How to turn off the "Offline Mode" feature in Microsoft Outlook

Table of contents:

This article will show you how to turn off the Offline feature in Microsoft Outlook on Windows and Mac computers.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: On Windows

Disable “Work Offline” in Outlook Step 1

Step 1. Start Outlook

Double click on the Outlook icon, which looks like a white "O" in a dark blue square.

Disable “Work Offline” in Outlook Step 2

Step 2. Make sure offline mode is enabled

There are several signs that Outlook is offline:

A "Disabled" field may appear in the lower right corner of the window.
A white “X” in a red circle will appear on the program icon on the taskbar (Windows only).

Disable “Work Offline” in Outlook Step 3

Step 3. Click on the blue Sending and Receiving tab at the top of the program window

A toolbar appears at the top.

Disable “Work Offline” in Outlook Step 4

Step 4. Make sure the Work Offline button is active

It's on the right side of the Send & Receive toolbar. If the button is active, its background will be dark gray.

If the background is not dark gray, then the Offline feature is inactive

Disable “Work Offline” in Outlook Step 5

Step 5. Click the Offline button on the right side of the toolbar

If the button is grayed out, try pressing it twice (once to activate the Offline mode and the second to turn it off)

Disable “Work Offline” in Outlook Step 6

Step 6. Wait until the Disabled message disappears

When this label in the lower right corner of the window disappears, you will know that Outlook is connected.

You may need to enable and then disable the Offline feature a couple of times before the Disabled message disappears

Method 2 of 2: On a Mac

Disable “Work Offline” in Outlook Step 7

Step 1. Start Outlook

Double click on the Outlook icon, which looks like a white "O" in a dark blue square.

Disable “Work Offline” in Outlook Step 8

Step 2. Click on Outlook in the menu bar at the top of the screen

A dropdown menu will appear.

Disable “Work Offline” in Outlook Step 9

Step 3. Tap on Offline Mode

This is the third option in the dropdown menu. If Outlook is in this mode, a check box will be selected next to the words "Offline" in the drop-down menu. To turn it off, uncheck "Offline" in the main Outlook drop-down menu.

Advice

If you turn off Work Offline mode, make sure your computer is connected to an active Internet connection

Warnings

On the mobile version and on the Outlook site, you cannot change the offline settings.
You will not be able to turn off Work Offline mode until your computer is connected to the Internet.