Outlook Sent Items Folder Sync Issue (IMAP)

When using the Outlook 2013 or Outlook 2016 email client, IMAP accounts may experience problems with the synchronisation of the Sent Items folder. This is because sent messages may be visible in the email client on the device, while the Sent Items folder is not synchronised with the email server and, as a result, the sent messages are not visible in the web-based email viewing interface (e.g. in Roundcube or Horde). They are also not visible on other devices, so if you delete them, you may lose them.

This will result in the This computer only entry appearing in the Outlook client after the Sent Items folder.

The problem was easy to fix in older versions – Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010 – as these versions offered the option to manually select the Sent Items folder for automatic synchronisation with the email server. In Outlook 2013 and Outlook 2016 this option is not available, so the problem has to be approached slightly differently.

How to fix the problem in Outlook 2013/Outlook 2016?

Both versions of the email client try to automatically determine the appropriate folder in which sent messages are stored. In most cases they select it correctly, but unfortunately in some cases they do not. In this case, a message appears for the Sent folder stating that messages are stored on this computer only – This computer only.

Note that this problem can also occur in combination with other folders, such as the folder where Deleted Items are stored, Calendar or Contacts.

1. Specify the appropriate folder on the email server

As Outlook 2013 or Outlook 2016 first checks the email server to find the correct folder, make sure that the folders on the server are created correctly:

1. Log in to the web interface for viewing your email inbox (e.g. Horde). NEOSERV web hosting subscribers can access their email inboxes via the cPanel control panel.
2. Check that the folder in which the sent messages are stored has the same name as in the Outlook client. If it is not, change its name in the web client.

If this procedure does not resolve the problem, follow the instructions below.

2. The Sent Items folder does not exist

After logging into the webmail client, did you find that the Sent or Sent Items folder does not exist? Create one and see if that solves the problem. If not, check the next point.

3. Specify the root folder of the email inbox

For IMAP email accounts, Outlook will not always find the correct folder for sent messages if it is created inside the Inbox folder – i.e. as a subfolder of the Inbox folder. In this case Outlook can ignore the Sent Items and Deleted Items folders and create new folders locally.

The solution is to define a Root folder path, which you can do in Outlook 2013 and Outlook 2016 with the following steps:

1. Go to File -> Account Settings -> Account Settings…
2. Double-click on your IMAP email account.
3. Click on the More Options… button and select the Advanced tab in the new window.
4. When setting the Root folder path, write down your root folder – most likely Inbox or Inbox.
5. Save your changes by clicking OK.

Restart Outlook and check that the sent messages will synchronise correctly.

4. Create a new .ost file

If the problem is still not resolved, here’s what you need to do:

1. Open Outlook and locate the .ost file for your IMAP email account: File -> Account Settings -> Account Settings… -> Data Files tab. Select the .ost file from the list and click on Open File Location…
2. Close the Outlook email client and rename the .ost file you located in the previous step to .old.
3. Restart Outlook, which will start the automatic creation of the new .ost file, thus refreshing the entire email inbox. This way Outlook will try again to determine the correct folder for the sent messages.

For further assistance, please call us on 059 335 000 or email us at info@neoserv.si.