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Outlook from time to time makes an operation 'Send and Receive.' This can sometimes be quite slow and Outlook hangs while this is done.

  1. Is is possible to set different intervals for different mail accounts (if user has multiple accounts configured within Outlook, e.g., main Exchange account and one or more IMAP accounts)

  2. If yes (or even if only for some [e.g., IMAP accounts], where in the settings it can be configured? (e.g., Outlook 2007)

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    There are no mail check intervals with Exchange, as notifications are pushed to the client and therefore are immediate.
    – paradroid
    Feb 4, 2013 at 16:57

3 Answers 3

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Ok i will teach you this on the Microsoft Outlook 2010..

You have to click File > Options > Advanced > Then look for Send/Receive and click on the right button for more options..

There you can create many groups with selected accounts, and then select settings like time interval for checking new emails, download sizes, etc. Its a friendly interface.

Good luck, any problems report with an reply

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    Works on Outlook 2013 too.
    – MadeOfAir
    Aug 17, 2014 at 16:33
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    This does not work for Exchange-based accounts on any version of Outlook. Jan 12, 2015 at 18:59
  • Works on 2016 too
    – Matija
    May 18, 2016 at 7:23
  • @Twisty that's because Exchange accounts are supposed to sync in real-time and not scheduled.
    – lucasmx
    Apr 5, 2017 at 19:03
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    @lucasmx I know that. See the 1st paragraph of my answer. I pointed this out because the OP specifically asked How to specify a...mail check internal...[of] every 5 minutes for Exchange? Your answer suggests that can be done by using the Send/Receive options. Apr 5, 2017 at 19:12
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When using an Exchange account, Outlook does not periodically poll the server for new messages as is necessary with POP3 or IMAP accounts. Instead, the Exchange Server uses push notifications to inform the Outlook client when new messages have arrived.

For this reason, the only control you have over how often Outlook checks for mail from an Exchange account is the Work Offline button. All of the other Send and Receive options in the Outlook application have no effect with an Exchange account. Unfortunately Outlook doesn't have any options in the UI for specifying to go offline and online according to a schedule.

Your options/workarounds for controlling Send/Receive behavior in Outlook with an Exchange account are:

  1. Manually invoke the Work Offline button when you want to check for new mail. Keep in mind that while you're offline messages you send will not be sent until you go back online.
  2. Create the illusion Outlook has not received any mail until you're ready to look at it:

    A. Turn off all New Message notifications in Outlook Options

    B. Create a custom view for your Inbox folder that hides new messages received today. Use it when you don't want to know about new email you've recently received.

Option 2 has its flaws. By far the best work around I've found is to manually employ the Work Offline button.

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  • after hours of trying I also came up with these 2 options. The flaw with the first option: if I try to book meetings then I don't see availabilities as I'm offline
    – hansaplast
    Aug 7, 2015 at 13:19
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    @PhilippKeller You're absolutely right. As noted in my answer, Outlook+Exchange was never intended to give the user control over when their mailbox is checked, so the all-or-nothing option is Work Offline, which, as you noted, isn't without drawbacks. Aug 8, 2015 at 2:00
  • I also created a rule which marked all incoming mail read (I saw the unread count when switching applications)
    – hansaplast
    Aug 10, 2015 at 6:09
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For 2007, Select Tools -> Options.
Select Tab Mail Setup, push button Send/Receive.
Under Setting for Group "All Accounts" change the number for "Schedule an automatic send/receive every $number minutes."

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