8 Best Fixes for Apple Mail Not Syncing With Outlook on Mac
You can sign in to your Outlook account using the default Mail app on your Mac. Besides checking your email conversations, you also get other features in the Mail app, like adding your email signature to every email you send to your contacts.
But what can lead to a bad experience is when the Mail app stops syncing your Outlook conversations. If you are facing this problem, here are some solutions to help you solve Apple Mail not syncing with Outlook on your Mac.
1. Check your internet connection
When you experience any data syncing problems, the first step is to check your internet speed. We suggest that you run a speed test to ensure that your internet service provider is not facing any downtime. If your internet connection is working fine, follow the following solutions.
2. Check if Outlook is enabled for the Mail application
If you manage more than one mailbox using the Mail app, make sure the app has the permissions and settings to use your Outlook account. Here’s how.
Step 1: Press Command + Spacebar to open Spotlight Search, type Mail and press Return.
Step 2: Click on Mail in the upper left corner of the menu bar.
Step 3: Select Settings from the context menu.
Step 4: Click on Accounts tab in the settings window.
Step 5: Select your Outlook account from the left menu.
Step 6: Click the check box next to Activate this account, if it was not previously selected.
Step 7: Close the window and wait for some time to see if the problem is solved.
3. Check if automatic post refresh is enabled
When connected to the Internet, the Mail app constantly checks for new emails in the background. For that, the background refresh feature must be active on your Mac. If your newly received emails are not syncing in the Mail app, here’s how to check if auto-refresh to check email is enabled or not.
Step 1: Press Command + Spacebar to open Spotlight Search, type Mail and press Return.
Step 2: Click on Mail in the upper left corner of the menu bar.
Step 3: Select Settings from the context menu.
Step 4: Under the General tab, click the drop-down menu next to ‘Check for new messages’.
Step 5: Select Automatic.
Step 6: Close the window and wait for some time to see if the problem is solved.
4. Force Quit and Restart Mail App
If the Mail app has been running in the background for some time, you can try to force restart the app on your Mac. This should refresh the application and its contents, ie your Outlook email conversations.
Step 1: Click on the Apple logo in the upper left corner of the menu bar.
Step 2: Select Force Quit from the context menu.
Step 3: Select the Mail app from the list and click on Force Quit button.
Step 4: After that, restart the Mail app using Spotlight or double-click the Mail app icon and see if the data has started syncing.
5. Sign in to your Outlook account again
You can remove your Outlook account from the Mail app and sign in again. It will download all your Outlook email data and sync all your conversations in the Mail app on your Mac. Here’s how.
Step 1: Press Command + Spacebar to open Spotlight Search, type Mail and press Return.
Step 2: Click on Mail in the upper left corner of the menu bar.
Step 3: Select Settings from the context menu.
Step 4: Click on Accounts in the General window.
Step 5: Select your Outlook account in the left menu and click the Minus icon in the lower left corner to remove it.
Step 6: Click the Plus icon in the lower left corner to add your Outlook account again.
Step 7: After that close the window and see if the problem is solved.
6. Use Safe Mode
Safe Mode on your Mac is a troubleshooting method that prevents any third-party app interference and only launches the system apps, including Apple Mail. This is an advanced solution and should only be tried if none of the above solutions work. You can read our post to learn how to start your Mac in safe mode.
7. Update macOS
If Safe Mode doesn’t help, you need to update the version of Apple Mail on your Mac. For that, you need to update the version of macOS.
Step 1: Press Command + Spacebar to open Spotlight Search, type Check For Software Update, and press Return.
Step 2: If an update is available, download and install it.
Step 3: Restart the Mail app and see if the issue is resolved.
8. Use Outlook Desktop App
If none of the solutions worked for you, we suggest you download the Outlook Desktop app on your Mac. You can log into your Outlook account and start managing your emails.
Get Outlook in Apple Mail
These solutions will help you download and sync all your Outlook emails in the Mail app. Can’t see Outlook emails on your iPhone? Read our guide on Mail app not syncing Outlook on your iPhone.
