Sometimes an email can show as Sent in Outlook, but the recipient says they didn’t receive it. This guide shows how to send a reliable test email and what to check on your side.
Before you start:
A “successful send” means Outlook accepted the message and saved it in Sent Items. Delivery can still be affected by spam filters, inbox rules, or company security settings (especially for business emails).
Disconnect your account from the Dashboard, then connect again.
Very short emails like “test” can be flagged by spam filters or deleted by inbox rules.
Use this test message instead:
Subject: Delivery test – <Your Business Name> – <Today's Date>
Message:
Hi,
This is a delivery test sent from Wix Inbox via Outlook.
If you received this, please reply "OK".
Sent at: <your time>
Thanks,
<Your name / business>
Where to send the test
Try in this order:
Send to yourself (your own email address)
Send to a second address you control (example: Gmail)
Send to the real recipient
If it works for #1 and #2 but not for #3, the issue is usually on the recipient’s side (filters, rules, or company email security).
Open Outlook and verify:
A) It’s in Sent Items
Outlook → Sent Items
Find the email by subject and time
Confirm the recipient address is correct (no typo)
B) It’s not stuck in Outbox
Outlook → Outbox
If it’s there, it hasn’t been fully sent yet
If your email is in Sent Items but they didn’t receive it, ask them to check:
1. Spam / Junk
2. Other / Focused inbox tabs (Outlook)
3. Inbox rules / filters
Some people have rules that delete or move emails automatically
4. Blocked senders list
5. Quarantine (for business/company emails)
Company email systems may quarantine messages without showing them in Junk
Tip: If the recipient uses a company email address (Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace), delivery is often controlled by their IT/security policies.
Send the same email to two different recipients:
One to a personal email you control (example: Gmail)
One to the problem recipient
If Gmail receives it but the other recipient doesn’t: it’s almost always recipient-side filtering/quarantine/rules.
If you contact us, please include one example email with:
• Your sender email address
• Recipient email address
• Exact send time (include your timezone)
• Subject line
• Whether it included an attachment (and approximate size)
• Whether the recipient is:
- Gmail
- Outlook.com / Hotmail
- Microsoft 365 business email
- Other
Please don’t send sensitive message content. Subject + time + addresses are enough.
Common causes (simple explanations)
Email is too short (“test”) → more likely to be filtered
Recipient has rules → can move/delete without notice
Business security → may quarantine silently
Wrong address / alias → message sent, but not to the intended inbox
Best practice for testing:
Use a normal subject + a few lines of text
Include your name or business in the message
Test to your own email and a Gmail address first