setting up the Exchange account by hand avoids this. If Outlook refuses to come back online, you’re probably looking at a profile issue, a bad OST file, or a mix-up with your Exchange account setup. Fixing these directly usually brings things back to normal.
How to Fix Outlook Stuck in Offline Mode Issue? Simple Methods
Sometimes a VPN or firewall blocks Outlook, so try turning those off for a minute to see if it helps. If, in any case, you encounter fix MFA prompts not working any problems or issues in installing these updates, you must delete and uninstall all the updates and restart Outlook. By default, Outlook configures Exchange and Microsoft 365 accounts to only synchronize 12 months of your email.
My windows live mail is stuck in the work offline mode. I cannot send or receive emails using wlm. I can access my
If you set up your Outlook profile wrong, it might not log in to Microsoft Exchange or Office 365. Sometimes, people connect their system to several Office 365 environments without realizing it. That can confuse Outlook, especially with Autodiscover, and you end up stuck offline. guide to Office 365 sign-in errors Even a brief hiccup can kick Outlook into offline mode, and sometimes it just stays there until you do something about it.

Create or Repair Outlook Profile
If it connects in Safe Mode, one of your add-ins is probably the culprit. Closing Outlook and reopening it helps clear up minor glitches. Try launching Outlook in Safe Mode to check if add-ins are causing trouble. Outlook has a Work Offline button under the Send/Receive tab. People hit it by accident all the time, so it’s worth a look. Double-check that you’re on the right network, especially if you have several Wi-Fi options.
- Old versions of Outlook or Microsoft Office often trigger synchronization issues.
- If Outlook says Working Offline and won’t budge, you’re probably dealing with a network glitch, a bad setting, or a profile error.
- Most users are courteous enough to post screenshots or detailed descriptions.
- All of these can mess with your ability to send and receive email.
- Figuring out why Outlook gets stuck offline really helps you fix it—and keeps it from coming back.
- The biggest problems usually involve too many Office 365 connections or outdated Microsoft Office components.
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- If these manual approaches do not work then it may happen due to damaged Outlook files.
Setup Exchange Server Account Manually
Welcome to Tales From Tech Support, the subreddit where we post stories about helping someone with a tech issue. Move it to a backup folder, like Desktop\OST Backup. There could be several reasons for your Outlook disconnect.
Given below are just a few examples of possible reasons.

Status: Disconnected
We usually suggest making a new profile instead of spending ages trying to fix the old one. Outdated software often brings compatibility headaches that break your connection. Select Work Offline from the Send/Receive tab in Outlook to reconnect. Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support. Find solutions to common problems or get help from a support agent. Here are some suggested flush DNS and re-sync Outlook ways to reconnect to classic Outlook.
Making a new profile tends to work better, especially if your old one has lots of accounts or long-standing sync problems. If Outlook says Working Offline and won’t budge, you’re probably dealing with a network glitch, a bad setting, or a profile error. Tackling these one by one usually gets things back on track. Hybrid setups—where you’ve got both on-premises Exchange servers and Office 365—can run into DNS or Autodiscover problems.
Recreate OST File
Create your account and connect with a world of communities. Now, at this point my blood was boiling because he's demonstrated a complete ineptitude at clicking buttons. Thank God this wasn't a phone call or my frustration would have been laid bare against my better judgment. The issue, which he didn't explain for crap, was that Outlook's Work Offline toggle was enabled. Kind of important information to exclude, but whatever. Most users are courteous enough to post screenshots or detailed descriptions.