How to send e-mail messages that remain in your Outbox in Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2002 (291613)

For a Microsoft Outlook 97 version of this article, see 161790.

For a Microsoft Outlook 98 version of this article, see 181692.

For a Microsoft Outlook 2000 version of this article, see 195924.

SYMPTOMS

Sent items may remain in your Outbox folder. Because the items do not leave the Outbox, you do not receive responses to messages, meeting requests, or task requests. In this situation, you do not receive a warning that the items have not left your Outbox until you quit Microsoft Outlook. When you quit Outlook, you may receive the following message:

There are still e-mail messages in your Outbox. Would you like to exit anyway

Exiting in <15> seconds

CAUSE

This behavior occurs if you are working offline and one of the following situations is true:

You addressed the item to someone in your local Personal Address Book (PAB). -or-
You use a Microsoft Exchange Service and addressed the item to someone in your synchronized Global Address List or your synchronized Outlook Address Book Contacts.

MORE INFORMATION

If you are working offline, Outlook cannot send the item because it does not have access to the e-mail server. Because the addressee is available in one of your local address lists, Outlook validates the address. However, Outlook does not provide an indication that the item remains unsent until you quit Outlook.

Outlook sends the messages the next time that you make a connection to your e-mail server by either working online or making a remote e-mail connection.

To make a remote e-mail connection while you are working offline, click Send/Receive on the Tools menu, click Work With Headers, and then click Download Headers.