For those of you who are experiencing issues with your Hotmail account not syncing, we’ve got some tips to help you out.
There are a number of reasons why the problem might be occurring, so it’s important to start from there. For example, is it happening on all devices? Or is it just one specific device?
In addition, the solution can differ depending on the device. So we have solutions below that you can try out for Apple iPhone, Android, Windows, and Gmail.

Possible Reasons Why Hotmail Is Not Updating Or Syncing
If your Hotmail account is not syncing on multiple devices, there is a problem. However, this is not necessarily an issue with the Hotmail/Outlook platform itself. The problem is most likely something specific to your device.
So what are some common reasons for syncing errors?
There are many common reasons, but here are just a few:
- Incorrect Outlook email settings, and server issues with Outlook or Hotmail can all lead to syncing errors on Windows-based operating systems.
- On an Android-based device, it could be a problem with your default email application settings.
- For iOS devices, the mail application time settings and sync permission might cause syncing problems.
Now let’s look at some possible solutions below.
Solutions For Hotmail Not Syncing On iPhone
Here are two ways to fix Hotmail not syncing with iPhone:
Reconfigure Outlook On Your iPhone
You can reconfigure your outlook email on your iPhone by deleting and then re-adding your Hotmail account. First, open the app “Settings” on your iPhone. Select Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and then tap Delete Account.
Now tap Add Account and choose Microsoft Exchange. Enter details about your Hotmail account, including server address (m.hotmail.com). Once you’ve finished, tap Next to receive your confirmation message, and then flip the slider to On.
Adjust The Mail Sync Limit In iPhone Settings
You can increase the number of days you want to sync your new emails in settings and then go to accounts, selecting “Hotmail” and then choosing “no limit.”
Solutions For Hotmail Not Syncing On Android/Samsung
Try out any of these solutions if your Hotmail on android is not working:
Enable Automatic Email Sync
If you have “auto sync” turned off in your email app, you will stop getting emails on your phone.
If you have your sync turned off on your email app, you will not get emails on your Android phone. This is a common mistake that many people make. You can check if this is the reason by turning auto-sync back on.
From there, your email app should automatically search for new messages and notify you when a new one arrives. To find out if your email app is set to sync automatically, you can check from the settings menu. In Gmail, for instance, just go to the settings menu and then pick the option that turns auto-sync on or off.

If emails don’t sync after you enable auto-sync, make sure the device’s Battery saver mode is switched off. Battery saver mode can disable sync updates and Gmail may not update automatically.
Sync Your Emails Manually
If you’re unable to perform automatic sync, then you can do a manual sync.
This forces your phone’s email app to find new emails, download them, and put them on the device.
It’s just like regular synchronization– but you must manually go into the settings and select the sync option. The steps will vary depending on the device. Start by selecting the hamburger menu, settings button, then follow these steps:

The option above will sync all related accounts.
Alternatively, you can click on “Google” to find the account with the sync problem. Click to only sync that account. After you click “more”, the option “sync now” should come up.

Free Up Space On Your Android Device To Sync Hotmail
If you’re running out of storage on your device, your email may not be syncing, especially for emails with large attachments.
You can find out how much storage space is left on your device by going to “storage” in the phone Settings. The process might look different depending on your Android phone. My phone, for instance, has storage under the “about phone” section.
On some phones, the storage appears as a standalone item on the settings page.
If you find that your storage is running low, delete unwanted files. Again, how you do this will depend on the options available on your phone.
On my phone, if I click on the file types shown in the storage space image below (e.g videos), I can scroll through all the files and click “uninstall”.

Update New Email Passwords
If you change the Hotmail password for your email account, you must also update it in your email app. If not, your phone will be unable to sync new emails.
If you change the password for your email account, you must also update it in your email app. If not, your phone will be unable to sync new emails.
Clear Phone Cache
It’s worth clearing your cache to see if that fixes your email app. Over time, data and cache files may build up on your phone, causing it to slow down.
You can clear your cache in the Settings app to make more storage space by going to your app settings, finding the outlook app under manage apps, and clearing any cached data. Clearing cache will remove cached data.

Other solutions to fix Hotmail not syncing on Android:
- Update your email app by checking on Playstore if there is an updated version. It’s also advisable to enable automatic updates on your phone so that all updates happen without any action from you.
- Delete your email account from the email client and add it again. Remember to back up your mail before doing so.
Solutions For Hotmail Not Syncing On Windows
If you have an issue with Hotmail not syncing on Windows 10, try repairing the account using the following steps:
- In Outlook, go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
- Then select the email account that doesn’t sync and click Repair.
- Check the fields in the repair box to ensure they are okay and then click Next. Hotmail will get started, and the repair process for your account will begin.
Once done, restart outlook.

Solution For Hotmail Not Syncing With Gmail
Go to the settings in your Gmail app and check account sync settings. Also confirm that there is no sync error on your Hotmail email account.
Next, check the Gmail app permissions to ensure all necessary permissions have been enabled.
Lastly, ensure that you have updated any changed passwords on your outlook account.
If all of these areas are okay, consider deleting and reinstalling the account afresh by following these steps:
- Delete your outlook email account in Gmail by clicking on it and then selecting “remove account”.

2. Do a fresh outlook install by clicking on settings in the Gmail app, then add account. Choose the “Outlook, Hotmail and live” option and then enter your email account name and password. Enable access permissions and wait for the account to sync.

3. Enable sync frequency and other sync settings.

4. Let your email do a fresh sync.
