Email accounts no longer function in Windows 10 Mail app

curt jugg · 20 Aug 2018

I have one outlook.com account on my Windows 10 Mail app and four other email accounts. Today the four other accounts stopped working. Clicking on them, left or right, makes no difference, they are completely inert. The outlook.com account is fine though. Hoping to put things right, I tried troubleshooting the Windows apps but without success. I did a system restore and that didn't help. I uninstalled the Mail and Calendar apps using the Powershell command and downloaded them again from the Store. I found the four problem accounts were as inert as ever and the outlook.com was, of course, missing. I was able to add that again with no problem and it continued to behave. I tried adding one of the existing accounts (gmail) a second time hoping this would somehow overwrite the problem account but only succeeded in creating two gmail accounts. I have now exhausted my limited computer skills. Could anyone come up with any sort of solution, please?

Caledon Ken · 20 Aug 2018

Hi curt

Have you tried signing on through a browser to ensure things correct. Sign into each of the four other accounts.

( not locked out, security warnings, challenges etc )

When did this problem start? Do you remember making any changes on that day?

Ken

curt jugg · 20 Aug 2018

Thanks Ken. No, there are no problems accessing the accounts through a Web browser and indeed on my other computer there is nothing wrong with these accounts on the Mail app. I believe the problem started today or yesterday and I can't think of anything I've done that would have caused it.

Caledon Ken · 21 Aug 2018

Please disable your your AV and firewall to see if there is a change. By the way what AV are you running?

Also please check your Windows update history to see if anything was install last three days.

When you entered a person or edit a person in gmail did it sync to people on this device before this happened. If it did work does it still.

Doesn't really sound like a network issue but these commands never hurt a machine.

Run the following four bolded commands. Use a Command Prompt(admin) or Powershell(admin)

Do not key in info in brackets, there for your information.

ipconfig /flushdns (Clear the dns cache)
nbtstat -RR (release and refesh NetBIOS names)
netsh int ip reset (reset ip settings)
netsh winsock reset (Reset Winsock Catalog)

I wonder if one account has in some way become corrupt and is blocking others. Have you considered removing all and then installing one by one. (Assume accounts are IMAP or equivalent and all mail is in the cloud.

Helmut · 21 Aug 2018

1) Remove all Email Accounts from the Mail App.
2) MS Store > update Mail and Calendar, and People Apps.
3) Reset the Mail App > Settings > Apps > Apps and features > Mail & Calendar > Advanced options > check App permissions > Reset.
4) Settings > Update and Security > Troubleshoot > Windows Store Apps.

Then add accounts one at a time and test.

I use 6 Email accounts with the Mail App and the oldest one makes the Mail App think a long time for it to be setup, eventually it does do it.

curt jugg · 21 Aug 2018

Thanks for your replies, Ken and Helmut. Both of you make reference to removing the accounts from the email app. Unfortunately, that's just what I can't do. Account settings doesn't respond any more than the accounts themselves. I use Windows Defender for AV and firewall and I've tried disabling them. I've had no updates in the last three days either. And I've tried the command prompts as well. Still no joy.

Caledon Ken · 21 Aug 2018

Okay run sfc /scannow to command prompt(admin)

When you say settings you mean Start > Settings > Accounts > Email and app accounts, correct?

curt jugg · 21 Aug 2018

I ran the sfc /scannow and got "Windows resource protection did not find any integrity violations". I was referring to the account settings in the Mail app itself. Funnily enough, in Email and App accounts the only email account showing is my Outlook.com one, none of the four problem ones appears.

Caledon Ken · 21 Aug 2018

So I think you said when you reinstalled the app you had to add back the outlook account. Likely you needed to add all accounts back but the app showed artifacts that indicated they were still present. I think you went further to say that when you added gmail you wound up with two.

So I think you have to find a way to get rid of these "Artifacts". Can you try reset the app.

Reset App in Windows 10

At least I think you found why things aren't working. I believe the accounts should show in system settings, someone can correct me. Think you siad you have other machines with these accounts, do they all show in Settings > Accounts > Email and app accounts?

curt jugg · 21 Aug 2018

Yes, Ken, you're right, I had to add back the outlook.com account, and I got the two gmail accounts.
I have already tried the Reset option without success.
And I can confirm that all four accounts (and the outlook.com one, of course) appear in Email and app accounts on my other computer.