Outlook is a popular Microsoft Office and Office 365 feature that is used by millions of individuals and businesses all over the world.
Outlook is popular because it provides a seamless experience for its users and gives a user friendly experience in managing email accounts, including support for IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol).
Even though its importance cannot be denied, just like any other software, Outlook is not perfect and may sometimes encounter synchronization issues with IMAP subscribed folders.
As a result of this, this article aims to guide you through a step by step process of fixing this problem and ensuring your folders are synchronized in Outlook.
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Understanding The IMAP Subscribed Folder Synchronization Problem:
IMAP is a popular email protocol that allows users to access and manage their email accounts across multiple devices while keeping messages synchronized.
That means you can have your email on different devices and still have access to everything in your email account. However, you might encounter issues where your folders fail to synchronize correctly, which can lead to missing emails, duplicated folders or inconsistencies in your email settings.
If you’ve experienced this or hope you don’t experience it, here are ways you can resolve Outlook’s IMAP subscribed folder synchronization problem:
Verify IMAP Settings:
First thing first, make sure you double check your IMAP account to make sure the server addresses, ports, and security settings (such as SSL/TLS) are well configured.
Update Outlook:
Always update your Outlook if there’s a latest version. It is okay to sometimes get used to a particular version but choosing not to update it will cause some malfunctions. What software update does is it helps to fix any bug and also improve the overall performance of your email.
Check for updates on the Microsoft Office website or within the Outlook application.
Disable Antivirus or Firewall:
You can temporarily disable your antivirus or firewall software and check if your the IMAP synchronization problem persists.
Sometimes, using all kinds of your antivirus for your system can interfere with some functions on Outlook. If disabling your antivirus or firewall makes your Outlook function effectively, you should reconfigure it to grant full access to Outlook.
Rebuild Outlook Profile:
Having a corrupted outlook profile is enough to cause synchronization issues. Rebuild your profile to solve the problems. To do this, go to the Control Panel (Windows) or System Preferences (Mac), locate the Mail or Mail Setup option, and create a new profile. Then configure your IMAP account within the new profile and reconfirm the status of the synchronization.
Remove and Re-Add IMAP Account:
You can remove and add your IMAP account in Outlook so it’ll automatically refresh your settings and possibly resolve the issue at hand.
However, before you remove the account, make sure your important emails are all backed up. To remove the account, go to the Account Settings section in Outlook, select the IMAP account, and click on Remove. Then, re-add the account using the appropriate settings.
Repair Outlook Data File:
Because Outlook uses a data file (PST or OST) to store emails and other mailbox data, it is possible that it might be corrupt or damage which will lead to synchronization problems. To repair the data file, use the built-in Inbox Repair tool (ScanPST.exe for PST files or ScanOST.exe for OST files). Locate the tool on your computer, run it, and follow the on-screen instructions to repair the data file.
Contact Your Email Service Provider:
When you are unable to fix the synchronization problem, it is best you reach out to your email service provider’s support team. They can further assistance and if there’s a server-side issues affecting synchronization with Outlook, they’ll help you fix it.
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Conclusion:
Errors in trying to synchronization your email with IMAP subscribed folders in Outlook can be really daunting but by following the best above, you can fix these issues. However, do not hesitate to reach out to the IT email support team if you are unable to fix the issues yourself. By following these steps, you’ll be able to restore proper folder synchronization and have maximum productivity with your Outlook.