I have a MacBook Pro. About 3 years old. All updates are installed.

I use a Yahoo email address and use Outlook for my email. I use imap for the incoming server.

This week, I will be looking at Outlook, the message preview area, where I have hundreds of emails, and they will disappear. Then the message preview area will say, "Congrats on having an empty inbox."

Then a few minutes later, the messages all reappear. This process has repeated itself since Tuesday. At first I thought maybe the server was having some sort of glitch, but after 3 days, I am guessing that is not the case.

What the heck is going on with my Outlook?

It could simply be a bug in LookOut! It could also be a problem with the IMAP server, or the protocol between server and client getting out of sync. I'd try another IMAP client such as Thunderbird or Mail, and, if your provider offers it, looking at your inbox with their webmail client. There is no harm in having multiple simultaneous IMAP clients hitting on an IMAP server, the protocol is designed for that contingency.

Most IMAP clients will occasionally show an empty inbox when, for example, the client sends "LIST" and the server either doesn't receive the command, or waits too long to send back data. Next time the request is made, the inbox shows as populated. Some clients cache remote inboxes locally, and their behavior in this situation cannot be predicted, but usually, only new messages are missing.

Always remember, what you see on the screen is not necessarily reality, most applications, especially mail applications, massage what they show to the user in an effort to be "friendly." The reality is much much more complicated than what you are seeing.

quote:

Originally posted by architect:
if your provider offers it, looking at your inbox with their webmail client.

Yes, when I log into Yahoo, all the messages are there, no issues to be seen. I just do not like this interface as much as Outlook, so I would prefer Outlook start working again.

I too had problems with Outlook email. I could receive email but no longer send thru Outlook.

I changed over to problem free Mac icloud.com