Why Am I Receiving Duplicate Emails in Outlook? 7 Ways to Fix It
Direct Answer: If you are receiving duplicate emails in Outlook and want to fix it? Then, one can remove duplicate configured accounts, adjust their send or receive settings, turn off this leave message on server option if using POP server, try to use clean up rules, disable any added antivirus firewall application, if data file gets corrupted, then recover it, and lastly, use an automated software to deduplicate messages from Outlook mailbox. This way, one can easily fix Outlook receiving duplicate emails.
All Outlook users might know that repeated messages can occur due to many reasons. Also, this problem of duplicate emails received in Outlook is faced by multiple users, which makes it important to resolve this. As it can make your managed inbox disorganized, which leads to slow down in Outlook performance.
So, this article will explain all 7 easy ways mentioned above in direct solution. Whether a user is using Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, or lower editions, this complete guide can also helps your to fix Outlook getting duplicate emails error for safe and clean future. Let’s walk through this article.
Possible Causes for Outlook Receiving Duplicate Emails
Before anyone jumps into solution for how to stop receiving duplicate emails in Outlook, it is good to understand main reasons for occurrence of duplicate emails in Outlook. Here are some of them listed below:
1) Incorrect Outlook Account Settings
Outlook may download the same email twice for every message if you set up the same email account multiple times.
2) Email Rules and Filters Clashing
Outlook could put the same email in more than one folder if you had applied some filters can cause overlap or conflict.
3) Antivirus or Firewall Interference
Some security software may stop the process of syncing emails, which can cause the problem of receiving duplicate emails in Outlook.
4) Outlook Synchronization Error
If there are any problems with syncing between the mail server and the Outlook client, especially when using IMAP or Exchange accounts, this might cause Outlook receiving duplicate emails.
5) PST File Corruption
If your PST file is corrupted, Outlook may have trouble with performance and duplication of data, especially if the file is quite big.
These are the core reasons possibly causing the problem in Outlook. Let’s discover what steps or methods can resolve duplicate emails received in Outlook.
7 Best Fixes to Stop Receiving Duplicate Emails in Outlook
In this next section, we are going to explain all these methods listed below along with their pros and cons. So, if you are wondering why Outlook receiving duplicate emails, then these 7 methods include both manual and great automated tools that help to resolve the cause of Outlook. These methods are:
- Remove Duplicate Accounts
- Adjust Send or Receive Settings
- Turn Off Leave Message on Server
- Review and Edit Outlook Rules
- Temporarily Disable Antivirus Email Scanning
- Repair Outlook Data Files
- Using an Advanced Software
Let’s talk about them in brief:
Method 1: Remove Duplicate Accounts
Sometimes, Outlook may treat same account as two different ones with different inboxes if you have added it more than once. As a result, Outlook getting duplicate emails again and again. It is important to remove them. Follow steps mentioned below:
- Go to File tab, then click on Account Settings, and finally Account Settings.
- Look for repeated accounts.
- Remove duplicate accounts if found.
- This solution is very simple and helpful.
- It will avoid accounts from receiving duplicate emails in Outlook in future.
- Some data might get deleted or duplicated.
- Copy emails are not eliminated that are already there.
Method 2: Adjust Send or Receive Settings
By making some changes in your account settings for sending or receiving messages, it might resolve your problem.
Steps to follow
- Press on Send/Receive option, then tap on Send/Receive Groups, and lastly Define Send/Receive Groups.
- Set proper time gap of 10-15 mins.
- Disable rest or unnecessary profiles.
- Lessen error of Outlook receiving duplicate emails.
- It ensures control over your synced Outlook messages.
- If duplicates occur from server end, then it is not suitable.
- Your email delivery might get delayed if your set time is too long.
Method 3: Turn Off Leave Message on Server
Steps:
- Navigate to Account Settings, then click More settings, and finally Advanced.
- Turn off by unchecking this leave message on server.
- Avoid downloading redundant messages in Outlook.
- Useful for POP users who are receiving duplicate emails in Outlook
- Your emails will not be displayed on different devices.
- Not ideal for users who access their emails from various platforms.
Method 4: Review and Edit Outlook Rules
If rules are not configured properly, then your Outlook messages will download again, leading to clutter in your mailbox.
Steps:
- Go to Home tab, press on Rules, and lastly Manage Rules and Alerts.
- Check all rules correctly.
- Delete redundant or incorrectly used rules.
- It resolve reduandts caused by wrongly applied rules.
- Enhances overall performance of Outlook
- It is very time taking process if you have applied lot of rules.
- User can easily miss advanced or complex rules.
Method 5: Temporarily Disable Antivirus Email Scanning
If there is any third party antivirus software installed, then it can restrict proper scanning of emails, which leads to duplicates in Outlook mailbox. So, it is to be removed or disabled for some time. Follow steps to disable it and fix duplicate emails received in Outlook.
Steps:
- Open settings of your antivirus.
- Then, tap Turn off option of email scanning for some time.
- Quit Outlook and start it again.
- Very easy to operate
- This is simplest way to stop repetition caused during scanning of emails.
- It might lessen email privacy and security.
- This solution is for temporary period if antivirus is not needed.
Method 6: Repair Outlook Data Files
Outlook offers a built-in feature to recover all your damaged or corrupted data files, which is Inbox Repair Tool.
Steps:
- Firstly, locate your ScanPST.exe.
- Launch it and choose your Outlook data files.
- Lastly, recover all your issues.
- This is usually for repairing small corruption file issues.
- It can also help improve Outlook performance overall.
- Cannot repair severely damaged file.
- Risk of losing data if not have a backup in first place.
How to Stop Receiving Duplicate Emails in Outlook Using Advanced Tool
Before applying these fixes, there were already duplicate emails received in Outlook account, which are making your mailbox cluttered and leading to lessen in productivity of Outlook. So, it is essential to delete duplicate emails in Outlook using built in clean up tool.
Otherwise, instead of choosing a manual method, we recommend using an expert proven software, and that is SysTools Outlook Duplicate Remover. This automatic utility can easily detect and eliminate all these replicated messages without losing any data. Also, it can delete many more redundant items such as contacts, calendar, notes, tasks, and journal to resolve Outlook getting duplicate emails.
Bonus Tips to Know: Why is Outlook Receiving Duplicate Emails?
#1 Manage Your Inbox Regularly
Use Outlook built in tool that can help users to remove similar emails and outdated conversations, and make your mailbox productive and much smoother.
#2 Check Sync Status and Server Settings
Avoid and try not to configure same Outlook profile multiple times. As a result, it starts receiving duplicate emails in Outlook. So, fix it by correcting your account settings. Also, make your network connection stable.
#3 Universal Messaging with IMAP
It is not always problem from user end, but sometimes with your server end. Do not configure your Outlook account with both protocols. Always keep your profile connected with IMAP for proper syncing with server. It helps to stop getting duplicate emails in Outlook.
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed that if one is receiving duplicate emails in Outlook, then it can be very frustrating, but we have solved that problem above. Whether issue occurs due to wrong account settings, POP/IMAP server configuration, or your corrupted data file, one can easily use both manual and advanced solutions to resolve it instantly.
Also, if there are duplicates in your inbox, then you can try expert suggested solution for permanent deletion. Additionally, for users who are asking why their Outlook receiving duplicate emails, they can follow steps listed above and make their mailbox organized.