Outlook beachball on one computer, vanished emails on the other - Microsoft Community

i have imac running yosemite , macbook air running sierra - both have outlook; imac pop, mba imap, , it's been way years no problem. haven't changed settings anywhere. i've had problems outlook double-downloading emails, nothing compares this.

this morning imac outlook has been beachballing me - yesterday fine usual. i've restarted outlook 3-4 times , restarted computer once. nothing has helped. have click in outlook , beachball starts - goes away after couple of minutes, returns when click again.

on mba, email has vanished - inbox, sent mail. , can send myself email, watch appear in inbox, , watch disappear within minute or two, if not less. emails i've sent wife morning , test emails i've sent myself morning still in sent folder, none of thousands of emails i've sent on computer on last 4 years there - gone. mail in various folders gone.

to complete disaster - email has vanished roadrunner webmail. of it.

with apple's vaunted syncing among devices, possible mba retrieve email imac? not remain in mba once there.

help!

(edit) - osx mail accounts empty, while sent folder contains emails sent morning - , wasn't using mail. still there should thousands of emails in inbox , folders, and...nothing.

hi lance - 

ok, here's happened. well, bottom line working now. don't yet have missing email i'm exporting imac , import (i hope) on mba. (time machine mess far i'm concerned - have never been able make use of it, can't restore because button grayed out - @ point don't care because of tip gave me.

finally time warner called me , said problem happened because of imap - said when emails deleted in webmail, imap thing automatically deletes them computers - think because imap emails not on computer. don't remember deleting them. , did not delete after huge vanishing - on webmail looking @ them , watched them vanish in front of eyes, didn't have time read them, less delete them. tw had no explanation that. did should have email imap - tw recommendation , apparently experts' - or pop, recommendation because me it's ridiculous deleting mail webmail, have periodically keep exceeding limit, delete mail on computer. never knew happening - when tw went imap time in 2015 think, never told me it, or else i'm sure. , never explained how worked. i'm still not sure understand right. regardless, want have emails on computer. think understand can imap have create folders , move emails folders. , they're on computer? right? issue make sure before clean out webmail.

you said once pop mail dl server, it's deleted server. that's not case roadrunner @ least. emails remain there until go in , delete them, , if wait long rr tell me i'm getting close full. on each individual email in outlook i'm given option button delete server.

in event, managed change of email pop - outlook , apple mail. can't webmail, i'm not sure matters. anyway, did that, miracle of miracles, outlook beachball disappeared , hasn't been back! despite fact i'd been operating outlook/pop on 1 computer , outlook/imap on other 2 years no problem. , during time must have cleaned out webmail @ least once - maybe not. (i should keep journal these things.)

so once outlook done exporting - it's huge file, , wouldn't allow me choose inbox, it's taking folders , old mail - i'll try import mba. wonder if import allow me choose folders import. guess when it's done exporting (to desktop) i'll put on flash drive or backup , hook mba.

and i'll date on both computers. 1 thing i've noticed having pop on both computers can't have outlook open on both @ once - error message saying outlook locked session on computer. i'm careful have 1 open @ time.

many many help. solved problem.

Office / Outlook / Mac / Office 2011 for Mac