You are trying to access your Hotmail email, and the email app returns the message in “Your request cannot be completed right now. Please try again later.”
This is quite a common problem, and it can happen to anyone and on any browser.
In this article, we will discuss this error and offer some possible solutions for it.
What Causes Hotmail (Outlook) Error Message: ‘Your Request Cannot Be Completed’
Some common factors that can cause this error include:
- Your applications failing to load properly during start up
- A general problem with your computer or device
You can also experience this error after a software upgrade.
In Exchange Server 2013, if you have updated to the latest Cumulative Update (CU11), you may get an error message stating “Request cannot be completed right now. Please try again later,” when trying to use Outlook.
This problem was also experienced after an April 2010 update rollup for Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 3 (SP3).
This error happens because the files in the Exchange installation Bin subdirectory don’t update during the cumulative update.
So, in simpler terms, it’s a case of the set-up files pointing in the wrong file location.
Tip: For another common error, check out our guide on Hotmail error 80041004.
Solutions To Fix ‘Your Request Cannot Be Completed’ In Hotmail
There are several approaches you can take to fix ‘Your request cannot be completed’ In Hotmail. We’ll start with the simple solutions
Method 1: Clear Cache
Start by clearing the cache on your computer, and try to refresh the page. You can do this in most browsers by clicking CTRL+F5, which will reload the page without cached content.
Alternatively, open up the settings section of your browser, go to browser history and clear cookies and cache.
The steps you use to access your settings will vary depending on your browser. For example, in Chrome:
- Click on the customize and control icon (three dots on the top right corner of the page), and click settings.
2. Click privacy and security> clear browsing data.
3. Select all that apply and click clear data.
You can make this entire process easier by clicking CTRL+SHIFT+DEL to open up the browser cache and cookies section. The shortcut works on all browsers.
This technique also works well on Hotmail error code 401 if this appears on your screen.
Method 2: Open Outlook In Safe Mode
If method 1 doesn’t work, try opening Hotmail and Outlook in safe mode.
- Go to the start menu, type “run”, and open the run app.
2. On the run window type “outlook.exe /safe”.
3. This will open outlook in safe mode.
Method 3: Update The Setup Files To Point To The Right Locations
Remember how I said that the error “your request could not be completed” could be caused by files pointing to the wrong locations during a cumulative update?
Well, the solution for that can be found through this link from the Microsoft support team.
The process is a bit complicated and may require some technical expertise. Only do this if you know your way around your program files. Otherwise, get an IT expert to help you.
Method 4: Reach Out To Microsoft Customer Support
If all else fails, you should reach out to Microsoft (Hotmail) customer support through their “contact us” page.
You will need to give them this information:
- Specify the outlook email system you are using. E.g outlook.com, Windows live mail, Microsoft office, or a third-party email app
- Tell them if the problem only affects one account. That is, can other outlook accounts open successfully on the computer?
- The browser you are using and whether you have encountered the problem on every browser.
- Whether accessing outlook on other computers also returns the same error.
What you want here is to give the support team as much information as possible to work with.
“Can’t Complete Your Request” error while accessing shared Hotmail mailbox: Solutions
If you encounter the “can’t complete your request” error while using a shared mailbox, you can resolve it by editing permissions using these steps:
- Navigate to the Office 365 Admin Portal on this link https://www.office.com/. Click on the Admin icon to open up Microsoft 365 admin center.
2. Click on the downward arrow next to groups, then click on shared mailboxes.
3. Select a shared mailbox.
4. Next, click on customize permissions in the email forwarding section that opens, and click on edit.
5. Here, you can customize mailbox permissions for each user.
