Outlook is Sending Multiple Copies of an Email – Issue Fixed
“I use MS Outlook for sending and receiving emails among team members. For the past few days, MS Outlook is sending multiple copies of an email. Though I send an email once, my sent box shows it twice. Even when I receive an email, I receive it twice or thrice. However, I have done some troubleshooting to fix this, but the duplication persists. I am unable to manage my emails and looking forward to getting a solution to fix this. Can you please suggest a reliable way to fix this and make sure I don’t get duplicate emails?”
Outlook email duplication is a typical user query of MS Outlook users. Users often address such queries that “Why am I getting multiple copies of emails?” and they are troubled. Therefore, move forward in this blog post to know the reason behind Outlook mail duplication and methods to fix this. However, you can also use DRS Outlook Duplicates Remover, a professional tool to eliminate all duplicate mails. Moving forward, let us first know the possible reasons that cause Outlook mail duplication.
Outlook Sending Multiple Copies of Same Email – Why?
In today’s digital scenario, either for individual use, organizations, or enterprises, people prefer MS Outlook to send/receive emails, manage contacts, etc. However, sometimes the behavioral change in Outlook, even a small issue, is troublesome. So, it is important to wonder “Why am I getting multiple copies of emails?” Here are some of the prominent reasons for duplication in Outlook:
- If, your MS Outlook integrates itself with the virus scanner.
- Server timeout can also be a considerable cause.
- The short interval of sending/receiving mail.
- If you are using the same Outlook account on multiple devices.
- Incorrect Outlook account configuration.
- Or, problems in the modem, Wi-Fi, router, etc. need to be fixed.
Thus, these are possible reasons for Outlook mail duplication. Further, let us move on to the solutions for fixing this issue.
Solutions to Fix ‘Outlook is Sending Multiple Copies of an Email’
To fix Outlook 2016 sending multiple copies of emails, you need to address the right cause first and then we will take steps accordingly. Some of the solutions based on causes are as follows:
#1. MS Outlook and Virus Scanner are Integrated
When the Antivirus program installed on your system gets integrated with MS Outlook, Outlook can create mail duplicates. The virus scanner scans all activities taking place and thus scans all incoming and outgoing mail. Therefore, you need to disable the antivirus for some time. After that, try to send emails from Outlook, if you see no mail duplicates you need to uninstall the Antivirus application. However, if the “Outlook sending two copies of email” problem persists, switch to another method.
#2. Send/Receive Mail Time Interval
If the send/receive task interval is set for a short period, say less than 5 minutes. Then, it takes time for the mail to be uploaded to the mail server. Meanwhile, the next send/receive process starts even before the previous process is completed. As a result, the mail is saved in the Outbox to send it later. Therefore, you need to change the Send/Receive time gap by following the steps given below.
For Outlook 2007 and older versions:
- Go to the ‘Tools” tab
- Click on the Options button.
- Now, click Mail Setup and then, go to Send/Receive.
For Outlook 2010 and 2013
- Go to File and click Options.
- Then, click on Advanced.
- Send/Receive for changing time interval.

Note: By default Send/Receive time interval is 30 minutes. You must set the time interval for more than 5 minutes. And if more than 3 Outlook accounts are configured, it should not be lower than 10 minutes.
#3. Check Server TimeOut
Another reason why Outlook is sending multiple copies of an email can be Server Timeout. As you know, both IMAP and POP3 work according to server timeout. And the minimum required timeout is 1 Minute. Therefore, if an Outlook user is working with a slow connection, it’s needed to increase the server timeout to avoid duplicate emails. Follow the steps as directed below:
- Open Outlook and click on File.
- Expand Account Settings and click on Account Settings…

- There, select your POP3/IMAP account.

- Hit the ‘Change’ option.
- And then go to More Settings.
- Open the Advanced Tab.
- You will see a Server Timeout slider, adjust the slide to increase the Server timeout.

#4. Check Other factors
Other causes for “Outlook sending 2 copies of every email” can be Outlook Synchronization Errors, Corrupt Emails, incorrect rules configuration, or enabling ‘Don’t save copies of saved items’. You can also fix these issues and check if Outlook is still creating duplicates or not.

These methods are some of the solutions and changes that you should make if you encounter an “Outlook is sending multiple copies of an email” issue. But it’s not that hard and fast that it will fix the problem. However, if you are unable to manage emails because of duplicates, you can delete duplicate emails. But, if you have many duplicates then it is not possible to delete all the duplicates manually. Additionally, you may accidentally delete the original email and lose important data, therefore, we suggest that you use an automated Outlook duplicate remover tool.
Professional Approach to Stop the Repeated Duplicate Outlook Emails
Go for DRS PST Duplicate Remover Tool, to remove all your duplicates in one go. It is a must-have utility if you are troubled by ‘Outlook sending multiple copies of same email’. The tool is an advanced and proficient tool to remove all unnecessary data from Outlook Mailbox. Also, it has various advanced features to make the process easy and provide you with accurate results.
Features of the Outlook Duplicate Remover Tool
- Allows batch selection of Outlook files and removes duplicates at once.
- It can also remove other mailbox data such as contacts, calendars, etc.
- You can perform different actions on the duplicate data.
- It also provides multiple parameters to remove duplicates.
- Also, you can remove duplicates from a specific date range.
- Runs smoothly and compatibly on all versions of Windows OS.
How to Remove Duplicates Using Outlook Duplicate Remover?
Follow the steps below to remove duplicates:
- Download and run the DRS Outlook Duplicate Remover.
- Click on the Browse… button to select the PST files.
- In the preview, tick the mailbox folders you need and hit Next.
- Now, select the Mail filter, Task filter, Duplicate criteria, etc.
- Lastly, to proceed with the process, click Convert.
You must note that the DRS Outlook Duplicate Remover has a free trial version to help users evaluate the tool’s features.
Conclusion
Are you now clear ‘why Outlook is sending multiple copies of an email?’ To tackle this issue, you must find out the right cause and then move on to the right procedure. And if you want to remove all the duplicates without any hassle opt for the Outlook Duplicate Remover tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
For several reasons, Outlook is sending two copies of every email. Some of them are-
Server Timeout,
Send/Receive Interval,
Synchronization error,
MS Outlook integrated with the Antivirus program,
Incorrect Rules configuration and many more.
Disable Antivirus
Increase Server Timeout
Change Send/Receive Interval
Enable the ‘Don’t save copies of saved items’
Check the Outlook Profile synchronization.
If you are dealing with multiple copies of the same email in Outlook, you can disable the virus scanner program, changing server Timeouts, changing Send/receive period, etc. However, if you want to remove all duplicate emails from your mailbox at once, you can use the professional Outlook Duplicates Remover tool.
About The Author:
Shivam is a digital marketer and technical content writer at DRS Solution®, specializing in topics like databases, email recovery, and migration solutions. She enjoys researching and crafting content that assists database administrators, businesses, and beginners in resolving various issues related to MS SQL, MySQL, and Microsoft Exchange.