[Fix] Windows Live Mail Stopped Syncing Hotmail, Outlook and Other Microsoft Email Accounts

Today we are going to address an issue related to Microsoft account such as hotmail, outlook, live, MSN, etc syncing in Microsoft’s official desktop email client program “Windows Live Mail” (WLM) which is a part of “Windows Essentials” package. The issue will occur in all versions of Windows Live Mail program such as 2009 (wave 3), 2011 (wave 4) or 2012 (wave 5).

PROBLEM DESCRIPTION:

Consider following scenarios:

CASE 1: You were using Windows Live Mail (WLM) desktop email client program to access your Hotmail, Outlook, Windows Live, MSN or any other Microsoft account’s email. Everything was working fine and WLM was properly syncing your account emails without any problem. Suddenly WLM stopped syncing your emails and started showing error messages. Now you can’t sync your Microsoft account emails using Windows Live Mail program.

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CASE 2: You were not using Windows Live Mail application to sync your Microsoft account emails but recently you decided to add your Microsoft account (hotmail, outlook, msn, etc) into WLM program but its unable to sync emails and shows error messages.

Basically the bottomline is that Windows Live Mail email client can’t sync Microsoft account emails any more. It’ll show various error messages such as “Unable to send or receive messages for the account”, “An error occurred in looking up the user’s information in mserv”, etc. It may also show random error codes such as 0x80072EE7, 0x80072EFD, 0x800488E7, 0x8DE00005, 3219, etc.

Windows_Live_Mail_Account_Sync_Error.png

If it’s not happening to you yet, wait for a few days and after June 30, you’ll start facing this weird issue. Why? The reason is as following:

PROBLEM REASON:

Actually Windows Live Mail program uses Microsoft’s own DeltaSync protocol to synchronize emails from your Microsoft account whether its a hotmail, outlook, Windows live, MSN or any other Microsoft email account. When you add a new Microsoft account in Windows Live Mail program, it automatically configures the email account using DeltaSync protocol.

Now Microsoft has decided to discontinue DeltaSync protocol and the company is upgrading all Microsoft accounts (hotmail, outlook, Windows Live, MSN, etc) to use Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) synchronization protocol. You might be knowing that EAS protocol is also used by Microsoft Outlook program.

When Microsoft planned to discontinue DeltaSync protocol, the company decided to implement Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) protocol support in Windows Live Mail program so that it can sync emails without any problem using new synchronization protocol.

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To add support for EAS protocol, Microsoft released an update for Windows Live Mail program but the things didn’t go as per plan and the update caused several serious problems to WLM users as mentioned in following article:

[Fix] KB3093594 Update Causing Email Sync Problems to Windows Live Mail

That’s why Microsoft decided to not implement EAS protocol support in Windows Live Mail program. Now Microsoft is upgrading all Microsoft email accounts and removing DeltaSync protocol support from them. Once all accounts are upgraded successfully, Windows Live Mail program will stop syncing those email accounts due to removal of DeltaSync protocol support and no built-in support for EAS protocol.

Microsoft has already upgraded almost all Microsoft accounts and rest of the accounts will be upgraded very soon, that’s why Microsoft is sending emails to all users who are still syncing their Microsoft account emails using Windows Live Mail program about discontinue of DeltaSync protocol support and email account upgrade process so that they can switch to other apps.

PROBLEM SOLUTION:

There is a misunderstanding between people that after June 30, Windows Live Mail program will stop working for hotmail, outlook, Windows live, MSN or other Microsoft accounts. The fact is that it’ll stop syncing emails only if the email account has been configured to use DeltaSync protocol. If you add your Microsoft account using POP3 or IMAP protocol in WLM, it’ll sync emails without any problem.

So if you are unable to sync your Microsoft account emails in WLM program, you just need to remove existing Microsoft account from Windows Live Mail program and then re-add it using IMAP or POP3 protocols.

Following steps will help you in adding Microsoft account using IMAP or POP3 protocols in Windows Live Mail program:

1. Click on Accounts tab present in the Ribbon and then click on Email button.

Windows_Live_Mail_Account_Option.png

2. It’ll launch add new email accounts wizard. Now provide required information such as your email account address, password, display name and then select “Manually configure server settings” option. Now click on Next button.

Add_New_Email_Account_Windows_Live_Mail.png

3. On next screen, select IMAP from “Server type” drop-down list and enter required incoming and outgoing server addresses and port numbers for your Outlook email account as given in following article:

How to Setup Email Accounts Using POP3 or IMAP in Email Clients

Following screenshot also shows the required information:

Configure_Server_Settings_New_Email_Account_Windows_Live_Mail.png

Don’t forget to type your correct email address in “Logon user name” field.

4. Now click on Next button and it’ll add your email account successfully.

Once you add your Microsoft account using POP3 or IMAP protocol in Windows Live Mail program, it’ll start syncing account emails again without any problem.

Related: [Fix] Duplicate IMAP Folders (Sent, Junk and Deleted Items) Created in Windows Live Mail

PS: If you don’t want to continue using Windows Live Mail program, you can switch to another desktop email client such as Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, Opera Mail, etc. You can read more about other desktop email clients in following article:

Best Free Desktop Email Clients and Alternatives to Microsoft Outlook

You can also use built-in Mail app in Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 to sync Microsoft account emails without any problem.

And of course, you can always use your favorite web browser to login and check your emails.

Published in: Mobiles and Internet, Troubleshooting Guides

About the author: Vishal Gupta (also known as VG) has been awarded with Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award. He holds Masters degree in Computer Applications (MCA). He has written several tech articles for popular newspapers and magazines and has also appeared in tech shows on various TV channels.

Comments

NOTE: Older comments have been removed to reduce database overhead.

  1. The second link links to the wrong article, it links to the same one as the first. Just a heads up.

  2. ^^ The link was not wrong. It was mentioned to check SOLUTION 2 given in the link. Now I have added the solution directly in the topic to make the things easier. 🙂

  3. Is it possible to set up (option 2) without removing existing Microsoft Hotmail account?

  4. Tried to set up POP/IMAP accounts, with existing Microsoft Hotmail account still using Delta Sync protocol, it does not seem possible to have both.

  5. It may be worth mentioning that the caveat to this is that calendars and contacts no longer sync.

  6. I got tired of problems with WLM ever since I upgraded to Windows 10. Installed Mozilla Thunderbird and have not look backed since.

  7. When I send an email the person receiving my email is asked for a “read” receipt. How do I stop that?

  8. Thanks so much I can now use live mail to get my Hotmail again !! Although for some reason all of my contacts from LIVE MAIL were lost overnight for no reason at all and I cant find them anywhere except for an old 2014 backup!!!

  9. Hi, 3 WLM accounts were swapped to imap a while ago and all seemed fine, worked well. Until 5 days ago (7th Sept) when I discovered that 2 copies of sent emails were being stored in the Sent folder. No problem before that and I do not think I have done anything to the accounts to change anything. Has anyhting been changed by MS that I don’t know about?

    Thanks for ANY help.

  10. ^^ It might be possible that your desktop email client software is set to store a copy of sent email. Check its settings and disable such option.

  11. VG, thanks for that, your memory jolt made me look again and found such setting. cleared the tick box and just sent an email with only one copy ariving in the sent folder. Fingers crossed.

  12. VG, just had a thought, I still have a pop account which I access from WLM, sending mail from this account does not leave a message in the Sent Items folder with the option above. The difference seems to be imap uses a Sent folder, whereas pop uses Sent Items folder though why imap stores 2 copies in its Sent folder I can’t work out. Hey Ho, back to scratching my head as to why it started to do so after several weeks of behaving itself.
    Thank you.

  13. I have several Hotmail accts. Moved to Thunderbird and haven’t looked back. Just needs email address and password for IMAP and no additional configuration required.

  14. The hotmail situation is very dynamic. Dating these posts would be most useful. Is it referencing current issues or issues from a year ago?

  15. 7-26-17 Deleting, then adding account with the settings posted, worked like a charm.
    Thank You.

  16. i have my own website and i want to access my IMAP email through Outlook live. i’ve set the parameters based on my hosts directions, but Outlook live (free hotmail account) does not sync the IMAP folders. Ex: I delete from Outlook Live , but my ISP web interface or my outlook standalone still have that email. It’s acting as it was a Pop account.
    I’ve gotten as far as a LEVEL 3 at Microsoft who tell me it is an issue with my host. My host says these are the settings.

    Any thoughts?

  17. I used to have WLM but got hacked through it. When I got my PC back the guy who cleaned up everything and found most files installed Outlook 2013. He left the WLM and told me to uninstall it once I got used to using OL. I just got it back but it is syncing — I don’t want it syncing so can I just uninstall WLM or will that affect all my folders and emails that I have filed in folders in OL? I need to keep right now as we’re in the midst of sell and buy real estate, insurance, etc. so lots of emails from lawyers, banks, insurance that I need to keep and we’re moving so I don’t really want to print all out until moved. Will I lose these from outlook if I uninstall WLM? which I’d like to do right now! Thanks.

  18. ^^ Uninstalling WLM should not affect Outlook. To remain safe, you can first take a backup of all emails using WLM or Outlook. There should be an option to export emails.

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