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Outlook Keeps Downloading the Same Emails? Here’s How to Fix It

  author
Jamie Kaler   Contribution
Rollins Duke
Rollins Duke  Approved By
Published On April 7th, 2026 • 6 min read
If your Outlook keeps downloading the same emails every time you open it, or if the emails aren’t downloading at all, you are dealing with a sync issue that many users are experiencing now. The guide explains what’s actually happening with the prominent solutions that would fix it instantly.

What Exactly is This Issue?

When Outlook keeps downloading emails over and over, that is you will notice that messages already in the inbox start appearing as new, unread messages. And there are times when it happened over and over again. In some cases, the problem would be Outlook not downloading the emails at all, and the inbox simply stops refreshing.

These two symptoms are two sides of the same problem – a broken or corrupted sync connection between the Outlook and mail server (Exchange, Microsoft 365, IMAP or POP3).

Causes of “Outlook Keeps Downloading the Same Emails”

  • Corrupted Outlook Data file: It is one of the common causes that leads to issues with Outlook. Outlook stores emails locally. If the files get corrupted, Outlook loses track of what emails have been downloaded and starts re-fetching the emails.
  • Outdated Outlook Version: An old version of Outlook can have a known bug that causes repeated email downloads.
  • Sync Issue with Mail Server: If the sync between Outlook and the server fails mid-way, Outlook might re-download the emails that are already in the inbox.
  • Antivirus or Firewall Interference: Security software is one of the known causes that intercepts Outlook’s connection, which disrupts the sync process and causes repeated email downloads.
  • POP3 Server Settings: If you are using a POP3 account without the “Delete from server” option enabled, Outlook will keep downloading the same message again and again.
  • Fault in Email Account Profile: A damaged Outlook profile will confuse the sync process, which leads to repeated email downloading.
  • Conflicting add-ins: The Third-party Outlook add-ins can interfere with the sync process and cause repeated downloads of emails.

How to Fix “Outlook Keeps Downloading the Same Emails” Issue – Step-by-Step

Let’s start with the fixes corresponding to the above-mentioned causes. Try all the approaches one by one to resolve the Outlook issues effectively. This step-by-step method will help you identify the root cause and apply the right solution.

Tip: If you notice a yellow exclamation mark in the Outlook status bar, then sync may be broken. Check out the guide on how to fix the “yellow triangle exclamation mark Outlook” for additional steps.

Force Fresh Send/Receive Cycle

  1. Click the Send /Receive tab in Outlook.
  2. Click Send/Receive All Folder or press F9.
  3. Watch the status, if an error flashed, not it and move to the next step.
  4. Restart Outlook and check if Outlook is still downloading the same emails.

Fix POP3 Server Settings

If you are using POP3, it is the #1 cause why Outlook keeps downloading emails over and over again.

  1. Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
  2. Select Email account > Click Change.
  3. Click More Settings > Advanced tab.
  4. Under Deliver, uncheck “Leave a copy of messages on the server” – set it to delete after 14 days.
  5. Click Ok, then close and reopen the Outlook application.

If Outlook keeps downloading the same emails, and you are on a POP3 account, then this step alone can fix it instantly.

Repair Outlook Data File using SCANPST

Pro tip: Before you start running the scan file, copy the Outlook data file to a safe folder as a backup. Use Email Backup Tool to back up emails before running any repair. It roughly takes 2 minutes and protects the entire mailbox.

If the Outlook data file is corrupted, then it is a common reason Outlook keeps downloading emails over and over.

  1. Close Outlook entirely.
  2. Go to Control Panel > Mail > Data Files.
  3. Find SCANPST.EXE, which is at C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\OfficeXX\.
  4. Open the file, browse to the *.ost or *.pst file, and click Start.
  5. After scanning, click on Repair and wait for it to complete.

Delete and Rebuild the OST File to Fix Outlook Keeps Downloading the Same Emails 

If the repair is unsuccessful, then remove the OST files, which in turn will make Outlook download the mail from the server once again. This is the most effective solution when Outlook is continuously downloading the same emails again and again.

  1. Close the Outlook application.
  2. Go to C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\.
  3. Rename the OST file; do not delete the file yet.
  4. Reopen Outlook, and it will automatically create a new OST File.
  5. Once the sync is complete, verify the emails and delete the old backup if all looks good.

Note: This process may take time depending on the mailbox size.

After rebuilding the *.ost file, you might still notice duplicate emails from the previous sync loops. Outlook Duplicate Remover can scan the PST/OST file and remove the duplicates in one go, which will save you from deleting the emails one by one.

Create New Outlook Profile

The damaged profile is less common, but a frequent cause of repeated email downloading issues in Outlook.

  1. Go to Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles.
  2. Click Add, give the new profile a name, and add an email account.
  3. Set it as the default profile.
  4. Close and reopen Outlook using the new profile.

Create a fresh profile and eliminate any corruption in the configuration that causes “Outlook keeps downloading the same emails”.

Disable Antivirus Email Scanning Temporarily

As we discussed before, an antivirus program interferes with Outlook’s mail connection and might break the sync mid-transfer.

  1. Open antivirus settings and find Email Protection or Mail Scanning.
  2. Temporarily disable it and relaunch Outlook to test.
  3. If the issue is resolved, add Outlook as a trusted exception, then re-enable the protection.
Run Outlook in Safe Mode to Resolve “Outlook Keeps Downloading the Same Emails”

To rule out add-ins, run Outlook in Safe Mode. Add-ins are a surprisingly frequent cause of sync issues.

  1. Press Windows + R, type outlook.exe /safe, and press Enter.
  2. If Outlook stops re-downloading emails in safe mode, the add-in is the issue.
  3. Go to File > Options > Add-ins > Manage: COM Add-ins > Go.
  4. Uncheck all add-ins and re-enable them one by one until you find the problem.
Update Outlook to the Latest Version

Known sync bugs cause Outlook to keep downloading the same emails, which are patched in the regular updates.

  1. Go to File > Office Account > Update Options > Update Now.
  2. Let the update install and restart Outlook.
  3. Check if the repeated download issues are resolved.

If you have tried all the steps, and Outlook keeps downloading emails over and over, the issue might be on the server side – contact the IT admin or Microsoft Support to check.

Conclusion

It is very frustrating when Outlook keeps downloading the same emails. It may look like the problem is quite serious, but usually, the fixes are very simple. The reason behind it may be a lot of things. For example, a corrupted OST file, wrong POP3 settings, an old version of Outlook, etc. Also, make sure to delete the duplicate emails that are already in the inbox after you fix the sync problem.