Error Fixed : Blank Emails in Outlook Components (Inbox, Folder, Outbox)
When using Outlook, many people complain that sometimes they receive blank emails. Yes, blank emails, which have no content, some of them even doesn’t have a “Subject” field, “To” field or the “From”. If you have ever received such email, don’t straightway come to the conclusion that it might be a spam message. This is one of the common errors that users encounter with MS Outlook, and it can be corrected.
How to Find Out Whether The Blank Email Message Is Junk Or Not
If the blank email message which you received does not have a Subject, To and From fields, then indeed, it’s a spam message and you should ignore it.
But, if these fields are present and this message has been sent by someone you know, then some problem must have occurred while downloading the message and it might not be blank. In such scenario, recover blank emails in Outlook to read the message contents.
How to Find Out If the Message Got Corrupted Due To Outlook’s Improper Functioning
If you have just received a blank email message and you want to verify that the message is indeed empty or it got corrupted during download, then the best way to do so is by logging in to your web-based mailbox which has been provided to you by your ISP (Internet Service Provider).
If you are connecting to the Exchange Server, it would be the OWA (Outlook Web Access), and if you are unaware of your web based mailbox, then you should ask your mail admin or ISP.
If you have been using POP3 account, ensure that your Outlook has been set to “leave a copy on the server”. If this setting has not been done, then you won’t be able to access anything in your web based mailbox, and consequently, you won’t be able to identify whether the message is actually blank or it got corrupted.
So, once you access your web based mailbox and the messages appear to be empty here as well, then they are indeed blank and there might be some problem at the sender’s end. Also, there is a possibility that the messages are actually blank and your MS Outlook is functioning normally.
On the flip side, if you are able to view the content of the message here, then you would have to recover missing emails in Outlook.
How To Recover the Missing/Blank Emails In Outlook?
Here are the probable solutions for resolving the missing emails problem.
1. Try Uninstalling The Integrated Virus Scanner
Sometimes, the missing emails is the result of the virus scanning upon download. So, first of all, uninstall the integrated virus scanner from Outlook and try to download the message again. If you still don’t get its content, follow the steps given in the next section.
2. Update The Outlook Connector
If the aforementioned method does not fix the issue, then you should pay attention to the Outlook Connector, if you are using it to receive the messages. Ensure that you are running the latest version of the MS Outlook Connector. However, if the messages still appear to be empty, then remove your configured Live Hotmail Account, restart your Outlook and then add the Live Hotmail account again.
3. Blocking the Empty Emails
If none of the above methods help in correcting the issue, then you can try blocking the empty emails in Outlook. There are two ways to block the empty emails in Outlook:
• By implementing a junk e-mail filter
• By implementing a rule to block empty emails
• Using junk email filter to block empty emails
You won’t be actually able to block the emails in Outlook, but you can configure it in a way that it automatically moves the empty emails to the junk Email folder. Update your Outlook’s “Junk E-Mail Filters” to the latest version to block the empty emails. But, if this can’t be done then follow the below-given steps to increase your junk filters:
For Outlook 2003 and 2007
a) Navigate to “Tools”, then click “Options”, then click “Junk Email Options”
b) From here, select the apt option
For Outlook 2010
a) Navigate to “Home” tab, then click “Delete” section, then click “Junk” and then click “Junk Email Options”
b) From here, select the apt option
Using Rule To Block Empty Emails
If the above-mentioned method of blocking the junk emails doesn’t work, then you can try using “Rule” to filter out the empty email messages. This rule can be added to “Rules and Alerts” tab, under “E-mail Rules”
Following are the configurations for the Rule:
Rule Type: Apply this rule after the arrival of the message
Conditions: None
Action 1: Move it to Junk Email Folder
Action 2: Stop processing any further rules
Exception: Exception for the rule – except is the body or subject contains “a” or “u” or “o” or “i” or “e”. Press “Add” after specifying each letter in the exception
The Last Word!!
There are various problems which one can encounter while using MS Outlook as the email tool, but, these can be eliminated easily. If you are getting blank emails, the first and foremost thing that you should do is determine whether they are spam emails or there’s some problem in downloading the email message. Once you comprehend what the actual problem is, then blank Outlook emails issue can be resolved by applying the various solutions. If required, you can also use specifically designed software solutions to repair Outlook PST file and eliminate any issues pertaining to it.