Outlook Folder Structure Not Syncing - Complete Fixes

Overview: Every now and then, if you are a Microsoft Outlook email client’s user, you might face this problem. That is: “Outlook Folder Structure Not Syncing” It can be frustrating when folders are missing, contents don't match, or you need to search all of your email. Many of us use Outlook as a part of our daily communication, and it’s incredibly intrusive if it just won’t work.

In this blog, we explain why the folder structure doesn’t sync, and manual ways to troubleshoot it with a professional tool that can help you organize mailbox data efficiently.

Also Read: Outlook Error Organization’s Policies are Preventing

Why is Outlook Folder Not Syncing?

Outlook sync needs synchronisation back and forth between the local OST/PST file & Exchange server or IMAP account. Any disruption to this process can cause your folder structure to fall out of sync. Below are most popular reasons behind this issue:

• If the internet connection is not steady or strong, it may break the synchronization.
• Between Outlook client and mail server due to that you will face syncing issues.
• The Offline Storage Table (OST) file is basically an offline place to store mailbox data.
• Should it become corrupt, Outlook can't synchronize the server when changes occur.
• If you disable synchronization or unselect some folders in sync settings, Outlook can't automatically update those mailboxes.
• The synchronisation can be slowed down or interrupted if the OST files are too large.
• Outlook may fail to sync all folders because of their size.
• Badly behaving Outlook Add-ins can impact your synchronization, particularly when they access mailbox data often.
• Outlook does not fetch the new folder structure when the Exchange or IMAP server is down or affected by database errors.

Manual Methods to Fix Outlook Folder Structure Not Syncing

A few methods can be tried before considering a professional solution. Follow below given steps carefully to fix Outlook folder not syncing issue.

Method 1. Check Internet Connection

Make sure that you have a reliable, steady internet connection on your device. You can try to reset your router or move to another network and see if the cards load.

Method 2. Refresh the Folder List (for IMAP Accounts)

1. Open Outlook.
2. In the left panel, do a right-click on your IMAP email account.
3. Select “Update Folder List.”
4. Wait for Outlook to update all folders with information from the server.

This usually brings back the folders that are no longer there and re-orders the whole structure again.

Method 3. Manually Synchronize Folders

1. Switch to the Send/Receive tab in Outlook.
2. Click “Send/Receive All Folders”.
3. Just let Outlook finish doing what it’s doing.
4. If the folder setup now looks identical across all devices, great.

Method 4. Deleting Offline Items and Syncing Them Again

If there are particular folders that aren’t updating, you can also clear the local cache and re-sync them.

1. Right-click on the problematic folder.
2. Select Properties > General > Clear Offline Items.
3. Click OK.
4. Go to Send/Recieve > Update Folder.
5. This causes Outlook to retrieve data from the server again.

Method 5. Re-create the OST File

A corrupt OST file is the most common reason that causes a sync failure. You can reconstruct it to get the folder-structure back.

Close Outlook.

Go to the location:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

Rename the existing .ost file.

Launch Outlook, & it will generate a new OST file and syncing data from the server.

Method 6. Disable Problematic Add-ins

1. Opening Outlook and going to File > Options > Add-ins.
2. Click Go under COM Add-ins.
3. Uncheck all third-party add-ins.
4. Now start Outlook and see if the folder structure is now syncing as expected.

Method 7. Recover Outlook Data Files

Outlook comes with an in-built repair tool called SCANPST. EXE.

1. Find the tool in your installation folder of Outlook.
2. Run SCANPST.EXE and compare it against your OST/PST file.
3. Press Start to begin the scanning process and remove all found errors.
4. When finished, open Outlook and have another go at synchronizing.

Smart Way to Optimize Outlook Mailbox and Improve Sync Performance

If the manual steps do not make folder syncing work properly or if still Outlook works slow. Then, there may be some kind of underlying data management issues like large-sized attachment files, oversized mailbox size or corrupt folders. This is the point at which a specialized solution such as SysTools Outlook Attachment Extractor Software comes in handy.

Main Pointers:

• Extract attachments from Microsoft Outlook PST, OST, or BAK files.
• Keep the original folder structure & Meta data.
• Compatible with Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016 and earlier versions.
• Gives you various filter options before extracting.
• Ability to skip duplicate attachments and to export only new.
• Compatible with both Windows & Mac systems.

Plus, the process of synchronizing Outlook is accelerated and will work properly even with your messages removed and attachments stored in another location. The program addresses sync issues and folder mismatches by proxy of gigantic mailbox size.

Conclusion

“Outlook folder structure not syncing properly” can be a serious problem, often resulting in missing emails or even lost business. Although the manual steps mentioned above can fix minor issues in most cases, some problems prove unrelenting as they often come from big and corrupt mail data. This is where our automated tool plays an important part and allows you to control your mailbox size better by eliminating the large attachments while maintaining your folder structure. This not only fixes sync problems, but it also improves the overall performance of Outlook.