Outlook not Working on iPhone: 16 Working Ways to Resolve

Nowadays, Outlook has become one of the most widely used email clients. Due to its ability to flawlessly operate and manage numerous email accounts simultaneously, it has become a user’s favorite and is widely used for both personal and professional uses.

With you being so dependent on Outlook for getting your daily dose of emails, could you think of a day when Outlook not working on your iPhone? It must be a living nightmare for you since you are here in search of a solution to this issue.

Well, to your relief, you have landed in the right place. The following article outlines 16 solutions for the ‘Outlook not working on iPhone’ problem. You can use these methods whether you have added the Outlook email account to your iPhone Mail app or are using the Outlook app itself.

So, without further ado, let’s jump straight into the solutions!

Restart Your Device

One of the most typical troubleshooting methods for any glitch on your iPhone, including Outlook troubles, is to restart it. This approach will easily resolve any little issue with your device that is causing ‘Outlook not to work on your iPhone issue.

To restart your iPhone, follow the steps below.

First off, simultaneously press the power button and either of the volume buttons until you see the power off slider appear on your screen.

Now, slide the power off slider to turn off your phone.

Finally, wait for a minute or so, and then press your phone’s power button until the Apple logo appears. This is when your phone will start booting up again.

After your phone has restarted, open your Outlook account on your phone, and see if it is now working fine. If your Outlook email is not working on your iPhone, move on to the methods stated further.

Reconnect Your iPhone to the Internet

Why is Outlook not working on iPhone? Well, the reason behind it can be a mere internet connection issue, which may be why Outlook cannot connect to the servers and fetch new data. The ideal solution to this difficulty is to connect your iPhone to a reliable network.

Though you may already know how to do that, just for your reference, these are the steps:

On your iPhone, open the Settings app.

Inside Settings, select the Wi-Fi option.

Now, disconnect from the Wi-Fi you are currently connected to, and choose a more stable network to connect to.

Reset Network Settings

Resetting network settings on your iPhone is another way of tackling network issues, because of which your Outlook is not loading on iPhone. Given below are the steps to do the same:

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.

Inside Settings, tap on the General section.

Select Reset from the following page.

Now, you have to tap on the Reset Network Settings option.

Confirm the action by selecting the same option on the pop-up.

Once you have confirmed the action, your iPhone network settings will reset, and you will again have to connect to your Wi-Fi networks by filling in their passwords.

Turn off Low Power Mode

You may complain that your Outlook app not working on iPhone if you have turned on Low Power mode. With this mode enabled, your device may delay getting the latest updates, giving you the impression that the apps are not working properly. So, try turning this mode off by following the steps further:

Swipe down from the top of your iPhone’s screen to open the control center.

Now, look for the battery icon in the available options.

Tap on that icon to turn off the Low Power mode.

Turn on Fetch New Data Option

After enabling the Fetch New Data option on your iPhone, it will automatically look for any new updates received on your Outlook email account. Thus, if your Outlook email on iPhone is not working and not updating in real-time, it can be because this setting is disabled. Here are the steps to enable it:

Go to the Settings app on your device, and select Mail.
Tap on the Accounts section on the Mail settings page.
On the following page, tap on the Fetch New Data option.
At last, turn on the Push toggle button on the next page. This will fetch new data from the Outlook server to your account on your iPhone.

Remove and Re-add Outlook Account on your iPhone

Another solution for Outlook mail not working on iPhone is to delete the email account from your device and then re-add it. It is yet another classic way of dealing with email issues on iPhone, and here’s how you can do this:

To begin with, open the Settings app on your iPhone.

Under Settings, select the Account & Password option.

On the following page, select the Outlook account that is not working on your iPhone.

Finally, tap on the Delete Account option to remove the account.

Now, close the settings from the recently opened apps, and re-add the Outlook account to your iPhone.

Update the Outlook App

Updating the app to the most recent version may resolve the flaws that are causing the ‘Outlook not opening on iPhone’ issue. To upgrade your app to the most recent version, follow the instructions below.

First, open the App Store on your iPhone.

Type Outlook in the search bar, and search,

Select Outlook from the search results.

This will open the Outlook app page. There, if the Update option is present instead of Open, then an update is available, and you have to tap on it to start the installation.

Once the updates are installed, open your Outlook app, and see if it is still not working on your iPhone.

Check the Action Required to Sync Email

If your iPhone is missing emails or you cannot send emails from Outlook, you must link your Outlook account to the Mail app. For the same issue, you must have got the ‘Action Required to Sync Email’ message on your device. Here’s how you can go about doing it:

On your iPhone, launch the Outlook app.

Select the Outlook account that is giving you difficulties.

Open the email you received from Microsoft, stating ‘Action Required to Sync’.

Click on the “Continue using this email app” option. After this, the account will be synced to the Mail app as a result of this.

Check to see if your Outlook app is still not working. Otherwise, proceed to the next technique to resolve the issue.

Again Install the Outlook App

If Outlook is still not working after all these solutions, then you can reinstall the Outlook app on your iPhone. Follow the steps outlined below:

Tap and hold the Outlook app icon on your iPhone’s Home Screen till the app starts shaking.

Now, to delete the app, tap on the Delete option that will appear on your screen.

After the app is uninstalled, open the App Store to download it again.

Type Outlook in the search bar, and search. And open the Outlook app page.

Finally, tap on the Install button to start its installation.

After the Outlook app is downloaded, again set up your Outlook account on your iPhone, and then see if now, it is working fine.

Check Mail Days to Sync Setting

Outlook not working on iPhone Mail app if the Check Mail Days to Sync setting is set up incorrectly. The steps further will guide you on correcting it:

Open the Settings app on your device.

Scroll down on the Settings page and tap on the Password and Account section.

From the following screen, select the Outlook account for which you are facing issues.

Next, tap on the Mail Days to Sync option.

Finally, select the No Limit option.

After you have selected the option, your Outlook account will sync with your iPhone and will start working fine in a while. This method can also work if you are particularly looking to fix Outlook not receiving emails issue.

Enable the Outlook for the Mail App

Though the Mail app on your iPhone allows you to log in to various email accounts, you should check to see whether your Outlook account has been enabled for usage in the Mail app. If it is not, then it is why your Outlook on iPhone not working in the Mail App.

Here’s how you can check it:

On your iPhone, open the Settings app.

In your Settings app, tap on the Mail section.

Tap on the Accounts option on the following screen.

Next, select the Outlook account that is not working on your iPhone.

Finally, ensure that the Mail toggle button is turned on.

Now, close the Settings app and check if your Outlook account is now working.

Enable Background App Refresh

It is a very small thing, but, if you have your Outlook app or the Mail app opened for a long time in the background without using, they may not be updated with the latest received information. And it may be why Outlook stopped working on iPhone. There’s a simple solution to this issue, which is turning on the Background App Refresh. Given below are the steps for the same:

On your iPhone, open the Settings app.

In Settings, scroll down and tap on the Outlook app section.

Finally, turn on the Background App Refresh toggle button.

Reset Account Settings

If you’re encountering sync issues with only one of your Outlook accounts in the app, Outlook suggests resetting all settings for that account to resolve the issue. Here’s how you do it:

Tap on your profile image in the top left corner of the Outlook app.

Then, in the bottom left corner, hit the settings icon.

Choose the email account that isn’t synchronizing.

Finally, tap Reset Account and then OK.

The Outlook app will immediately close. Relaunch the app and check to see whether it syncs your emails.

Manually Refresh Outlook

Manually refreshing Outlook is an excellent method to check to see if your email is being updated, received, and loaded. And doing something as simple as this can also resolve your ‘Outlook not working on iPhone today’ issue. Stated below are the steps for the same:

Open the Outlook app on your device.

In its inbox, drag down your finger from the top of the screen.

This will make Outlook refresh.

After the refresh is done, you will be able to see newly received content in your account.

Update your iOS

An earlier version of iOS might be the root cause of the Outlook not working issue on your iPhone. You can try updating your iOS device to the newest version to resolve this difficulty:

Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

Select General on the Settings page.

Then, select the Software Update option on the General settings page.

To update your device, select Download and Install.

Reset All Settings

Resetting all settings is another option for resolving Outlook email not functioning issues on iPhone. However, after selecting this option, all the settings that you have configured according to your preferences on your device will be reversed to their default. So, attempt this method only when you can’t resolve the issue by following the above methods, and this is the last resort.

Here are the instructions to reset all your settings on your iPhone: