How to change how often outlook checks for mail

Outlook allows you to adjust the frequency at which it checks for new emails. Here's how to do it:

Method 1: Change the Send/Receive interval

  1. Open Outlook and go to the "File" menu.
  2. Click on "Options" (in Outlook 2010 and 2013) or "Office Account" (in Outlook 2016 and later).
  3. Click on "Advanced" (in Outlook 2010 and 2013) or "Send/Receive" (in Outlook 2016 and later).
  4. Under "Send/Receive", you'll see the "Schedule an automatic send/receive every" option.
  5. Choose the interval you prefer from the dropdown menu, such as "Every 15 minutes", "Every 30 minutes", or "Every 1 hour".
  6. Click "OK" to save the changes.

Method 2: Change the polling interval

  1. Open Outlook and go to the "File" menu.
  2. Click on "Options" (in Outlook 2010 and 2013) or "Office Account" (in Outlook 2016 and later).
  3. Click on "Advanced" (in Outlook 2010 and 2013) or "Send/Receive" (in Outlook 2016 and later).
  4. Under "Send/Receive", you'll see the "Polling interval" option.
  5. Enter the desired interval in seconds, such as 900 (15 minutes) or 3600 (1 hour).
  6. Click "OK" to save the changes.

Method 3: Use the Outlook Options dialog box

  1. Open Outlook and go to the "File" menu.
  2. Click on "Options" (in Outlook 2010 and 2013) or "Office Account" (in Outlook 2016 and later).
  3. Click on "Mail" (in Outlook 2010 and 2013) or "General" (in Outlook 2016 and later).
  4. Under "Send and receive", you'll see the "Schedule an automatic send/receive every" option.
  5. Choose the interval you prefer from the dropdown menu, such as "Every 15 minutes", "Every 30 minutes", or "Every 1 hour".
  6. Click "OK" to save the changes.

Note: The polling interval setting may not be available in all versions of Outlook, and the exact steps may vary depending on your Outlook version and configuration.