Microsoft Outlook is one of the most comprehensive communication platforms for business & corporate organizations. But like any other service platform, it also comes with various issues.
If you’re a Microsoft Outlook Web user, you may have encountered the auspicious Error 500. It’s incredibly frustrating when you’re trying to send important emails & get hit by this dreaded error code; I know; I’ve been there.
Even though there are various 500 Something went wrong errors (like Something went wrong, Mailbox not found, Protocol disabled, or Repeating redirects detected), the solutions for all the errors are almost the same & pretty simple.
I did some research on this topic & found many solutions. But they were very scattered & hard to understand. So I’ve shortlisted the working solutions concisely in this article.
Without further ado, let’s get started.
What is 500 Something went wrong Error in Outlook?
500 Something went wrong is an error message in Outlook Web Access (OWA). It restricts users from accessing their emails & prevents them from sending or receiving messages.
This error message usually appears in your browser or mail client. Users will get different error messages based on the reason for Error code 500.
Here are the types of error messages related to Error code 500:
- Mailbox not found
- Internal Server Error
- Repeating redirects detected
- Protocol disabled
No matter what error message you get, these errors are pretty inconsistent. You might experience different error messages on your end in different scenarios.
Some server-sided errors might resolve automatically after some time. Some errors might not even happen when you visit your Outlook account from a different device.
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Why Does Error 500 Occur in Outlook for Web?
The Outlook Error 500 code occurs for various reasons such as corrupted cache files, poor internet connection, incorrect configuration in Outlook account etc.
It can also be a server-side issue from Microsoft. In that case, this can be a temporary issue and might resolve itself when the server comes back online.
Provided this error code appears often enough, it could mean there are network/browser-related issues on your end. Windows Firewall or anti-virus on your PC can also conflict with Outlook’s operations & cause this error.
The issue seems to be relatively inconsistent. I have noticed that accessing the problematic Outlook account on another device resolved the error. Since no devices are exactly the same in software and hardware, numerous components work together to create these inconsistencies or bugs.
Another possibility is that something more severe might be causing this issue, such as problems within Outlook or Windows itself.
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How to Fix Error 500 in Outlook
In case a bug or server-side issue is causing the error, you’ll have to wait for Microsoft to resolve the problem. But if the problem lies on your end, such as corrupted cache files in your browser, you need to fix them by clearing cookies & cache in your browser.
As we already know, there are various Something went wrong error messages that happen for multiple reasons. They also have specific troubleshooting steps for each error message.
Before we begin, you need to check whether the Outlook web service is available or not. If the Outlook service is down, you won’t be able to fix the issue from your end.
Visit Office 365 page & go to View Microsoft 365 Service health. Enter your credentials & check if there’s any problem with the Outlook service. If the servers are down, you’ll have to wait for Microsoft to fix it.
Considering the servers are running, but you still face this error, read through the rest of the article to solve this issue.
Here are the fixes for each Error 500 message:
Fix 500 Repeating Redirects Detected Error
In most cases, this error message occurs when some old/corrupted cache and cookies are stored in your browser. You can fix the issue by deleting the cookies and cache for Outlook.com. Users can also face this error due to the configuration of their network admin.
Here are two ways to fix Error 500 Repeating Redirects Detected:
If you are facing the Repeating Redirects error, your browser’s cache or cookies might be the culprit. Cleaning cookies & cache of the Outlook website would resolve the issue.
Here are the steps to clear cookies & cache files for Outlook in your browser:
For Google Chrome
- Tap on the three dots near the top right corner and click Settings.
- Select Privacy and security from the left panel and click on Cookies and other site data.
- Scroll down & select See all cookies and site data.
- Type Outlook in the search bar at the top right corner.
- Click on the delete icon.
For Mozilla Firefox
- Tap on the three lines near the top-right corner and click Settings.
- Select Privacy & Security.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click Manage Data.
- Type Outlook.com in the Search websites box.
- Hit Remove Selected.
For Microsoft Edge
- Click on the three dots near the top-right corner and select Settings.
- Select Cookies and site permissions > Manage and delete cookies and site data > See all cookies and site data.
- Type Outlook.com in the Search cookies box.
- Click on the arrow button beside com & select the bin icon.
For Safari
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- Select Privacy.
- Click Manage Website Data from the Cookies and website data.
- Type Outlook.com in the Search box.
- Select com & hit Remove.
Now go to Outlook on the web & check if the error has been resolved or not. If not, follow the next steps.
Go and check our other article on Outlook not working on WiFi.
2. Use Incognito
When you use incognito mode, the browser neither saves nor uses the saved cache & cookies for the visited sites. You can use incognito mode to avoid facing Error 500 in Outlook Web.
Here’s how to use incognito mode in your browser:
- Open your browser.
- Click the three dots(Chrome, Edge)/ lines(Firefox) in the top right corner.
- Select New Incognito window (Chrome)/ New InPrivate windows (Microsoft Edge)/ New private window (Firefox).
- Go to Outlook on the web.
- Log in with your credentials.
Try sending/receiving emails in the Outlook mailbox to check if the issue persists.
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3. Disable Extension
Browser extensions add greater functionality to a web service. Many users have multiple plug-ins related to mail services such as Google Docs, Sheets etc.
But some plug-ins often conflict with the Outlook Web service. It can cause Error 500 for Outlook on the web. In such cases, disabling conflicting extensions in your browser is an effective solution.
Here are the steps to disable extensions in your browser:
For Chrome
- Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select More tools.
- Select Extensions.
- Now click the switch icon next to each extension to disable it.
For Microsoft Edge
- Click on the three lines in the top right corner & Hit Extensions.
- Select Manage extensions.
- Click on the switch icon for every add-on.
For Firefox
- Click on the three lines at the top right corner & select Add-ons & themes.
- Click on the switch icon of every extension under the Manage Your Extensions
Check whether the problem has been fixed or not. If the issue doesn’t appear anymore, enable extensions one by one until you find the cause of the problem.
4. Update or Switch Browser
Using an outdated browser for Outlook on the web can sometimes restrict certain Outlook services. It is always recommended to keep your browser up to date.
If you haven’t updated your browser for quite some time & getting Error 500 on Outlook Web, consider updating it to solve this issue.
Although, every web browser these days has a built-in auto-update feature. You can still manually check & update your browser.
Here’s how to update your browser:
For Chrome
- Click the three dots in the top right corner and select Help.
- Select About Google Chrome.
- Wait for the browser to download the latest updates.
For Microsoft Edge
- Click on the three dots at the top right corner & select Settings.
- Click on About Microsoft Edge.
- Wait for the browser to complete downloading the updates.
For Firefox
- Click on the three lines at the top right corner.
- Select Settings.
- Scroll down to Firefox Updates & click Check for updates.
If you’re still getting error 500 while trying to use Outlook on the web, consider using a different browser.
5. Change Admin Roles
Improper settings of Administrator roles in your Office 365 account can often conflict with Outlook’s web service. To resolve the Outlook 500 Error code, ensure you have the correct options selected in the Admin center access section.
Here are the steps to change the admin roles:
- Go to office.com.
- Log in with your credentials.
- Navigate to the Admin section.
- Click Users and select Active Users.
- Choose your user and click Manage roles.
- Remove all admin roles except Global Administrator.
- Click on Save changes.
- Close your browser and wait for a few minutes.
- Go to Outlook on the web & check if the problem has been resolved.
Bear in mind that you need to be the Global Administrator for this solution to work.
Fix 500 Internal Server Error
Outlook Error 500 Internal server error message appears when the server isn’t able to process your request. Incorrect date/time settings, firewall/antivirus blocking Outlook Web connection or poor network connection are the common culprit for this error message.
Here are the methods to solve Outlook 500 Internal server error:
1. Adjust Date & Time
Incorrect time/date settings on your device can conflict with the server’s time/date settings. This imbalance can often lead to server-based errors such as Outlook Error 500 Internal server error.
Here’s how to adjust the date/time on your computer:
- Right-click the clock at the bottom right corner and select Adjust date/time (For Windows 8/8.1, press Windows Key+S & type set time automatically, then select Set the time automatically).
- Disable the Set time automatically switch.
- Wait for a few moments, and enable it again.
Now try to re-access Outlook. If the problem remains, move on to the following method.
2. Disable Firewall & Antivirus
Windows Firewall & 3rd party antivirus can often block network connections for certain services. In case the Firewall/antivirus blocks any Outlook Web service, users might get hit in the face with the Internal server error message.
Here are the steps to disable Windows Firewall:
- Press Windows Key+S & type windows firewall.
- Select Windows Firewall.
- Select Turn Windows Firewall on or off on the left side of the screen.
- Click Turn off Windows Firewall (not recommended).
- Hit OK to save the changes.
Also, disable/uninstall the 3rd party antivirus softwares on your device.
Now open your browser & go to Outlook on the web to check whether the error message is still showing. Contact your network administrator to change your network configuration if you’re still getting the internal server error message.
3. Clear Cache
You can try removing the cookies and cache of this particular website and check if it fixes the issue or not. Instead of removing them for all websites, you can delete cookies and cache for that specific site.
Fix Outlook 500 Mailbox Not Found Error
Mailbox not found error message generally occurs when you are trying to send/receive an email from a specific mailbox on the Outlook Web. The common reason behind this error code is assigned licenses for the user.
Here are the methods to fix Outlook 500 Mailbox not found error:
1. Assign Proper Licenses to Affected User
In case you’re getting the mailbox not found error message, you need to assign licenses to the problematic account correctly.
Here’s how to assign licenses in Outlook Web:
- Go to microsoft.com.
- Enter your login credentials.
- Click on Users and select Active users.
- Select the user that is affected by this issue.
- Navigate to Licenses and apps.
- Make sure that the affected user has a license assigned.
- Click Save changes.
Keep in mind that you need to be an administrator for this method to work.
2. Contact Your Organization
Many organizations and institutions often remove former employees to manage the current ones fluently. If your organization has removed your user account, you won’t be able to access your desired mailbox. As a result, you will face the Mailbox not found error. In that case, contact your organization for assistance.
How to Fix Protocol disabled Error 500
Outlook Web users might face the 500 Protocol disabled error message due to incorrect user settings in their Outlook accounts. Adjusting your account info & making sure you have OWA enabled in your account might fix this error.
Here are the methods to solve Protocol disabled error in Outlook Web:
1. Check User Settings
A proper way to fix this issue is to check the user settings. If the OWA isn’t enabled, the user will face the Outlook 500 error message.
Here’s how to check user settings:
- Go to office.com.
- Sign in with your credentials.
- Select your user and navigate to the Mail section.
- Click on Manage email apps.
- Check the Outlook on the Web box.
Now visit Outlook on the web & see if the error has been resolved or not.
2. Adjust Your Account Info
Another possible way to fix this error is by adjusting your Outlook account info from your Outlook PC app.
Here’s how to adjust your Outlook account info:
- Press Windows Key+S & type outlook.
- Hit the Enter button on your keyboard.
- Click on File and select your account in the Account Information section.
- Select Access this account on the web.
- Enter your login information.
After completing these steps, try sending/opening emails to see if it works properly. If none of the listed methods have worked, then you should contact Microsoft Support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why am I facing Outlook Error 500?
You might be facing Outlook Error 500 Something went wrong due to corrupted cache & cookies, improper Outlook account settings or Microsoft internal server issue. The most common reason is the cookies & cache in your browser, which you can easily remove to solve this error.
Is the Outlook 500 error my fault?
Honestly, there is no answer to this question as it depends on the specific situation. In some cases, yes, it can be your fault. If you experience a 500 error message on Outlook Web, the Microsoft server may be experiencing a problem that is not related to you. Or there might be some hardware/software issues on your end that are causing this error.
Closing Thoughts
Despite providing ease of use & many essential features on the go, Outlook Web is still home to many unexpected errors. Error 500 Something went wrong is the most common one among them.
This error can occur for many reasons and with different error dialogues such as Internal error, Mailbox not found etc. The fixes for each type of error message are different but concise & easy to perform.
Hopefully, the various fixes in this write-up have helped you buffer a quick solution for this inconvenience. If you need further assistance, let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
