How can I stop a message in my Outlook outbox that won't send?

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Why not just click on "file" check "work offline" and then go to outbox and delete in offline mode?

I did the disconnect option, worked like a charm.

You don`t have to pull the plug, you can always go to File->click on Work Offline, then click on Outbox, select the email message and delete it. I consider this the easiest way, after deleting this message, go back to File->Work offline and uncheck it so you can send and receive email messages again, this is equal to the procedure described above, the only difference is that you are in the middle of a discussion on IM you are not going offline, just the Outlook :D this method is not leaving you iwthout internet connection for a few seconds. Hope that helped and I admit I didn`t read all the comments so it is possible that someone else already mentioned this :)

Great, thanks a million, I've been trying for days to delete a 72mb picture file that wouldnt send, then i done as you said and whithin about 30 seconds it was gone, cheers!

Outlook 2003 keeps trying to send "phantom" messages. It says sending message 1 of 7 when I have nothing in the outbox. Each day it keeps adding another message and it is dragging down my computer. If I cancel sending or disconnect network connection it is still there.

outlook Professional - Neither of your answers worked for me. The message wouldn't delete (it had a 30 MB attachment). AND it immediately engaged the sending function, so it couldn't be deleted. So I went into message properties for that message and gave it an expiry time that had already passed. Then the message showed as an expired message. I was then immediately able to delete it.

Outlook 2007, XPPro SP3
e-mail never sent, remains in Outbox, endless looping of send-receive tasks (multiple 100's in a minute or two!!), must resort to Task Mgr to stop process, attempts to delete the message fail;
error message: access denied, Outlook has already begun transmitting this message

I've worked for hours and hours, for a couple of days, running virus/ adware cks, trying MS suggestions, ck'g the forums, and nothing worked

FINALLY, one of the responders to this question suggested: under File menu, check Work Offline ... go and delete

voila -- WORKS PERFECTLY

(don't forget to remove check-off, before attempting to send-receive again)

THANK YOU Mark (10.July.07) for helping sanity to reign again

I tried clicking Work Offline; didn't help. I tried closing the network connection; didn't help. Then, with the network disconnected and the Work Offline box checked, I turned Outlook off, waited a couple of minutes, and turned it back on. That did it--instant delete. BTW, the email had an 80mb attachment (yikes!).

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANKS YOU!

NOW I CAN ACTUALLY WORK!

You're the best. Simple, easy advice.

Katie Pace

Had the same problem in Outlook 2007 trying to send through an http account (thought that shouldn't make a difference). Tried all the above without success. Then did the following:

1) Set Outlook to Offline
2) clicked "message options" for the offending message
3) set the "do not deliver before" to sometime later,
4) click delete.... hey presto, I could delete it!!

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