Home » Outlook » Outlook Cannot Connect To Server? Let’s Fix It!

 

As the message indicates “Outlook cannot connect to Server” problem occurs when your Outlook mail is having trouble connecting to the server. Due to this, you won’t be able to send or receive emails on your Outlook account unless you fix the issue. 

In this article, we have mentioned the various ways to fix Outlook Cannot Connect to the Server issue that you can use to fix your Outlook Mail.

Related Post:- How to Refresh Outlook

 

Solutions for ‘Outlook Cannot Connect to Server’ Issue

Given below we have mentioned all the possible solutions to fix Outlook Cannot Connect to Server error on Windows. Unless you know the exact cause behind the issue, we suggest you follow each method one by one to fix the problem. 

Make sure to check if your issue is resolved after trying each method. You can stop continuing with the steps when your issue is resolved.

 

1. Check Your Account Credentials

If your outlook is having trouble connecting to the server you must check your account credentials and Exchange server name. To do so, you can follow the steps given below and if needed, correct them right away.

• Launch Outlook and go to File.
• Now select Info and then Account and Social Network Settings.

• Select your Outlook account from the dialogue box and remove it.
• Now add your Outlook account again with the correct account credentials.

 

2. Check If Outlook is Set to Offline

Another reason that can cause Outlook connection issues is when your Outlook is set to Offline. If you notice your Outlook status is set to Working Offline or Disconnected, you should follow the steps given below to set it back to online.

1. Launch Outlook and go to the Send/Receive tab.
2. Click on the Work Offline button to bring it back Online

 

3. Check Your Network

If Outlook cannot connect to the server error persists, you should check your network connection. Outlook starts working offline or Outlook shows disconnected status when you are not connected to the network or if it isn’t working properly.

You can try the below steps to ensure that your network connection is stable.

1. Try connecting any other PC or device to the same network and see if you can access your Outlook account there.
2. Open a web browser on your computer and visit outlook.com. Sign in to your Outlook account and see if you are able to send or receive emails from there. If you can’t access your Outlook account from the webmail too, it means there is an issue with the outlook server.
3. If you are connected to a public network then try connecting to a private one and see if that helps.

 

4. Check the Microsoft Exchange Connection

Follow these steps given below to check your Microsoft exchange server connection:

• Launch Outlook and go to File.
• Now select Info.
• Click on Account and Social Network Settings.
• Select Account Settings.

• Have a look at your exchange account. If you see the indicator icon in orange, it means that there is an issue with the exchange connection.

 

5. Connect to Microsoft Exchange by using SSL

Refer to the below-mentioned steps to fix Outlook not Connecting to the Exchange Server problem by using SSL as your security.

• Open Outlook on your Windows device.
• Go to File and select Info.
• Select “Account and Social Network Settings”.
• Click Account Settings.
• Click on your email account and then select Change.
• Select More Settings and go to the Advanced tab.

• At last, click on OK to apply your changes.

 

6. Configure Your Proxy Server

In case you are using a proxy server for internet access, you must follow these steps to complete the connection configuration.

1. Launch Outlook on your Windows PC.
2. Now go to File and select Info.
3. Choose Account and Social Network Settings.
4. Select Account Settings.
5. Now you need to select your Outlook account and then click on Change.
6. Click on More Settings and head to the Connection tab.
7. You need to select the “Connect to Microsoft Exchange using HTTP” option under Outlook Anywhere. 
8. Now select the Exchange Proxy Settings option.
9. Here you need to enter the link that will connect you to your proxy server.
10. Select the below option 
    • Connect using SSL Only
11. Now you need to select the Only Connect to Proxy Servers that have this Principal Name in their Certificate and enter “must: URL” in the given space 
12. Under Proxy Authentication, select Basic Authentication or NTLM in authentication type.
13. At last click on OK to apply your settings.

 

7. Use Outlook In-Built Repair Tool

After trying all the above solutions, if you are still not able to fix the Outlook Cannot Connect to Server issue, then you can use the Outlook Repair tool to fix your Outlook account.

To do so, follow the steps given below:

1. Go to Outlook and click on File.
2. Now, Select Info.
3. Click on Account and Social Network Settings
4. Select Account Settings.
5. Here you need to select your Outlook account.
6. Find and select the Repair button.
7. You will be prompted to enter your account credentials and confirm them. If the account password auto-fills, then you must remove it and enter it manually to avoid any error.
8. After confirming your account credentials click on the Next button.
9. Now Outlook will try to fix any problem with your account and connect to the server successfully.

Related Post:- How to Repair Office 365

 

8. Disable Outlook Extensions

If you are using any extensions to access your Outlook account on Windows then it might be one of them that is causing this issue. To find the culprit you need to disable each extension one by one and check when you can connect to the outlook again.

• First of all, open Outlook on your computer.
• Select File and then click on Options.
• Now select Add-ins.
• Hit the Go button and uncheck all the extensions.

• Select Ok to apply your changes.
• At last, restart Outlook

If you can connect to the outlook server now then there was something wrong with one of your extensions. To find the exact culprit extension you need to try disabling each extension one by one and remove it permanently.

 

9. Rebuild Outlook Data

If nothing of the above methods works for you then you can also try to rebuild the entire Outlook data file. Outlook stores its data and info in an external file and uses it to perform its operations. If we delete this file, Outlook will try to rebuild its data from scratch which could resolve your issue.

• Open Outlook and go to file.
• Select info and click on Account and Social Network Settings.
• No select Account Settings and go to the Data Files tab.
• Click the Open File location option.

• Rename or move the Outlook data file to another location
• At last, you need to restart the outlook. The Outlook mail will start recreating your data file from scratch.

 

10. Repair Or Reinstall Outlook App

If you continue to face Outlook cannot connect to the server error even after trying all the above solutions then the last resort left is to repair or reinstall the outlook application. Follow the steps given below to repair your Outlook app and if it doesn’t work you should reinstall it completely.

1. Press Windows + r key to open the run dialog box.
2. Now enter appwiz.cpl in the given space and hit the Enter button.
3. In the Application Manager, navigate to the Microsoft Office option.
4. Right-click on Microsoft office and select change.
5. Click on repair and select continue.

Check if your Outlook and connect to the server after you have repaired the application. If not then you should install the app right away.

 

Final Words

We hope your Outlook Cannot Connect To The Server error is resolved and you are not facing any other issue. In case, you happen to face any other issue with your Outlook or if the Server issue persists, feel free to connect with our Outlook Technical Support team for assistance. Our skilled experts will fix all issues with your Outlook email and bring it back to the working state once again.