The status bar at the bottom of Outlook tells you what is happening with the connection to your mail server. Connected is what you want. Disconnected or Working Offline means Outlook is not syncing — here is how to fix each situation.
Working Offline: The Simple Toggle Fix
Working Offline is actually a mode you can switch on manually (useful on aeroplanes), so first check if it was accidentally enabled.
- Click the Send/Receive tab in the Outlook ribbon.
- Look at the Work Offline button. If it appears highlighted or pressed, click it once to go back online.
The status bar should change to Connected within a few seconds.
Disconnected: Connection or Server Problem
If the status says Disconnected, Outlook is trying to reach the mail server but cannot. Work through these checks:
- Check your internet connection. Open a browser and try loading a website. If nothing loads, restart your router.
- Restart Outlook. Close it fully (including from the system tray) and reopen.
- Check for Microsoft service issues. If you use a Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com account, visit the Microsoft Service Status page. If there is an outage, you can only wait for it to resolve.
- Check your firewall or VPN. Some firewalls and VPN configurations block Outlook's connection to Exchange or Microsoft 365. Try temporarily disabling the VPN and see if Outlook reconnects.
- Re-enter your credentials. A password prompt may be hiding behind another window. Go to File > Account Settings and check the account status.
Outlook.com or Microsoft 365 Exchange Accounts
For Exchange or Microsoft 365 accounts that show Need Password or Authentication Required, go to File > Office Account > Sign Out, close Outlook, and sign back in. This refreshes the authentication token.
Try Removing and Re-Adding the Account
If nothing else works, go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings, remove the account, add it fresh, and let Outlook re-sync. On large mailboxes this can take a while, but it resolves most stubborn connection issues. Ask us if you need a hand.