Summary: If Outlook is disconnected from the mailbox server or Exchange Server, users can't send or receive new emails. Any changes made will be stored locally and synchronized when the Outlook and Exchange Server connection is established. Sometimes, Outlook can't connect to the mailbox server even when the system is online and the server is available. In this blog, we’ve discussed the solutions to fix the Outlook disconnected from Exchange Server issue and restore mail items with the help of an OST to PST converter tool.
Contents
Microsoft Outlook client displays the connectivity status in the status bar located at the bottom of the window. When connected to the mailbox server, the status changes to Connected to: NameOfTheServer ? for instance, Connected to: Microsoft Exchange.
However, when there is a connectivity issue or network problem, the status bar changes to ‘Trying to Connect?. .‘
Further, if you manually update or synchronize the mailbox folder, you may encounter a Send/Receive error code 0x80040115 with the following message.
Meanwhile, Outlook will continue to try connecting to the on-premises Exchange Server mailbox and establish a connection if your system and the mailbox server are online. However, if it fails to connect, it displays a ‘Disconnected‘ warning status in the status bar, indicating a problem with your system, server, or Outlook.
In this blog, you will get to know the reasons behind the disconnected Outlook from Exchange Server issue and the solutions to fix the problem.
Reasons for Outlook Disconnected from Exchange Server
There could be many reasons that may prevent Outlook from connecting to the Microsoft Exchange mailbox server. Some of the common causes are as follows:
- No internet or poor connectivity
- Corrupt Outlook profile
- Damaged Outlook data file (OST)
- Faulty add-ins
- Certificate issue (HTTP/HTTPS)
- The server is down for maintenance or network issues
- Exchange Database storing your mailbox on the server is dismounted or corrupt
Solutions to Fix Outlook Disconnected from Exchange Server Issue
Follow the solutions below to troubleshoot and fix the Outlook 2010, 2013, 2016, or 2019 disconnected from the Exchange Server issue.
1. Check Connectivity and Mailbox Server Status
The first thing to do is check your system’s network status. It should be online and connected to the Internet. Then check the server status. For this, you can open the Outlook Web App in a web browser and then log in. If you can’t log in, contact the administrator.
If you can log in to the Exchange Server via OWA, it indicates that the server is online and the problem is with your Outlook client or your network. Next, try restarting the system and the router.
2. Check Work Offline Status
Outlook features a Work Offline option that allows users to disconnect the Outlook from the Exchange Server and continue their work without getting disturbed by incoming emails. It also allows users, encountering network issues, to work without any interruption.
If the Work Offline option is enabled accidentally, you may encounter Outlook disconnected from the Exchange Server issue. To resolve this, go to the Send/Receive tab and click Work Offline.
To know more, read How to Switch from Working Offline to Working Online in Outlook?
3. Restart Outlook in Safe Mode
Due to faulty or incompatible add-ins, Outlook may slow down or stop working. They can also cause inconsistencies in the Outlook data file leading to damaged OST. To ensure add-ins are not causing the Outlook disconnection issue, follow these steps:
- Close Outlook and press Windows + R.
- Type Outlook.exe /safe and press the Enter key.
- Enter your login password when prompted and then check the status bar.
- If it displays Connected to: Microsoft Exchange, you should disable all the add-ins and then restart Outlook normally.
- Then, enable one add-in at a time and observe Outlook for disconnected status.
- Once a faulty add-in causing the issue is found, remove the defective add-in from Outlook and use Outlook normally.
4. Fix Certificate Issue
Issues with Security certificates may also prevent Outlook from connecting to an on-premises Exchange Server. Further, when you log in or authenticate using your email credentials in Outlook to access your on-premises Exchange Server mailbox, you may encounter certificate expiration or invalid warning error. If you continue, you may find that Outlook is not connected or disconnected from the server.
To troubleshoot and fix this Security Certificate issue, you need to contact the administrator.
5. Create New Outlook Profile
By creating a new Outlook profile for your Exchange Server account, you can replace the corrupt Outlook profile and fix the Outlook disconnected issue. The steps are as follows:
- Close Outlook and open Control Panel.
- Find and click Mail.
- In Mail Setup, click Show Profiles? and then click Add.
- Type a profile name and click OK.
- Follow the wizard and configure your email profile.
- After the setup, a new Outlook profile is added. Then, your Outlook will connect to the Exchange Server and synchronize all the mail items.
- After the synchronization, restart Outlook and check again if the status is now ‘Connected‘ or ‘Disconnected‘.
Once the issue is fixed, you can remove the corrupt profile from your Outlook.
6. Rebuild Outlook Data File
When nothing works, rebuild your Outlook data file, i.e. OST, as it may have become inconsistent and caused the Outlook connection issue. To rebuild an Outlook data file, follow these steps:
- Open Outlook and right-click on your email profile.
- Choose Open File Location. This opens the default Outlook data file (OST) location.
- Close Outlook.
- Copy the .OST file to a safe location for backup and then delete the default OST file.
- Restart Outlook normally and then wait for a while.
- The Outlook will reconnect to your mailbox on the Exchange Server and synchronize the mail items. This may take a while, depending on the mailbox size.
This should fix the Outlook disconnected from the Exchange Server issue.
After synchronization, you should check your mailbox for any missing items. Since Outlook was disconnected from Exchange Server, there are chances that any changes made during that time may not have synchronized with the mailbox server.
In such a case, you can use an OST to PST converter tool, such as Stellar Converter for OST. The software can extract mail items from inaccessible or damaged OST files and save them to Outlook importable PST format. Besides, you can also export the extracted mail items from an OST file directly to Microsoft 365 or a live Exchange Server.
Learn more: How to Import OST data directly to Office 365?
Conclusion
This article helps you understand the reasons behind the disconnected Outlook from Exchange Server and how to troubleshoot and fix the issue. You can follow the solutions discussed in this blog to reconnect the Outlook to the Exchange Server and resume sending/receiving emails. In most cases, replacing a corrupt profile or rebuilding a new Outlook data file can fix such issues with Outlook. However, you should be cautious before deleting your profile or Outlook data file as it permanently removes the mail items stored in the data file from the system. Thus, any mail items that didn’t sync with the mailbox server will be permanently lost. Always backup OST before removing profile or deleting OST. You can use an OST converter software to retrieve the missing emails and restore them to your Outlook profile.
