How to Resolve Microsoft Outlook Not Downloading Email Headers and Showing Partial Message Bodies

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to Resolve Microsoft Outlook Not Downloading Email Headers and Showing Partial Message Bodies. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

If Microsoft Outlook is receiving emails but failing to download the full message body—or only showing headers with blank content—it is usually caused by connectivity issues, corrupted data files, or incorrect download settings. This guide provides step-by-step instructions to help you restore full email visibility in Outlook.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Restart Outlook and check your internet connection.
2. Switch to Online Mode if you are using Cached Exchange Mode.
3. Check your Outlook download preferences to ensure full message bodies are being downloaded.
4. Clear the Outlook cache and rebuild the data file.
5. Repair your Microsoft Office installation.

Detailed Instructions

1. Verify Internet Connectivity

Ensure your computer has a stable internet connection. Open a web browser and visit a website to confirm connectivity. If your connection is unstable, Outlook may struggle to synchronise email bodies from the server.

2. Switch from Cached Exchange Mode to Online Mode

Cached Exchange Mode stores a local copy of your mailbox. If the local file (.ost) becomes corrupted, message bodies may not display correctly.

1. Open Outlook and select File from the top menu.
2. Click Account Settings, then select Account Settings again from the dropdown.
3. Select your Microsoft 365 or Exchange email account and click Change.
4. Under Offline Settings, uncheck Use Cached Exchange Mode.
5. Click Next, then Finish, and restart Outlook.

Switching to Online Mode means emails are fetched directly from the server. This requires a constant internet connection to view messages.

3. Check Download Preferences

Outlook may be configured to download only headers for certain accounts.

1. Open Outlook and go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
2. Select your email account and click Change.
3. Ensure the slider for Download email for the past is set to an appropriate period, such as All or 1 year.
4. Click Next and Finish to apply changes.

4. Clear the Outlook Cache

Clearing the cache can resolve synchronisation errors without deleting your emails. Renaming the .ost file will force Outlook to create a new one and resynchronise your entire mailbox, which may take some time depending on your mailbox size and internet speed.

1. Close Outlook completely.
2. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog.
3. Type %localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook and press Enter.
4. Locate the .ost file associated with your email account.
5. Rename the file to .ost.old to force Outlook to create a new one.
6. Restart Outlook. It will automatically resynchronise your mailbox.

5. Repair Microsoft Office

If Outlook files are corrupted, repairing the Office installation can restore functionality.

1. Close all Office applications.
2. Open Control Panel and go to Programs and Features.
3. Find Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office in the list.
4. Right-click it and select Change.
5. Choose Quick Repair and click Repair.
6. If the issue persists, repeat the steps and choose Online Repair.

Troubleshooting

Create a New Outlook Profile

A corrupted Outlook profile can prevent email bodies from loading.

1. Close Outlook.
2. Open Control Panel and search for Mail.
3. Click Show Profiles.
4. Click Add and enter a name for the new profile.
5. Follow the prompts to add your email account.
6. Select Always use this profile and choose your new profile from the dropdown.
7. Click OK and open Outlook.

Renaming or deleting data files may cause temporary loss of access to offline emails until resynchronisation is complete. Ensure you have a stable internet connection before proceeding.

If you have completed these steps and Outlook still does not download email bodies, please Open a Ticket with our Brisbane support team for further assistance.

Related Articles:

• Setting Up an Email Account in Outlook (POP/IMAP/Exchange)
• Managing Email Signatures in Outlook
• Troubleshooting Outlook Send/Receive Errors
• Backing Up and Restoring Outlook Data Files (.pst/.ost)
• Organizing Emails with Rules and Alerts in Outlook
• Using Outlook Calendar and Scheduling Meetings

Still Having Issues?