when you start using Outlook, it automatically starts syncronizing mail.
Once you have decided that you no longer need to sync folders in Outlook, there are a few easy steps you can take to stop synchronization.
Stopping the syncronization of folders in Outlook is a quick fix. You can follow the steps below to make it happen in 2023!
What is Outlook Folder Syncronization?
Outlook folder syncronization is when Outlook downloads and stores emails from a server in your Outlook profile.
This allows users to access email, calendar events, contacts, tasks, notes and other data from the same account on multiple devices.
When you configure or add an Outlook.com, Exchange Server, or Office 365 account, Microsoft Outlook creates a synchronized copy of server mailbox items in an OST file (Offline Outlook Data File) on your local machine.
Whenever you open MS Outlook, it immediately tries to connect to the mailbox server and synchronizes the mailbox items to and from the mailbox server.
By default, synchronization is automatic.
However, it may take a while to complete depending on the number of mail items to synchronize and network speed.
For example, if you often receive multiple emails every day with large or several attachments, it may take much longer to synchronize the mailbox items and affect the Outlook performance.
On the other hand, it will also consume a lot of mailbox storage on the server, which isn’t good unless server storage is not an issue.
Why Would you Want to Stop Synchronizing Folders in Outlook?
There are a few reasons you might want to stop synchronizing folders in Outlook.
- The most common reason is that your mailbox storage on the server may exceed the limit, preventing Outlook from sending or receiving new emails.
- Additionally, if it takes too long for Outlook to syncronize items from the server, you may want to stop the synchronization to improve Outlook performance.
- Another reason may be that you don’t want certain emails and attachments stored locally on your computer or device.
Ways to Stop Synchronizing Folders in Outlook
Based on your preference, you may choose to either completely or partially stop synchronizing folders in Outlook 2016, 2019, 2021 or 365. Below we have mentioned some simple methods to pause or stop emails or folder synchronization in Outlook.
Method 1: Completely Stop Folder Synchronization
When you use an IMAP email account in Outlook, such as Gmail or Hotmail, Outlook provides you with options to subscribe or unsubscribe folders.
When an email folder is subscribed, it’s automatically synchronized. Similarly, if you want to stop synchronizing an email folder, you can unsubscribe from the folder. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Right-click on the folder for which you want to stop synchronization and choose IMAP Folders…
Step 2: Click the subscribe tab and then click Query.
Step 3: Select all the Subscribed folders you want to unsubscribe and click the Unsubscribe
Step 4: When prompted, click OK.
This will stop synchronizing selected/unsubscribed folders in your Outlook IMAP account.
Method 2: Use Work Offline Option
In Outlook, you can switch between Online and Offline mode.
In Offline mode, mail items and folders are synchronized between the Outlook data file and mailbox server.
In Online Mode, Outlook does not synchronize emails or mail folders. Instead, Outlook connects directly to the mailbox server.
You can enable Online Mode by disabling the cached exchane mode permanently, discussed in the next method.
However, if you want to stop synchronizing mailbox folders temporarily, go to Send/Receive and click Work Offline.
This will disconnect you from the server and stop synchronizing the folders. In addition, you won’t be able to send or receive new emails.
Method 3: Disable Cached Exchange Mode
If you use Outlook to access Office 365 or Exchange Server-based email account, you can disable the cached exchange mode to stop synchronizing the folders.
Note: You can’t disable Cached Exchange Mode when using an Outlook.com account.
To disable Cached Exchange Mode and stop folder synchronization in Outlook 2016, 2019, 2021 or 365 follow these steps:
Step 1: In Outlook 2016, 2019, 2021 or 365, navigate to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
Step 2: Select your Office 365 or Exchange email account from the list and click Change.
Step 3: Uncheck the Cached Exchange Mode option under Offline Settings
Step 4: click next and then click OK when the prompt appears.
- Click Finish and then restart Outlook for changes to take effect.
This should stop synchronizing folders in Outlook,
Method 4: Disable Folder Synchronization Option
You may also disable the automatic synchronization feature to stop synchronizing folders in Outlook 2016, 2019, 2021 or 365. The steps are as follows:
Step 1: In Microsoft Outlook 2016, 2019, 2021 or 365, go to File > Options.
Step 2: Click Advanced and then scroll down to the Send and receive
Step 3: Uncheck the Send Immediately When Connected
Step 4: Then click the Send/Receive button and deselect “Perform automatic send/receive when exiting”.
- Click, OK, to apply the changes and update the settings.
From now on, automatic synchronization of email folders in your Outlook 2016, 2019, 2021 or 365 will stop.
Conclusion
Sometimes, you may require to stop synchronizing email folders in Outlook to save the mail items locally and conserve the mailbox server storage.
Besides, slow synchronization can adversely impact Outlook performance on old systems or systems with a poor network connection.
In this article, we have shared some simple methods to stop synchronizing the folders in Outlook Outlook 2016, 2019, 2021 or 365.
Frequently Asked Questions
Synchronization of folders in Outlook is a normal part of the email program’s operation. This process allows Outlook to keep track of changes made to emails, calendar events, contacts, and other items that are stored on your computer or other connected devices.
However, synchronization issues can cause unexpected delays, which can be frustrating when you’re trying to work. To prevent Outlook from constantly synchronizing folders, there are a few steps you can take:
• Check your synchronization settings: Make sure that the automatic synchronization setting is turned off and that you only sync when needed.
• Restart Outlook: Close Outlook and restart it again to force a reset of the synchronization settings.
• Remove or disable any add-ins: Some add-ins may be causing Outlook to synchronize more frequently than desired. Remove or disable these add-ins if possible.
• Disable the feature in your antivirus software: Some antivirus programs can interfere with Outlook’s synchronization process, so check to see if you can disable the feature.
• Update Outlook: Make sure that Outlook is up-to-date with the latest version of the program. This will ensure that any bug fixes or updates are applied and may help resolve synchronization issues.
• Repair Outlook: If all else fails, you may need to repair your Outlook installation. This can be done through the Control Panel in Windows.
By following these steps, you can stop Outlook from constantly synchronizing folders and reduce any delays caused by synchronization issues.
There are several ways to stop Outlook from updating folders:
1. Disable automatic updates in the Outlook options window. To do this, open the Outlook program and select Tools > Options > Mail Setup tab. Uncheck the box next to “Automatically update folder list” and click Apply.
2. Create an Outlook rule to prevent the automatic update of folders. Go to Home > Rules > Manage Rules & Alerts. Select New Rule, then select “Apply rule on message I receive” and click Next. Under the Step 1 section, select the checkbox next to “Stop processing more rules” and click Next. Finally, under the Step 2 section, set the conditions for which the rule should apply and click Finish.
3. Use a third-party tool to disable automatic updates of folders in Outlook. There are many third-party tools available that can be used to stop Outlook from updating folders automatically. Simply search for “Outlook folder auto-updates disable” or similar on your favorite search engine to find the right tool for you.
To turn off sync folders in Office 365, follow these steps:
1. Open the Settings Panel in Office 365.
2. Select “Sync” from the menu on the left.
3. Uncheck any folders you do not want to sync with your computer.
4. Click “Save” to save your changes.
You can always turn sync back on by following the same steps and checking the folders you want to sync. This will ensure that your computer and Office 365 are in sync.
When Microsoftsynchronizes folders, it means that the company is making sure that the same folder exists on both your local computer and on the server. This way, you can access your files from either location.
Synchronization can be beneficial because it allows you to have the same set of files in two different places. The following are some of the advantages of synchronization:
• Accessing Files from Anywhere: With synchronization, you can access your files from any device or location as long as you have an internet connection.
• Always Up-to-Date: Synchronization ensures that the files on both devices are always up-to-date.
• Backing Up Files: Synchronization can also be used as a backup method in case one of the devices is lost or damaged.
