Outlook Shows Unread Messages But There Are None – 8 Ways to Fix

Mark Regan
Published: August 16th, 2024 • 6 Min Read

Does your Outlook shows unread messages but there are none? Worry not! This article describes a variety of solutions and troubleshooting techniques to fix this error. Apart from this, we will also discuss what experts suggest to help the users who are facing this problem. Keep reading the article and quickly fix Outlook showing unread email errors.

Microsoft Outlook is everyone’s preferred choice whenever it comes to desktop email services. Therefore Outlook keeps upgrading its advanced features but still, there are some common issues that users face. One of those issues is “Outlook showing unread emails when there are none”. Today we are here to help out the people who are having the same problem with their Outlook account through several useful techniques. If you are interested to know, then keep reading…

Why does Outlook Shows Unread Messages But There Are None?

Sometimes, View settings in Outlook can filter and hide certain emails.
Unread messages might be located in a search folder or a different folder.
There might be synchronization issues if your Outlook is configured with an exchange server or any other email client.’
A corrupt OST or PST file can also cause Outlook showing unread email error.
Certain rules and filters can move and mark some emails in a way that makes them hard to find.
You might be having issues with Outlook’s cached exchange mode.
Outlook’s Focused inbox feature might be enabled which moves the emails to another tab instead of focused.
Not all messages are instantly removed from your inbox when they are deleted; occasionally, they stay in your inbox as unread messages.

Similar Solution: Guide to Restore Outlook Contacts from Backup

Multiple Solutions to Fix Outlook Showing Unread Emails When There Are None

The following are the top 8 Solutions that you can use to fix Outlook shows unread messages but there are none. These will include some manual and advanced techniques to rectify this issue.

1st Solution: Check Internet Stability

Whenever users have an issue with their app or device, they try several solutions but in the end, they find that the problem is with their internet connection. If your internet connection is not stable, your Outlook will show unread emails even when there are none. To check whether you have a good internet speed or not, follow these steps:

Open any speed test website through the browser.
Click click on start.
Now it will show the result.

After ensuring you have a good internet speed, open Outlook and check if Outlook showing unread emails error resolved.

2nd Solution: Update Microsoft Outlook

Using an outdated Outlook version can also show the problem that Outlook shows unread messages but there are none. However, to get the latest version of Outlook and update Windows, follow the steps given below:

Open Outlook.
Go to the File tab.
Select Office Account.
Click on Update Options.
Hit the Update Now button.

Read Also: Learn Ways to Save Outlook Emails to Hard Drive

3rd Solution: Update Windows OS to Outlook Shows Unread Messages But There Are None

Having issues with an app does not always mean that the app is not working, sometimes the problem can be with your operating system also. Ensure that the outdated version of your device is not hindering the app’s functionality. Here are the steps to update your system:

Go to settings.
Click on Windows update.
Download and install pending updates.
Restart your device then open Outlook.

4th Solution: Reset Outlook Default View Settings

Launch the email client on your computer to resolve Outlook shows unread messages but there are none.
Navigate to the View tab and select the “Reset View” option.
To fix Outlook showing unread emails, click Reset View.
If you choose to reset the view, a pop-up will display, asking for your confirmation.
Click “Yes” to confirm the setting change.
This will cause your View settings to change.
Finally, navigate to the inbox folder and perform a “Send/Receive” action to confirm that you received your emails as planned.

5th Solution: Modify Outlook’s Mail to Keep Offline Setting

First, open the Outlook software on your PC.
Then, go to the “File” menu and select “Account Settings”.
Now, under the Email tab, double-click your Microsoft Exchange account.
Then, in the Change Account dialog box, set the Mail to keep the offline slider to the appropriate amount of months or “All” to synchronize all email messages.
Then click the “Next” button to solve Outlook showing unread emails when there are none.
In the following step, click “OK” to restart Outlook and finish the adjustments.
Then, select the “Finish” tab.
Finally, restart your Outlook program.

6th Solution: Disable the Auto Archive Setting

First, launch the Microsoft Outlook software on your local system.
Next, right-click the inbox folder and select the Properties option.
Select the Do not archive items in this folder option in the Inbox Properties window.
Finally, click “OK” to preserve your changes.

7th Solution: Repair Outlook Profile to Fix Outlook Showing Unread Email

Start the Microsoft Outlook program on your PC or laptop.
Then, select the File tab > Account Settings > Account Settings button.
After that, select the Email tab to see the dialog box.
Now, choose your account and click the Repair option.
Finally, reopen MS Outlook to resolve the issue.

Also Read: Fix Outlook Hangs on Loading Profile Issues

Warning: The preceding seven manual techniques Outlook shows unread messages but none can be complicated for normal users, and making certain changes can result in several errors. However, these approaches are not ideal even for professionals because they require a significant amount of time and have no guarantee of success.

8th Solution: Expert’s Suggestion to Quickly Fix Outlook Showing Unread Messages Error

If your Outlook is frequently showing that the messages are unread and you want to resolve it immediately, then just use the BitRecover PST Repair Wizard. This is the one-stop solution to rectify Outlook showing unread emails but can’t see errors. PST files play a vital role in Outlook, however, any issues related to emails, contacts, calendars, etc can be easily fixed by repairing these highly damaged files.

This advanced tool provides a simple interface, and several useful features and also lets users import Outlook to Thunderbird, Gmail, Office 365, etc, and save the data in several formats locally. Install the tool in any version of Outlook and try it for free and instantly get rid of Outlook shows unread messages but there are none error.

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Conclusion

So these were the possible solutions to Outlook shows unread messages but there are none errors. You can try using any of the methods you prefer. However, if none of the manual methods suits you then the expert’ suggested method is always up to instantly fix ‘ Outlook showing unread emails when there are none ‘ error.