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Fix “Your Mailbox has Been Temporarily Moved to the Microsoft Exchange Server” Error

Anuraag Singh | Published: May 30, 2025 | Exchange Server | 4 Minutes Reading

You’re about to hit “Send” when Outlook pops up “Your mailbox has been temporarily moved to the Microsoft Exchange server.”

Now you’re stuck choosing between a “Temporary Mailbox” you know is empty, or “Work Offline” and miss out on new mail. Frustrating, right? Don’t panic—99% of the time, this is just a hiccup on your PC, not the Exchange server. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you back online fast.

Why This Happens?

  1. Corrupt Outlook Profile
     Your Outlook profile is like a map to your mailbox. If it’s damaged, Outlook can’t find your messages.

  2. Damaged Offline Files (OST)
     Outlook stores a local copy of your mailbox (the OST file). If that file gets corrupted, syncing stalls.

  3. Troublesome Add-ins
     Third-party add-ins can sometimes clash with Outlook’s core processes.

  4. Cached Exchange Mode Glitches
     The local cache that speeds up Outlook can also get out of sync and confuse Outlook.

  5. Rare Server Maintenance
     Occasionally, the Exchange server really is being updated, though this is less common for this specific error.

If Your Mailbox has been Temporarily Moved on Microsoft Exchange Server, Backup Your Data

If you have any local archives or PST files, copy them to a safe folder. Better safe than sorry! SysTools Exchange Export tool can help you in this regard. Check out the guide on how to export Exchange email to a PST file. We also have tutorials on other file formats.

1. Create a Fresh Outlook Profile

  1. Close the Outlook client.

  2. Open Control Panel → Mail (Microsoft Outlook) (32-bit) → Show Profiles.

  3. Click Add, name it something like “Outlook Fresh,” and walk through the account setup wizard.

  4. Back in the Mail window, select Always use this profile, choose your new one, and click OK.

  5. Restart Outlook.

Result: Outlook starts with a clean slate, usually resolving profile corruption.

When Your Mailbox has been Temporarily Moved on Microsoft Exchange Server, Rebuild Your Offline File (OST)

  1. Stop Outlook.

  2. In File Explorer, paste %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Outlook into the address bar and press Enter.

  3. Find your account’s .ost file. Copy it somewhere safe (e.g., your Documents folder).

  4. Delete the original .ost in the Outlook folder.

  5. Restart Outlook. It will download a fresh copy of your mailbox from the server.

Result: Any corruption in your local copy vanishes as Outlook rebuilds it.

Check for Bad Add-ins

  1. If your mailbox has been temporarily moved on Microsoft Exchange Server, close Outlook.

  2. Then, press Windows Key + R, type Outlook.exe /safe, and press Enter to launch in Safe Mode.
    Open Outlook in Safe Mode

  3. If Outlook works fine, go to File → Options → Add-ins.

  4. At the bottom, select COM Add-ins and click Go…

  5. Uncheck everything, click OK, then restart Outlook normally.

  6. Finally, re-enable add-ins one by one until you identify the offender.

Result: You’ll spot any plug-in that’s blocking normal operation.

Refresh Cached Exchange Mode and Fix Your Mailbox has been Temporarily Moved on Microsoft Exchange Server Error

  1. Close Outlook.

  2. Open Control Panel → Mail (Microsoft Outlook) (32-bit) → Email Accounts…
    Your Mailbox has been Temporarily Moved on Microsoft Exchange Server Use Different Email Accounts

  3. Select your account and click Change.

  4. Then, toggle Use Cached Exchange Mode off, click Next/Finish, then restart Outlook.

  5. Repeat the steps to toggle it back on, and restart again.

Result: Forces Outlook to rebuild its cache, clearing any sync bugs.

Use Professional Exchange Repair Unit

Deploy your very own instance of the SysTools Exchange Recovery toolkit. This is purpose-built to handle all faulty EDB files that may cause this issue. Use it to fix your Exchange Server and use Outlook freely. 

When to Call IT

If you’ve tried all the above and still see that your mailbox has been temporarily moved on Microsoft Exchange Server, it’s time to loop in your IT team. They can:

  • Verify Autodiscover settings (how Outlook locates the server).

  • Check the firewall or proxy rules that might block traffic.

  • Confirm whether any server-side maintenance or updates are in progress.

Final Tip: Always Back Up

Seriously, always back up your important data. It’s like having insurance for your emails. If something goes wrong, you’ll be glad you did!

By following these steps, you can often fix the “Your mailbox has been temporarily moved on Microsoft Exchange server” error yourself and get back to your emails quickly.