Unable to send or receive e-mails

Have you suddenly found that you are unable to send or receive e-mails via Outlook? Here are a few ways you can troubleshoot the issue prior to reaching out to the IT department:

Troubleshooting Step 1: Verifying internet access

Naturally, an internet connection is necessary if you are going to send or receive e-mails. Verify your internet connection through the following steps:

• Check the bottom right-hand corner of your desktop screen (also known as the task bar).

• Connection to the internet is displayed here in one of two ways depending on the method of your connection. A wireless connection is depicted by three quarter-circle white bars and a dot. A wired connected is depicted by a monitor with an Ethernet cable on the left.

• Anything else ( either a grayed out wireless symbol or a wired symbol with a red X) signifies that you are not connected to the internet.

Troubleshooting Step 2: Verifying status of Outlook via status bar

The status bar on Outlook, located at the bottom of the application, is another place to look when troubleshooting this issue. In particular, look at the middle of that status bar as it could very well explain what the issue is. Looking here, you may see one of the following statements if there is a problem sending and receiving e-mails:

• Working Offline -> If your status bar says this, you may have accidentally turned on Outlook's work offline option. This can be turned off by:
  • Clicking on Send/Receive in the menu bar located at the top of the Outlook application.
  • Clicking on "Work Offline" so that it isn't highlighted.

• Need Password -> If your status bar says this, click on it and the Okta authentication window should pop up. Key in your Okta credentials (e-mail and password) and sign in. That should take care of this issue.

• Connected to: Microsoft Exchange -> If your status bar says this, you should be able to send and receive e-mails. If that is not the case, the issue may be server related and require intervention from the IT department.

If both troubleshooting steps have been attempted and the issue still persists, feel free to contact the IT department through the our Help Desk E-mail line ([e-mail]).