This wikiHow teaches you how to disable the “Work Offline” feature (offline mode) in the Microsoft Outlook desktop program.
Step
Method 1 of 2: On Windows Computer
Step 1. Open Outlook
Click (or double-click) the Outlook app icon, which looks like an "O" above the dark blue box.
Step 2. Make sure Outlook is indeed off the network
There are several signs that indicate that Outlook is in "Work Offline" mode:
- A "Working Offline" box will appear in the lower-right corner of the Outlook window.
- A white "X" in a red circle will appear on the Outlook app icon on the taskbar (on Windows computers only).
Step 3. Click the Send/Receive tab
This tab is on the blue ribbon at the top of the Outlook window. The toolbar will appear at the top of the window afterwards.
Step 4. Make sure the Work Offline button is in the active position
It's at the far right of the toolbar " Send / Receive " If the button is in the active position, the background color of the button will be dark gray.
If the button background color is not dark gray, the " Work Offline " feature has not been enabled
Step 5. Click the Work Offline button once
It's at the far right of the toolbar.
If the button is inactive, try clicking the button twice-once to enable “Work Offline” mode and once to disable it-before moving on to the next step
Step 6. Wait until the "Working Offline" message disappears
Once the message or status disappears in the lower-right corner of the window, Outlook is back on the network.
You may need to enable and disable the "Work Offline" feature several times before the "Work Offline" button is actually in the off position
Method 2 of 2: On Mac Computer
Step 1. Open Outlook
Click (or double-click) the Outlook app icon, which looks like an "O" above the dark blue box.
Step 2. Click Outlook
It's in the menu bar at the top of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear after that.
Step 3. Click Work Offline
This option is the third option in the drop-down menu. When Outlook is in offline mode, you can see a tick next to the "Work Offline" option in Outlook's main drop-down menu. To disable offline mode, make sure there is no check next to that option in the main menu.
Tips
Make sure the computer is connected to an active internet network when you turn off "Work Offline" mode
Warning
- You cannot change the offline mode setting on the Microsoft Outlook mobile app or its desktop site.
- If the computer is not connected to the internet network, you cannot disable "Work Offline" mode.
