How to Disable Work Offline in Outlook?
Summary: You won’t be able to send or receive emails if Outlook’s Work Offline mode is enabled. You can start sending and receiving new emails by following the instructions in this article on how to disable Work Offline in Outlook and establish a connection with the mailbox server again. If you are unable to disable the Work Offline option, you will also learn how to use an OST Converter tool to extract mail items from OST and convert them into a new profile.
You can free download the software from the below button:
When you use Microsoft Outlook for your email, it’s typical to have it open at all times. Outlook is a fantastic desktop email client for use both at home and at the office. There is a setting that can quickly stop you from sending or receiving new messages, but it does need an Internet connection. To enable “Work Offline” in Outlook and bring the program back online, follow the instructions in our guide below.
Steps to Turn Off Work Offline in Outlook
In this section, you can understand how to turn off Work Offline mode in Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, and other versions. You can follow them based on the MS Outlook edition you use.
Disable Work Offline in Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, and 2010
To switch off the Work Offline feature in Outlook 2010 and later versions, follow these steps:
- Open Microsoft Outlook Email Application
- Go to Send and Receive Section
- Look for the option to “Work Offline.” When turned on, the Work Offline button is shaded and the status bar displays Disconnected or Work Offline.
- Clicking the Work Offline button will turn off Work Offline. After that, make sure it is no longer shaded or greyed out.
- Check the status bar to confirm Work Offline is disabled. It ought to show the connected status.
- To make sure you are connected to the mailbox server, you can also send a test email.
Switch Off Work Offline in Microsoft Outlook 2007
To disable Work Offline in Outlook 2007, follow these steps:
- Click Work Offline under File.
- Click OK after selecting the checkbox next to “Prompt me upon startup so I may choose to work offline or online.”
- Restart Outlook after checking this box. You will be prompted to choose between working “online” or “offline.”
- Select Online Mode. The folders you want to use in offline mode can also be chosen.
Outlook’s Offline Work Mode is Greyed Out
The Work Offline option cannot be disabled if it is greyed out. If your Outlook profile or data file is corrupted or inconsistent, this problem could occur. There are numerous other reasons why it might potentially happen. See our comprehensive tutorial on fixing the Outlook Work Offline greyed out the problem for more information.
Still Unable to Connect to the Server?
If you have disabled the Work Offline mode but are still unable to connect to your mailbox server or send/receive emails, try the solutions below.
Verify the Internet connection.
Outlook may be unable to connect to the mailbox server due to network troubles. You can see the Disconnected status in the status bar with a warning icon if the network you are connected to doesn’t have an internet connection. While Work Offline is deactivated, Outlook is unable to connect to the mailbox server because of a slow or non-existent internet connection.
The Send/Receive tab’s Update Folder option allows you to manually refresh Outlook and see if it can connect to the mailbox server, even though Outlook will automatically connect to the server when the internet connection is restored.
Check Credentials
Your login information may have been updated or modified by you or the administrator. To continue using your mailbox and sending or receiving messages, you must update the login password. To confirm this, sign in to Outlook Web App (OWA).
Even though Outlook prompts you to enter your login password when it cannot connect to the Internet owing to insufficient credentials, it occasionally may not succeed or you might not have seen it. Because of this, Outlook is disconnected from the mailbox server.
Make sure Work Offline is turned off and restart Outlook in such circumstances. You’ll be prompted to type in the new password. If you’ve forgotten your old password or don’t know the new one, you must
Your password for Outlook and system login will remain the same if your system is connected to a domain network. Try that if you recently changed or reset your system password. However, depending on the policies of your company, this may change.
Update Outlook Email Application
Try updating the Outlook email client to the most recent version that is available. Any bug that may have caused the problem will be fixed by this. By utilizing Windows Updates or the built-in Update Options, you may check and update Outlook (if using Outlook in an organization).
- Navigate to File > Office Account and select Update Options to update Outlook. Next, select Update Now.
- Alternatively, you can check Windows Upgrades, install them, and apply any Microsoft Office or Outlook updates that might resolve the Work Offline problem.
Make a New Account
You may encounter a number of problems, like sluggish Outlook performance, delays when sending or receiving emails, etc., when your Outlook profile is destroyed or corrupt. You can resolve problems brought on by the damaged profile by creating a new one.
Follow these steps to create and configure a new profile in Outlook:
- Open Control Panel after closing Outlook.
- Locate and select the Mail option.
- Choose “Show Profiles”
Select Add Option
- Provide the new profile name and press OK. You can give any name you want
- To finish the setup, enter the login information for your email account and follow the wizard’s instructions.
By creating a new profile, the problem will be resolved.
You can delete your previous profile at this time to minimize confusion and inconsistencies.
- Click on the old profile under File > Account Settings > Account Settings to delete it.
- Select Remove.
- When the confirmation window displays, confirm, and then restart Outlook for the modifications to take effect.
Important Information: When a new profile is created, the older Outlook data file (OST) at the default location is replaced by the newer one. The connected OST should be backed up before deleting the old profile from Outlook.
Make a New OST File
You must remove the current OST file in order to create a new one. To prevent irreversible data loss, you must create a backup before deleting the OST file. Take these actions:
- Go to Mail in the Control Panel.
- Choose Data Files…
Click Open File Location after selecting the OST file linked to your Outlook profile.
- To store it safely, copy the OST file. Make sure Outlook is not open; else, an error message can appear.
- Delete the OST file after the backup is complete.
- Launch Outlook. This will start downloading the mail items from the mailbox server and generate a new OST file in the same default place.
Note: The backup OST file should be converted to PST format using an OST to PST Converter application and then imported into Outlook using the Import/Export wizard if missing mail items are discovered after all mail items have been downloaded.
Conclusion
Unless there’s a deeper problem with your Outlook client, profile, or data file, enabling or disabling the Work Offline option in Outlook is rather simple (OST). If this happens, you can forget to disconnect from your mailbox server or turn off the Work Offline option. You can resolve the problems, turn off Work Offline, and regain connectivity to your Outlook mailbox by using the solutions described in this article.
Backup your Outlook OST data file before implementing the remedies to prevent data loss. If, after resolving the problem, you discover that emails are still missing, you can use an OST File Conversion program to extract the missing emails from your backup OST file and save them in Outlook PST format. To recover deleted mail, import the PST into your new Outlook profile or OST file. Additionally, you can use the software to export the OST file directly to an Office 365 account, an existing Outlook profile, or a live Exchange Server.
