Category: Hotmail Support

Out of various issues that a user facing his or her Hotmail (now Outlook) account, the error that reads “There was an issue looking up your account. Tap next to try again” is one of the most frustrating issues. If you are experiencing this problem when trying to access your account, it can either be occurring due to incorrect login credentials, problems at Hotmail’s end, or it can also be occurring due to the web browser you are using. To know how to fix “There was an issue looking up your account. Tap next to try again” issue in your Hotmail account, go through the information provided below.

Guide to Fix “There was an issue looking up your account. Tap next to try again” Issue in Hotmail

1. Check the Status of Hotmail

The first thing you need to check when seeing this error is that the problem is not being caused due to an issue at Hotmail’s end. To check the status, you will need to follow these steps:

• Open a web browser on your computer and go to the Microsoft service status page (https://admin.microsoft.com/servicestatus).
• On the Microsoft service status page, you will need to check the icon next to Outlook.com (earlier Hotmail).
• If you see a right tick mark in the green color circle next to Outlook.com, it means there is no issue at their end.
• However, if you see a cross mark in the red color circle next to it, it means there is some issue at Hotmail’s end. In such a case, you will need to wait until the icon next to Outlook.com turns to the right tick mark.

NOTE: You can also click on Outlook.com to see what the status is saying. For the right tick icon in green color, you are likely to see the status saying “Everything is up and running”.

2. Change or Reset Password

If there is no issue at Hotmail’s end, the problem could be with your login credentials. When entering your Hotmail account username and password in the provided fields, make sure that you are entering them correctly. If you have ensured that you have entered the login credentials correctly and still you are unable to access your account and see the error, consider resetting your account password.

To Reset Your Hotmail Password

• Go to the password reset page on your computer web browser.
• Once you are on the password reset page, you will need to enter your email, phone, or Skypename in the prompted field.
• After entering the username, click on the Next
• On the next screen, you will be prompted as to “How would you like to get your security code?”. If you wish to get the code through email, select the option that reads Email “your email address”.
• You can click on the Show more verification methods option for alternate options.
• After selecting one of the options, click on the Next

NOTE: If you select the option to receive code on your phone, you will be prompted to enter the last digit number and then click on the Get code button.

• Once you have the code on your email address or phone, you will need to enter it in the provided field on the next screen and click on the Next
• On the next screen, you will be prompted to enter a new password for your Hotmail account. Enter the new password in the provided fields and click on the Next button.
• The password will be reset for your Hotmail account. You can now try to access your account again to see if the error gets cleared or not.

3. Use a Different Web Browser

Users who use Internet Explorer to access their Hotmail accounts are usually the ones who face “There was an issue looking up your account. Tap next to try again” error when accessing their Hotmail account. If you also use Internet Explorer to access your Hotmail account, it is recommended to use any other web browser such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Apple Safari. Also, while using any of these web browsers to access your Hotmail, make sure they are running with the latest updates. Using an outdated browser can lead to different issues and errors.

4. Clear Browser Cookies and Cache

Sometimes the problem can also occur due to the cookies and cache stored in your browser. Therefore it is recommended to clear the cache and cookies of your browser and then try to access your Hotmail account. Below you can find the steps to clear cache and cookies for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge browser.

Clearing Cache from Google Chrome

• Open Google Chrome and click on the More icon (three vertical dots) located on the top-right corner.
• From the drop-down menu that appears on your screen,select the More tools
• Next, click on the Clear browsing data
• Then, select the time range option from the top to remove the cache for some particular duration. To delete everything, simply select the All-time
• After that, you will need to select the checkbox next to “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files” option.
• Then, press the Clear data option to remove the cache and cookies.

Clearing Cache from Mozilla Firefox

• Launch the Mozilla Firefox browser on your computer and click on the Menu
• From the menu, you will need to select the “Options…” option.
• Next, click on the “Privacy & Security” panel.
• Then, from the Privacy & Security panel, select the Clear Data option located in the Cookies and Site Data
• After that, you will need to select the checkbox next to the Cached Web Content
• Then, you will need to press the Clear button and close the about:preferences

Clearing Cache from Microsoft Edge

• Click on the three dots icon located on the upper-right corner in your Microsoft Edge browser window. Select the History option from the menu that appears on your screen.
• Next, click on the Clear history option and select the checkbox next to Cached data and files and Cookies and saved website data
• Then, you will need to click on the Clear

Clearing Cache from Apple Safari

• Go to the History section in your Apple Safari web browser and click on the Clear History
• Next, you will need to select the particular time range for which you wish to clear your browsing history.
• After that, simply follow the on-screen prompts to remove the caches from your Safari web browser.

So, these are the different workarounds that you can follow to fix “There was an issue looking up your account. Tap next to try again” error in your Hotmail account. You can dial Hotmail customer support phone number for any professional help.

If you are being bothered by unwanted emails in your Hotmail (now known as Outlook) account, you can simply block the sender to prevent your inbox from getting flooded with such unsolicited emails. To know how to block an email on Hotmail, go through the information provided below.

Guide to Block an Email on Hotmail

Add the Emails to the Junk or Spam folder

1. Sign in to your Hotmail account go to Inbox folder (or any other folder) where you have the email you wish to block.
2. Once you find the email, you will need to select it and go to the toolbar section.
3. From the toolbar, you will need to select the Junk > Block (or Spam > Block) option.
4. Next, you will need to select the OK The email you would have selected will be deleted and all future emails will be blocked from your mailbox.

NOTES: If you wish to unblock someone in your Hotmail account, you will need t open your Blocked senders list and click on the Trash icon located next to their name.

Mark an Email as Junk or Spam in Outlook.com

1. In your Hotmail account, you will first need to select the emails you wish to mark as Junk.
2. Next, you will need to go to the top of the screen, select Junk > Junk (or Spam > Spam) option to move the email to your Junk or Spam

NOTES: Emails that are in the Junk folder gets deleted between 10 and 30 days after they arrive in the folder.

Blocking all Unknown Senders

If you block all unknown senders in your Hotmail account, this will block everyone outside the Safe senders list. Therefore, make sure to add the contacts from whom you wish to receive emails in the Safe senders list.

• Go to the Safe senders and domains (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2109265) section in your Hotmail account and select the Add
• Next, you will need to enter the email addresses or domains of your contacts and other people you wish to add in the Safe senders and domains list, and then press Enter.
• Then, you will need to go to the Filters section and select from the following options on your screen.
• Block attachments, pictures, and links from anyone not in my Safe senders and domains list
• Only trust email from addresses in my Safe senders and domains list and Safe mailing lists
• After you are done making the adjustments, you will need to click on the Save

Use Blocked Senders List

You can use the blocked senders list to block individuals or organizations.

• In your Hotmail account, go to the Blocked senders and domains (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2035804) list and click on the Add
• Next, you will need to enter the email address or domain which you wish to block in the provided field. Then, press Enter.
• After that, select the Save button and you are done.

NOTE:

• If you wish to remove someone from the Blocked senders list, you will need to click on the Trash icon next to the email address or domain.
• You can add up to 1,024 addresses or domains in the Blocked senders or Safe senders lists. In case you wish to add more than that, you will need to consider the blocking domain instead of the individual email address.

Create a Rule or Avoid Unwanted Emails

Another ideal way to block unwanted emails in Hotmail is by creating a rule. To know how to create a rule in your Hotmail account, follow these steps:

• Go to com Rules (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2099602 ) section on your web browser and click on the +Add new rule option.
• As every rule you create requires at least three things (a name, a condition, and an action), you will need to provide this much information at least to create a rule. Moreover, rules can also include exceptions to conditions, and you can also add multiple actions, exceptions, and conditions at each step by selecting Add an action, Add an exception, and Add a condition.

NOTES:

• Rules only work on email in your Inbox.
• If you do not want any more rules to run after creating this one, you will need to select the checkbox next to the Stop processing more rules option.

So, these are some of the workarounds that can help you block an email in your Hotmail account. If still getting any issue you can call Hotmail customer support service number to fix your email issue.

If you accidentally delete an important email in your Hotmail account, there is hope to recover them. When you deleted emails in your Hotmail account, they are moved to the deleted folder and stays there for sometime before they are permanently removed from your account. If it hasn’t been a long then you might have a chance to retrieve them by following the information provided below. However, if you are looking to restore all your missing Hotmail emails, you may not be able to get them back. This could be because of the following:

If Your Hotmail Messages are Missing

When the Hotmail account was merged with Outlook automatically, a lot of users faced the issue of missing Hotmail messages. While this could be one of the reasons for losing your email, the other reason could be of not being using your Hotmail account for long.

If you have not logged in to your Hotmail (Outlook.com) mailbox for at least once in a year, your account gets closed and all emails are deleted by Microsoft. Is therefore suggested to sign in to your Microsoft account at least once in five years to keep your Microsoft account and associated service active. If you will not log in during this time, Microsoft will assume that your account is inactive, and will terminate it for you.

Although this can be the reason for not being able to find your missing Hotmail messages, however, you can still follow the workarounds below to check if your emails are recoverable.

Check the Junk Email Folder

Sometimes, some email applications may mistakenly mark an important email as junk in your Hotmail account. Therefore, it is suggested to check the Junk email folder of your account and see if the email is there. If you find the message in the Junk folder, you will need to select the message and then Not Junk > Not Junk option to restore the email.

In case you are using Outlook for Android or iOS application, you will need to go to the Junk Email folder by tapping on the menu option (three horizontal lines) located at the top-left corner and select Junk option. Then, select the email > tap menu option (three vertical dots on the top-right corner) and select Not junk option.

However, if you are using a mobile browser, you will need to go to the Junk Email folder, select the email > tap on the menu option (three dots icon) and select Mark as not junk option.

NOTE:

• In order to avoid your emails from getting moved to the Junk Email folder by other email applications, it is recommended to access your Hotmail account with Microsoft app such as Outlook for Windows or Mail for Windows 10.
• Emails are removed automatically from the Junk Email folder after 30 days and they are not recoverable.

Check the “Other” Tab

If you are using the Focused Inbox for your account, your missing emails could be in the “Other” tab. Therefore, make sure to go to the Other tab and see if the email is there. In case the email was moved incorrectly to the “Other” tab, you will need to select the Move to > Move to Focused inbox option.

For Outlook for Android or iOS users, or mobile web browser, you will need to select the “Other” tab, tap on the email, select menu option (three dots) and then tap on the “Moved to Focused inbox” option.

Check the Deleted Items Folder

You should also make sure that your missing emails aren’t in the Deleted Items folder of your account. If the email has been moved to this folder mistakenly, you will need to select the messages and then select the Restore option to recover them.

For Outlook for Android or iOS users, or mobile web browser, you will need to go to the Deleted Items Folder, tap on the message, select menu option (three dots) and then go to Move to folder > Inbox option.

In case you don’t find the email in the Deleted Items folder, the email might have been deleted. To recover such deleted emails, you will need to go to Deleted Items and select Recover items deleted from this folder. If you find the message, select it and then press the Restore option.

NOTES:

• Emails removed from the deleted folders can be recovered within 30 days of deletion.
• You will not be able to recover emails removed from the Deleted Items folder in Outlook for iOS or Outlook for Android apps or a mobile browser. To do so, you will need to use a computer.
• Emails from the account of a child are not recoverable.

Check the Filter Menu

If you filter your message list, the email you are searching for might not appear. In order to change the filtering options, select the Filter option located above the message list. Then select the All option.

If you are using Outlook for Android or iOS users, or a mobile web browser, you will find the current filter selection located above the message list. Select it above the email list to clear the filter selection.

Check your Rules

If you have created an Inbox rule or a Sweep rule which moves messages to another folder, your emails might have been moved mistakenly. To check the rules, you will need to go to the Rules settings option. If you find any incorrectly moved emails, you will need to select the Edit option (pen icon) to edit the rule or delete it.

NOTE: Make sure to use a computer to view and edit your rules.

Check the Archive Folder

If your emails are archived, it will not appear in your inbox. Therefore, make sure that the missing emails are not in your Archive folder. To move an archived email back to your Inbox folder, you will need to select the email and then select Move to > Inbox option.

If you are using Outlook for Android or iOS users, or a mobile web browser, you will need to go to the Archive folder, select the email, then select the menu option (three dots icon), and tap on the Move to folder > Inbox option.

So, these are the workarounds that can help you restore all your missing Hotmail emails. You can also call Hotmail customer service helpline number to fix your Hotmail problem.

Hotmail (now Outlook.com) is a reliable email service to send and receive emails. Not only the email service allows you to send/receive emails but also comes with features like Bill payment reminders, multiple time zones, Bcc warning, proxy support, etc.

One of the best features provided with Outlook is the option to add files in your Outgoing emails. Using the attachment option provided in the “Email Compose” window, you can send your important files and documents to anyone around the world. While this feature is excellent for professionals who are into file sharing on a frequent basis, however, it also comes with a file size limitation.

Including a message and file or document, there is a restriction on the size of the email you can send. To know about the file size limit in Hotmail, go through the information provided below.

Whey There is File Size Limit in Hotmail?

The limitation on file size in Hotmail or any other email services is posed due to the security reasons. If no restriction would be applied to the email size limit in Hotmail, the email server will always be at risk of getting flooded with large size emails, preventing the email service from function uninterruptedly.

To avoid such a situation, all email services including Hotmail poses a limitation for the size of the file that you can send to the recipient in a single email message.

Trying to Send an Email With Exceeding Size?

Even after knowing the file size limits if you will try to send an email exceeding the maximum size limit of the email provider of the recipient, your email is more likely to get undelivered and you may get an error notification in your email account. The error messages related to such scenarios generally like these:

• “Attachment size exceeds the allowed limit”.
• “System Undeliverable, email size exceeds outgoing message size limit”.
• “552: Message size exceeds the maximum permitted”.
• “The size of the email you are trying to send exceeds the global size limit of the server. The message was not sent; reduce the email size and try again”.

Maximum Email Size Limit for Hotmail (or Outlook)

The maximum email size that you can send through your Hotmail account as an email message with a file is 10 MB. So, whenever you try to send an email using your Hotmail account, you will need to make sure that it does not exceed the 10 MB size.

How to Send a File Larger than 10 MB using Hotmail Account?

There is no way that you can send an email with or without file exceeding the 10 MB size using your Hotmail account. However, if you still need to send a file bigger than 10 MB size, you can use the alternative method. As Hotmail (Outlook) is one of the products of Microsoft and it comes with the option of using OneDrive, you can make use of it to send a file larger than 10 MB size. Using OneDrive, you can easily send a file of up to 300GB size which is more than sufficient.

The Email Size is Well Within the Limit, Still Not Able to Send an Email

In addition to considering the email size restriction, you should also consider following the below-mentioned suggestions:

• Hotmail is known for restricting the attachment of certain file extensions. This mainly includes – .ade, .app, .asp, .bas, .adp, .bat, .cer, .crt, .chm, .cmd, .cnt, .cpl, .exe, etc.
• Also, you will need to make sure that the name of the file you are attaching doesn’t contain any special characters.
• Always scan your file before you try to attach it to your email message in your Hotmail account. A file infected with a virus might be blocked from getting attached to your email message.
• Sometimes, your security programs such as Firewall or antivirus software can also prevent a file from getting attached to Hotmail. Try adding an exception for Hotmail to see if this fixes the problem.

So, now as you have ample information about the file attachment limit in Hotmail, you can easily send a file using your email account.

Whether no longer want to use your Hotmail account or you have multiple Hotmail accounts, if you are looking to close your Hotmail account, it is suggested to make sure of these two factors:

Continue reading “How to Close a Hotmail Account?”

One of the most common issues reported by Hotmail users is a problem receiving emails in their account. As there can be numerous responsible for causing problems receiving emails in Hotmail, it can be quite troublesome to overcome this issue.

Continue reading “Hotmail Not Receiving Emails? Learn How to Fix it”