How to Fix Outlook Desktop App Not Saving Sent Items to the Sent Items Folder in Microsoft 365

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to Fix Outlook Desktop App Not Saving Sent Items to the Sent Items Folder in Microsoft 365. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Sent emails not appearing in the Sent Items folder is a common issue for Microsoft 365 users. This usually happens due to account configuration, mailbox storage limits, or a corrupted local data file. This guide helps small business users in Brisbane troubleshoot and fix missing sent emails in the Outlook desktop app.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Restart the Outlook desktop app.
2. Check your internet connection and ensure you are online.
3. Verify that the email account is not set to Work Offline mode.
4. Check if your mailbox storage is full.
5. Repair the Outlook data file using the Inbox Repair tool.

Detailed Instructions

Check Offline Status

1. Open Outlook.
2. Look at the status bar at the bottom of the window.
3. If it says Working Offline, go to the Send/Receive tab.
4. Click the Work Offline button to reconnect to the server.
5. Wait for sent items to sync and appear in the Sent Items folder.

Verify Sent Items Folder Mapping

1. Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
2. Select your Microsoft 365 email account and click Change.
3. Click More Settings.
4. Open the Sent Items tab.
5. Ensure Save sent items in the following folder on the server is selected.
6. Choose the correct Sent Items folder from the list.
7. Click OK, then Next, and finally Finish.

Check Mailbox Storage

1. Sign in to Outlook on the web at outlook.office.com.
2. Go to Settings (gear icon) > Mail > Storage.
3. Check if your mailbox is near its storage limit.
4. Delete unnecessary emails or archive old items to free up space.
5. Return to the Outlook desktop app and send a test email.

Repair Outlook Data File

1. Close Outlook completely.
2. Open File Explorer and navigate to the default Outlook data file location: %localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook
3. Locate the .ost or .pst file for your account.
4. Run the Inbox Repair tool (scanpst.exe). The location varies by Office version, typically found in: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16
5. Select your data file and click Start.
6. If errors are found, click Repair.
7. Restart Outlook and check if sent items are saving correctly.

Troubleshooting

Sent Items Missing Only in Cached Mode

If you use Cached Exchange Mode, the local .ost file may be out of sync. To resolve this, repair the data file or create a new Outlook profile as described below.

Check Outlook Rules

A rule may be moving sent items to another folder automatically:

1. Go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts.
2. Review the list of rules for any that apply to sent messages.
3. Disable or modify any rule moving items out of Sent Items.
4. For more information, see our guide on Organizing Emails with Rules and Alerts in Outlook.

Create a New Outlook Profile

If none of the above steps work, your Outlook profile may be corrupted:

1. Go to Control Panel > Mail (or search for "Mail" in the Start menu).
2. Click Show Profiles.
3. Click Add to create a new profile.
4. Follow the prompts to add your email account.
5. Set the new profile as the default and restart Outlook.

If you continue to experience issues with sent emails not saving, please Open a Ticket with our Brisbane support team.

Still Having Issues?