How do I fix Send Receive error in Outlook 2010?

One of the most common errors of Microsoft Outlook is the “Send-Receive Error”. When encountered, it puts all user activity to halt. Thus, resolving it at the earliest through tried and tested techniques is mandatory. But if the common fixes don’t manage to rectify the issue, repairing Outlook PST is the ultimate solution to the problem.

Though MS Outlook supports a ton of functions like calendaring, notes, journals, contact management, etc. it is essentially an emailing client and is used primarily for sending and receiving emails by millions of users worldwide. Just as every coin has two sides, on one hand, if Outlook is laden with rich features, on the other, it is often bugged by recurring issues which can put a total halt on user activity. Quite particularly, “Send and Receive Errors” are quite common in Outlook.

Through this post, we have made an attempt to list down the most frequently faced Send and Receive errors in Outlook and techniques to resolve them.

List of common Outlook Send-Receive Errors

Different users have reported facing the following Send-Receive errors most frequently:

  • “Outlook is unable to connect to the proxy server” (error code 0) – This error pops up when Microsoft Outlook cannot connect to the server
  • “The operation timed out while waiting for a response from the receiving server” (error code 8004210A) – This occurs when it takes too much time for the server to respond to the user query.
  • “The operation failed. An object could not be found” – This error is seen if Outlook is not able to access its underlying data files i.e. OST or PST or if these files are corrupted/damaged.
  • “None of the authentication methods supported by this client is supported by your server” (error code 0x800CCC80) – This error when faced bars users from sending any file via email
  • “Outlook data file cannot be accessed” (error code 8004010F) – This error doesn’t allow users to send/receive emails with attachments

Techniques to Fix Send Receive Errors in Outlook

Resolving Send and Receive errors in Outlook is essential to resume emailing activity. Choose any of the below-mentioned tricks to perform the fix:

1.   Check and Fix Internet Connectivity Problems

Sometimes the true reason behind Outlook send-receive problem is as trivial as an Internet connectivity issue. Thus, verify if you can connect to the Internet at all by opening any website through your browser. If it doesn’t open, repair connectivity and resumes emailing.

2.   Stop large outgoing emails & rectify Spam settings

Outlook often flags bulky or spam emails and prevents them from being sent or received. Re-check if the email you wish to send has an oversized attachment and remove it. Then try to send email. If you’re waiting for a particular email that hasn’t arrived because of the error, check your account’s spam settings. Also, check Outlook Outbox for any emails that may be stuck there preventing any subsequent ones from being sent. Clean them up using the following steps:

a.   Launch Outlook, go to Send/Receive tab, and select Work Offline

b.   Go to Outbox and if there are any emails, right-click on them and click on Delete or move them to Drafts

c.   Again go to Send/Receive tab and de-select Work Offline

d.   Now try to resend the email and verify if the error has been removed

3.   Verify Firewall & Antivirus Settings

Firewalls and anti-virus programs can obstruct the smooth flow of outgoing and incoming emails. Thus, disable firewall and antivirus for some time and try send-receive. Once emailing resumes and your mailbox is updated, enable both again.

4.   Check and Correct Email Account Settings

Improperly configured email account settings can also be the cause of the bane. So launch Outlook and follow these steps to correct the settings:

a.   Go to File -> Account Settings -> Account Settings -> Change -> More Settings -> Outlook Server tab.

b.   Check the box next to “My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication”

c.   Also, select the button that says “Log onto incoming server before sending mail”

5.   Disable Add-ins and Repair Outlook Application

Outlook add-ins though meant to enhance the application’s functionality can many times be the source of its troubles. To disable them you need to launch Outlook in safe mode by typing the command outlook.exe / safe in the Windows Run dialog. Then try send-receive and if it works, you’ve found the real culprit behind the error. If this too doesn’t work, repair your Outlook installation as follows:

a.   Open Control Panel and go to Uninstall Programs

b.   Find Outlook in the list of installed programs

c.   Right-click on it and select Repair

d.   Follow the instructions in the wizard that appears

6.   Fix PST with ScanPST.exe

If none of the above solutions work, the trigger for send-receive errors might be a faulty Outlook PST. To repair Outlook PST, locate Microsoft’s inbuilt Inbox Repair Utility, ScanPST.exe, on your system (it should be within Outlook installation directory by default). Launch it and follow the instructions to fix issues within PST.

7.   Fix PST with Third-Party Software

If Outlook PST is severely corrupted, ScanPST.exe might not be able to repair it properly. In such cases, relying on third-party PST repair tools is the only option. We recommend using Stellar Repair for Outlook to accurately repair damaged PST files. Backed by powerful scanning and repair algorithms, this tool repairs Outlook PST files non-invasively and efficiently.

Final Words

Problems like Send-Receive errors are encountered by many Outlook users over a period of time. While some errors can be removed by performing simple steps, others may take a lot of time to get rid of. When nothing else works, the services of competent third-party tools like Stellar Repair for Outlook never fail to fix send-receive errors and numerous other problems associated with Outlook.

Why is send and receive not working in Outlook?

Check the bottom of your Outlook window. If you see Disconnected, Working Offline, or Trying to connect…, Outlook can't reach the email server to send your mail. Choose Send/Receive > Preferences > Work Offline to toggle between offline mode and online mode.

Why is my Outlook 2010 not sending emails?

Open Outlook in Safe Mode Disable all your add-ins, and start Outlook normally again and see if mails can be sent or received. If so, you can enable them one by one until email fails again. The add-in you last enabled is most likely the cause of your issue. Uninstall or reinstall this add-in to fix the issue.