Outlook is the second most used email application in the world with ~400 million users relying on it for accessing, sending and receiving electronic mail. If you are one of them, then there is a chance that you have come across IMAP error 0x800CCC0E in Outlook. Does that remind you of a frustrating time when you didn’t know how to resolve this issue or is this the first time you are hearing about it? Nonetheless, we are here to simplify things for you. We will talk about causes, consequences and resolution in this article, ensuring you have all the information to handle it the next time it happens to you or someone you know.
What is the IMAP error 0x800CCC0E in Outlook?
IMAP error 0x800CCC0E in Outlook refers to an error that occurs when Microsoft Outlook lacks success in identifying your email account on servers. As a result, it hinders you from sending or receiving any emails and shows you the following error message.
“Task ‘Checking for new mail in subscribed folders on (your email account).com.’ reported error (0x800CCC0E): ‘Outlook is unable to download folder (null) from IMAP e-mail server for account (your email account).com. Error: Unable to connect to the server. If you continue to receive this message, contact your server administrator or Internet service provider (ISP).’”
Believe it or not, the error showcasing Outlook error 0x800CCC0E cannot connect to the server message is not as difficult and complicated as it reads. If you are aware of all possible causes, you can troubleshoot the issue at your end before your day ends.
What Are The Causes Of The 0x800ccc0e Outlook Error?
- No or slow internet connectivity
- Antivirus settings causing restrictions
- Firewall blocking access to certain Outlook features
- Suspicious emails or corrupted files
- Third-party add-ons or tools
- Duplicate email accounts
- Incorrect port numbers
- SMTP authentication error
How to resolve IMAP error 0x800CCC0E in Outlook?
Now that we know the possible causes, let’s explore ways to fix IMAP error 0x800CCC0E in Outlook and resume communication in the emails. The first and foremost step when a 0x800ccc0e error blocks Outlook operations and it cannot synchronize data is to adapt several measures and pinpoint the real reason causing this error.
Check Internet Connection
Bad internet connectivity is the most common reason for IMAP error 0x800CCC0E. You heard it right! That’s why it is quintessential for us to ensure our internet connection is intact as soon as this error shows up on the screen.
While you are at it, ensure that your Microsoft Outlook is also not set to ‘Work Offline.’ You can simply navigate to the header in Outlook to recheck if ‘Work Offline’ is on under the ’Send/Receive’ toggle.
Verify Antivirus Settings
Another reason for Outlook error could be your antivirus which is blocking Outlook due to defined configurations. Review your antivirus settings and ensure that it is not commanded to restrict anything that Outlook must require access to run.
Disable Firewall
Antivirus and firewalls are meant to protect our devices. In doing so, they run on configurations which cannot differentiate between good or bad files as long as they have the same attributes. Hence, we need to ensure compatibility between our defense system and Outlook. You can temporarily disable the firewall to check if the firewall is blocking Outlook from running smoothly.
Delete Suspicious Emails And Corrupted Files
Go to Outlook and ensure you have removed any spam emails or corrupted files limiting Outlook from running smoothly. If your desktop app is showcasing Outlook error 0x800CCC0E in Windows 10, you can resort to a web browser to access ‘Outlook for Web’ and delete any emails you might find suspicious or any attachments that could be causing corruption.
Remove Third-Party Add-Ons Or Tools
There are a few third-party tools which can block Outlook from functioning properly. A few of them are ad blockers, parental control software and malware removal tools. If you are running any third-party tools that are directed to block specific content access on your device, it could be a reason why you are facing this error.
Delete Duplicate Accounts
Duplicate profiles in Outlook could also cause error 0x800CCC0E. If you have duplicate accounts associated with an email client, deleting them might be an option to resolve the issue. You can follow these quick steps to delete a duplicate account:
- Open ‘Outlook’ and go to ‘Tools’.
- Navigate to ‘Accounts’ and click on the ‘Mail’ tab.
- Select the duplicate email account
- Press on the ‘Remove’ button.
- Once the duplicate account is deleted, restart the Outlook app and check if the issue is resolved.
Rectify Wrong Port Numbers
In simple terms, port numbers are a passage or route that helps circulate data between Outlook and the server. If you have set up wrong port numbers in your email ‘Account Settings,’ Outlook will not be able to communicate with the server and send or receive data.
- In Outlook, go to ‘File’ tab and open ‘Account Settings’
- Click on ‘Email Account’ in ‘Account Settings’ window
- In the dialogue box, navigate to ‘More Settings’ and click on ‘Advanced’.
- Under ‘Advanced’ tab, set the Incoming server (IMAP) port number according to the following
- Set the IMAP as 143 if SSL function is disabled
- Enter the port number as 993 if SSL/TLS function is enabled
Recheck SMTP Configurations
If you are encountering IMAP error 0x800CCC0E due to issues with SMTP aka Simple Mail Transfer Protocol configuration settings, it means there is a problem with the authentication settings within Outlook. You can implement these steps to understand how to resolve it:
- Follow the same steps mentioned for ‘Rectify wrong port numbers’ till ‘More Settings’
- Navigate to the ‘Outgoing Server’ tab and select the checkbox for ‘My outgoing server(SMTP) requires authentication’
- Take your cursor to ‘OK’ and click on it
- Reopen Outlook to see if it has started functioning
Repair Outlook Data File (PST)
One of the above-mentioned measures should be able to resolve IMAP error 0x800CCC0E in Outlook. However, if you are unable to restore Outlook operations even after applying several troubleshooting measures, there is a possibility that the PST file is corrupted.
What is a PST file?
A Personal Storage Table (PST) file in Microsoft Outlook is a data file that stores contacts, email messages, tasks, calendar entries, and other important items.
The good news is that Microsoft Office offers inbox repair functionality, which can be used to repair corrupted or malfunctioning PST files. All you need to do is open the root folder for Microsoft Outlook using Scanpst.exe and select the data file you wish to repair.
As fortunate as it is to have a repairing workaround within Microsoft Office, it has its own limitations. It is unable to repair severely corrupted files, which can result in loss of data. In such cases, you can recourse to a professional tool such as Stellar Repair for Outlook Software to enable Outlook PST repair. In addition to repairing heavy-sized and corrupted files, you can utilize it to compact and split large Personal Storage Tables and store repaired PST items in various formats including HTML, EML, RTF, MSG and PDF. Another bonus feature is its repair utility, which allows individuals to preview PST files before saving them on internal or external storage. Lastly, you can utilize the Technician edition to directly export repaired PST to Microsoft 365.
Among all the other measures, a few users also resort to the following troubleshooting methods:
- Creating a new Outlook profile
- Deleting or moving any emails from Outbox to drafts
- Reviewing and increasing the server timeout
- Restarting Outlook in safe mode
Conclusion
There are ‘n’ number of reasons for IMAP error 0x800CCC0E in Outlook, but they come with troubleshooting instructions as mentioned above. If you are still facing an error in accessing data in Outlook, resort to inbuilt inbox repair functionality for Microsoft using Scanpst.exe. However, if you have tried every measure in the book, it’s time to resort to professional data recovery methods before it’s too late. Get your Personal Storage Table File securely repaired and recovered by a trusted tool since it contains private data such as emails, notes, contacts, etc. which you can’t afford to lose.
