Why AOL Not Receiving Emails? Try these Troubleshooting Methods

Jamie Kaler Contribution

Rollins Duke Approved By

Published On May 13th, 2025 • 7 min read

Are these emails you know you got but haven’t received in the inbox? Perhaps you might have got the notification, or the sender has confirmed they sent it. Even after waiting, if the emails are not reaching the Mail folder, then you might be having the issue “AOL not receiving Emails” like many other users. Let’s address the issue and find out all the possible troubleshooting steps to overcome this.

AOL is a free web-based email client service provided by AOL. The email client is known for its simplicity and reliability, which offers users essential functionality in sending and receiving emails with ease.

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Why is AOL Not Getting Emails?

The most prominent reasons for not receiving AOL emails are common. We will first address issues that can be resolved with simple troubleshooting steps.

Spam Folder: Missing emails are often found in the Spam folders. Due to various understated reasons, the emails can accidentally be filtered into the spam or junk folder.
Email Filters: An Incorrect email filter can lead to missing emails. That is, if you set up email filters or rules in the AOL account to automatically move or delete incoming emails, then the account may have done it accordingly.
Fill Mailboxes: AOL won’t receive emails if the account is almost full or full. Since AOL offers 1 TB of free storage space, the attachment has a limitation of 25 MB. Therefore, users won’t be getting new messages if the storage space is compromised.
Internet connection Issue: An unstable or intermittent internet connection could sometimes interfere with email delivery.
Server Issues: A common query regarding AOL is “Is AOL down today?. Occasionally, AOL email servers might experience temporary outages and usually get fixed quickly. Thus, the emails might not get delivered, or there will be a delay.
Block Sender Email ID: Ensure you have not accidentally blocked the sender of missing emails. Review the block sender’s list in the AOL mail settings.
Outdated Browser: As AOL is a webmail email client, accessing via an outdated browser could be the cause. Using an outdated version sometimes leads to unexpected issues.

These are a few of the main reasons why AOL emails are not coming through. Now, we will discuss the troubleshooting steps.

Why & How to Resolve: AOL is Not Receiving Emails

There are several reasons why AOL is not getting emails. It might vary from simple to complex. Check out all the mentioned causes along with the detailed steps to overcome the AOL issue.

1. Mailbox Full or Almost Full

Like any other email client, AOL has a storage limit. If your mailbox is full, AOL will prevent new emails from coming into the client. If the emails are almost full, there is no space for new emails.

Troubleshooting Steps

First, check the storage usage in the AOL Mail settings.
Delete emails from AOL Inbox, sent items, trash, and spam folder.
Then, empty the trash folder permanently.

2. Internet Connection

If there is no storge internet connection, it would eventually affect the AOL server from sending or receiving emails.

How to check Internet Connection

Browse other websites to check the internet connection. If the page loads properly, your internet connection is working properly. If it does not load or takes time, then the issue might be with the internet connection.

3. Check Spam & Junk Folder: Fix “AOL Not Receiving Emails”

For some reason, the emails might be landing in the spam folders

Troubleshooting Steps:

Regularly check the spam folders for new emails.
If you found the emails, ensure to mark them as “Not Spam”.

4. AOL Mail Server Outage

One reason for users not receiving emails in AOL Mail might be due to the temporary problems with AOL’s mail servers.

Check whether there is a server issue.

Check online resources to see if there are any reports of AOL Mail outages.
If you find any such issues, wait till AOL resolves them.

5. Incorrect IMAP/POP or SMTP Server Settings

If you are using email clients to access AOL, any incorrect server settings can prevent AOL from receiving emails.

Steps to Troubleshoot this:

First, verify that the incoming and outgoing server settings are correct. The standard settings are correct

IMAP: imap.aol.com, Port: 993, SSL: Yes.
POP3: pop.aol.com, Port: 995, SSL: Yes
SMTP: smtp.aol.com, Port: 465, SSL: Yes

Ensure the entered email address and password are correct.

Note: Refer to AOL mail not working on Mac OS, to ensure the AOL Mail account is operating working.

6. Browser Issue

If there are any issues within the web browser, it could prevent AOL Mail from functioning correctly.

How to fix browser issues:

For example, in Chrome, go to Menu>More Tools>Clear Browsing Data.

7. Firewall or Antivirus Interference

At times, the firewall or antivirus might be blocking AOL’s mail server.

How to work on the Antivirus

You can temporarily disable the firewall and antivirus to see if it resolves the issues. If it does, you need to correct the settings to allow access for AOL Mail.

8. Check Email Filters

Any incorrect configuration or overly created email filters can cause the problem of “AOL not Receiving Emails”. Misdirected emails could unintentionally move the emails out of the inbox into other folders. If any filter, such as Spam deletion, is set up in AOL Mail, the incoming emails could get deleted. Thus, you might lose the emails without even seeing them.

How to Check the Email Filters

To see if the email filters are causing the issues, first, we need to review the filter settings in AOL Mail

Go to the AOL Mail website and log in to the account.
Go to the Settings and click on More settings.
Select Filter. Under Your Filter, review the already set-up filter.
Save any changes you make to the filter settings.

Contact AOL

Even after performing all the above steps and still not receiving emails, reach out to AOL support for assistance. Visit the AOL website, and look for contact options. Provide all the required information to

Advanced Approach: If AOL Is Not Receiving Emails

While performing the troubleshooting methods as per the current situation you are in, it is important to get all the vital information within the AOL Mail using the AOL Backup Tool. As we discussed above, freeing up the storage space by removing emails can be done, but with a proper backup strategy for the emails.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q) Why am I suddenly not receiving emails in my AOL account?

A) There are several reasons. It could be temporary server issues with AOL, any issue with internet connection, email being filtered into the spam folder, storage issues, etc. Complete details are provided in the above article.

Q) How do I check my blocked sender list in AOL?

A) Follow the steps to check the blocked ID in AOL Mail:

Go to mail.aol.com and sign in.
Click on the options menu.
Select Mail settings.
Check for Block Senders or Blocked Addresses.

Review the list and remove the senders you want to receive emails from.

Conclusion

Not being able to receive the emails in the AOL Mail account can be frustrating. The troubleshooting methods can range from simple connectivity to more complex ones. We have also discussed the methods to safeguard the AOL emails if any such issues occur in the future. All the methods mentioned here are performed to fix the AOL emails not receiving.