Outlook is using a temporary email and I cannot receive emails

Question

Outlook is using a temporary email and I cannot receive emails

Tim Clark 0

The other day, I tried updating from Classic Outlook to New.

In doing so, the connection to the exchange server for business email failed to connect.

I reverted to Classic Outlook. On starting, Outlook advised that the "Your mailbox has been temporarily moved on Microsoft Exchange server”. And allows "Use Temporary Mailbox" or "Use Old Data". Neither option does anything useful but it does allow Outlook to open. I remove the email account and try to re-add.

After re-starting Outlook Classic, the mailbox has returned but is using a temporary Outlook email address which allows sending of emails; but only intermittently allows receiving emails. Thew worst bit is that now all sent email now runs through the temporary email address ( e.g. [Moderator note: personal info removed]@outlook.com- NOT ACTUAL ADDRESS). So everyone emails thinks I'm a scam.

How do I get my Exchange Server Mailbox properly reconnected?

Sincerely,

[Moderator note: personal info removed]

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Answer 1

Hi @Tim Clark

Thank you for posting your question in Microsoft Q&A.

Please note that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your question to hide your personal information in the description. Kindly ensure that you hide any personal or organizational information the next time you post an error or other details to protect personal data.

As my research, looks like the issue “Your mailbox has been temporarily moved on Microsoft Exchange server” might relate to your Outlook profile or local cache (OST file) is corrupted, causing Outlook to create a temporary mailbox instead of connecting to your real Exchange account.

Note: Do not choose to connect to the temporary mailbox. This may cause data loss.

You could try to follow these workarounds:

Remove All Extra Outlook Profiles (Keep Primary Profile)

Exit Outlook completely.

Open Control Panel > Mail

To find Mail: In Control Panel’s search box, type Mail.

Click Show Profiles.

Select any profile you want to remove and click Remove.

You’ll see this warning: “Careful, if you remove this profile, offline cached contents for its accounts will be deleted. Learn how to make a backup of the offline .ost files for the accounts.”

Back up your .ost files before proceeding.

Click Yes to confirm removal.

Repeat these steps for all profiles except the user’s primary profile.

Click OK to close the Mail dialog box.

Restart Outlook and check if the issue is resolved.

If that doesn't resolve the issue, you could consider create a new Outlook Profile and Remove the Original.

Exit Outlook.

Open Control Panel > Mail.

Click Show Profiles, then click Add.

Enter a name for the new profile and click OK.

Complete the Add Account wizard to add the user’s email account.

Click Finish.

Back in the Mail dialog box, select the original profile and click Remove.

Same warning appears: “Careful, if you remove this profile, offline cached contents for its accounts will be deleted…”

Back up .ost files, then click Yes.

Under Always use this profile, select the new profile you created.

Click OK and restart Outlook.

These solutions help remove corrupted profiles and create a fresh one, which forces Outlook to rebuild its connection to the Exchange server.

This process resolves temporary mailbox issues and restores proper sending and receiving functionality with the correct business email address.

You can refer via: "Your mailbox has been temporarily moved on Microsoft Exchange server” message when an Office 365 u…

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Hin-V 10,180 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-10T14:16:10.4133333+00:00

Hi @Tim Clark

I hope you are doing well.

Have you had a chance to check the replies provided?

Any update would be appreciated.
Tim Clark 0 Reputation points

2025-12-10T23:35:42.34+00:00

I found an issue where New Outlook conflates the use of my business email address with my Microsoft account which uses the same address as my username. Outlook then tries to use my Microsoft issued email address (which I never requested and have never used) that got attached to my Microsoft Account, as the email address to send mail from. Even after reverting to Outlook Classic the problem persisted. My email host found the problem and provided a script to run in PowerShell to modify the registry. I then delete the old and create a new Mail Profile- and the problem was resolved.
Hin-V 10,180 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-11T13:17:44.5066667+00:00

Hi @Tim Clark

I'm really glad to hear that you've resolved your issue.

If possible, could you share the detailed steps you followed during troubleshooting (including any PowerShell commands and registry modifications)? This would be incredibly helpful for others in the community who may encounter similar issues and will also contribute to the growth and value of our forum by improving shared knowledge and support.

We truly appreciate your willingness to share, and please let me know if you need any further assistance.

Warm thanks and have a nice day.

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Outlook is using a temporary email and I cannot receive emails

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