Emails stuck in Outbox – Outlook

If you found emails stuck in your Outlook Outbox, the please try the following fixes.

Remove Large Attachments

Sometimes a large attachment can hold up email. This is especially true is you have a weak internet connection signal. It is not recommended to send attachments of more than 5mb in total.

Move All Messages to Drafts

  1. Move all messages from the Outbox to Drafts.
  2. Open each message from Drafts and click send.

Kill the Outlook Process

If that does not work, please kill the Outlook process in Windows Task Manager, with the following steps.

  1. Close Outlook.
  2. On your keyboard, press Ctrl+R.
  3. This will open the ‘Run’ box.
  4. Type “taskmgr” into the Run box and press ok..
  5. In the Windows Task Manager window, right-click on “Outlook.exe” and select “End Process”
  6. Select “End process” when prompted.
  7. When you see “Outlook.exe” disappear from the list, restart Outlook and DO NOT go to the Outbox, as this may mark the first item as read and not send it. Rather just press Send/Receive after Outlook has opened. Once it has finished Send/Receiving, then check your Outbox to make sure the messages have been sent.
  8. If this did not help, try the first method again (Move Outbox items to Drafts and Resend).

Reset Your Router

Sometimes resetting your router will fix email sending problems.

Network Problems

Often emails stuck in the outbox are due to network congestion or related issues. The issue should resolve over time.

Switch Internet Connection

Try switch your internet connection to another if you have another – ie: switch your Fibre connection to ADSL or Mobile data, or vice-versa. The restart outlook and try again.

Other Errors

Error messages, if any, will give insight into the cause of the problem. If you have trouble understanding an error message please email a screenshot of the error message to support@2xl.co.za

Scroll to Top