Outlook 2016 Sync Issues Folder: Understanding the Local Failures, Conflicts, and Sync Issues

When using Outlook 2016, you may encounter issues with syncing your emails, tasks, or calendar events across different devices or locations. One of the key folders that helps resolve these sync issues is the Sync Issues folder. In this article, we'll delve into what makes up this folder, including Local Failures, Conflicts, and Sync Issues.

Local Failures

When Outlook 2016 cannot send an item to the mail server, it designates it as a failure and saves a copy in the Local Failures folder. This can occur when you've made changes to an email, task, or calendar event on your phone that are not showing up in Outlook. The Conflicts folder holds any different copies of the same item, allowing you to choose which version you want to keep.

Conflicts

If Outlook 2016 experiences problems syncing with the mail server, it may result in duplicate copies of the same email. The Sync Issues folder records logs for synchronizations, helping identify general problems or delays when syncing with the mail server. This is why you might see an email in your Sent Items folder that was sent from Outlook on your computer but is still visible in the O365 online portal.

Sync Issues

Outlook 2016 synchronizes with your mail server regularly in the background, usually after working offline or experiencing connectivity problems. Each of these folders holds emails about a specific kind of problem: Local Failures, Conflicts, and Sync Issues. The Sync Issues folder messages are only visible within the Outlook client on your machine, so you won't find them in the Outlook web app.

When navigating through the Navigation pane, you'll notice that all mail folders in your mailbox, including the Sync Issues folder and its three sub-folders, are displayed. By understanding the different components of the Sync Issues folder, you can better troubleshoot and resolve sync issues in Outlook 2016.

Outlook 2016 sync issues folder