Outlook – Offline or Disconnected

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Posted by ccsadmin on 27th June 2017

How do you know when you’re working offline or online in Outlook? There are visual cues, starting with the status bar at the bottom of your Outlook window. If either of the following status indicators are shown, it means Outlook isn’t connected to your mail server.

 

Working offline status or Disconnected statusYou can’t send or receive email until you reconnect.

Status: Working Offline

Working offline usually is a choice. Returning to an online work mode is a simple process.

Working offline option on the Send Receive tab

  • In Outlook, on the Send/Receive tab, choose Work Offline to reconnect.

NOTES:

  • If the background of the Work Offline button is shaded (as shown in the image above), you’re not connected. But if the background is clear, you are connected.

Status: Disconnected

There can be different reasons why you’re disconnected from Outlook. What follows are just a few examples of some of the possible reasons.

  • If your Internet connection is working, there might be a problem with the mail server.
  • If you can log onto your email from a website—for example, http://outlook.office365.com — check to see whether you can receive and send email that way. If email isn’t working on the website, contact ITS for help.
  • If you can send and receive mail on the website, then your mail server is fine. But your computer might need updates or there might be a problem with your connection.

Tips for reconnecting to Outlook

Here are some suggested ways to reconnect to Outlook.

Reset the Work Offline status

  • On the Send/Receive tab, choose Work Offline, and check your status bar. If the status shows Working Offline, repeat the action until the status changes to connected.

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Updated on 27th June 2019
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