If webmail shows new messages but a third-party email client does not, the problem is usually related to how the client refreshes, stores, or filters mailbox data. The message can already be available in webmail while the app still shows an older local view. Email clients are separate applications that manage messages and notifications, so their sync behaviour depends on their own settings.
Before changing account settings, compare the inbox in webmail with the inbox in the email client. If the message is visible in webmail, use the checks below to review the client’s synchronisation behaviour. The mybox troubleshooting guidance also recommends starting with the email client’s configuration when new messages stop appearing.
Table of Contents
Check whether the inbox is refreshing
A manual refresh requests new mailbox data from the server. If the client has not refreshed recently, the inbox can remain unchanged even though webmail is current.
- Open the affected inbox in the email client.
- Use the app’s refresh or synchronise action.
- Check whether the missing message appears after the refresh.
- If it appears only after a manual refresh, review the client’s automatic synchronisation setting.
A client that relies on infrequent checks may display new messages later than webmail. Review the setting that controls how often the app checks for new messages. If the account is set to manual refresh, the inbox will not update until the refresh action is used.
Review the sync frequency
Sync frequency controls how often the email client checks for changes. A longer interval can make messages appear late. A disabled or manual schedule can make the inbox look unchanged until you refresh it yourself.
Open the account or mail-sync settings in the client and check whether automatic synchronisation is enabled. Then review the selected interval. The exact setting name depends on the email application, but it normally appears near the account’s refresh, fetch, or sync options.
Check whether the folder is included
Email clients may sync selected folders instead of every folder in the mailbox. If a message is delivered to a folder that is not included in synchronisation, it may not appear in the client even though it is visible in webmail.
Check the folder list and the account’s folder or subscription settings. Confirm that the folder where the message is stored is selected for synchronisation. Also check other folders in webmail if the message is not in the main inbox. This helps separate a refresh problem from a folder selection problem.
Check local storage and cached data
An email client can keep a local copy, or cache, of mailbox information on the device. The client uses this local data to display messages and folders. If local storage is limited or the cached data is not updating, the app may continue to show an older mailbox state.
Review the device’s available storage and the email client’s local storage settings. If the app provides an option to refresh, rebuild, or clear its local mailbox data, use that option according to the app’s own controls. Allow the client time to download the mailbox again before checking the inbox.
Check offline mode and connection state
An email client in offline mode may continue showing previously downloaded messages without checking for new ones. The same can happen when the app cannot maintain its connection while running in the background.
Check whether the client is marked offline, paused, or disconnected. Return it to online mode and run a manual refresh. If new messages then appear, the earlier delay came from the client not performing a current synchronisation.
Review account-level filtering
Filtering can change where messages appear. A filter may move a message away from the inbox, mark it as read, or prevent it from appearing in the view currently open in the client.
Compare the message location in webmail with the folder and view shown by the email client. Review account-level filters and client-side rules, especially rules that move or hide new messages. If the message exists in webmail but not in the client’s inbox, check every folder included in the account’s synchronisation.
When the delay continues
Use this order: refresh the inbox, check automatic sync, confirm the folder is included, review offline status, check local storage and cached data, then inspect filters. Test the same account in webmail after each change. If webmail continues to receive messages while the client does not, the issue remains within the client’s configuration or local mailbox data. The affected application may be Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, or another mail application; the available setting names vary by client.
Messages sent from a client and messages received by a client can use different folder settings. If the problem concerns the Sent folder rather than new incoming messages, see the separate mybox explanation of sent messages in Webmail.