What’s causing the Error 0x8004210A?
We’ve investigated this particular issue by looking at various user reports and by testing out the different repair strategies that are commonly recommended by other affected users that already managed to fix the problem. As it turns out, several different scenarios might lead to the apparition of this particular issue. Here’s a shortlist of potential culprits that might trigger this error code: If you’re encountering this problem and you’re looking for a fix that will allow you to send emails without facing this error code, this article will provide you with several different troubleshooting guides. Down below, you’ll find a collection of potential fixes that other users in a similar situation have successfully used to get to the bottom of the issue and fix this behavior. If you’re looking to be as efficient as possible, we advise you to follow the potential fixes in the same order since we ordered them via efficiency and severity. Eventually, you should stumble upon a fix that will resolve the issue regardless of the culprit that’s causing the problem. Let’s begin!
Method 1: Increasing the server timeouts
As it turns out, one of the most common issues that will ultimately cause the Error 0x8004210A is an incorrect Server Timeout issue. Keep in mind that Outlook needs to work with a stipulated time to complete the entire sending/receiving procedure. If that period is insufficient to contain the email server and complete the exchange of data, the Error 0x8004210A will ve thrown by your email client (Outlook). Several affected users have managed to resolve the issue by accessing Outlook settings and enlarging the Server Timeout settings. Most affected users that have followed this guide have reported that they’ve successfully prevented the Error 0x8004210A from ever appearing again by raising the server timeout default value. In most cases, this will give your email client enough time to complete the exchange of data. Here’s a quick guide on resolving the 0x8004210A by raising the Server Timeouts count: If you’re still encountering the same 0x8004210A error, move down to the next method below.
Method 2: Disabling the third party AV interference
As it has been reported by several different affected users, this issue can very well be triggered by an overprotective AV suite. According to user reports, there are mainly two scenarios that will facilitate the error code 0x8004210A in conjunction with 3rd party security suites:
3rd party suite uses an integrated Outlook scanning featureThe security suite/ firewall is interrupting the connection between your email client and the email server.
If you’re using a third-party suite and you’re thinking that one of the scenarios described above might be applicable, you have a couple of potential repair strategies at your disposal. First things first, start by ensuring that your AV doesn’t have an Email Shield (or similar equivalent). To do this, access your AV settings menu and look for an option to disable Email Shield. Chances are you’ll only need to uncheck (disable the associated toggle). If this didn’t work or you’ve discovered that the Email Shielding function wasn’t enabled, you should start investigating if your 3rd party suite is actually blocking the communication with the email settings with a firewall setting – McAfee & Karsperkly are among the most commonly reported 3rd party suites with the potential of causing this issue. Keep in mind that if a firewall setting is actually causing the problem, simply disabling real-time protection will not help your situation since the same security rules will remain firmly in place. In this case, the only viable fix that you have at your disposal is to uninstall the 3rd party suite and ensure that you’re also removing any leftover files that might still be causing the same problem. Here’s a quick guide on how to do this:
Method 3: Using the Inbox Repair Tool
As it turns out, another fairly common scenario that might contribute to the apparition of the 0x8004210A error is an inconsistency with the Outlook (.PST or .OST) file. If this critical email file is tainted by corruption, your email application might be prevented from communicating with the email servers. Some users that were also struggling to resolve this problem have managed to do so by fixing the .PST or .OST file by using the Inbox Repair tool and restarting their computer. After doing this, most affected users have reported that they were able to send and receive emails without seeing the 0x8004210A error ever again. Keep in mind that although this tool is included with all the recent Outlook versions, the location might be different depending on the Outlook version that you’re using. For the sake of keeping the instructions as simple as possible, we’re going to showcase a way that will work universally (regardless of the Outlook version that you’re using). Note: We’ve only been able to verify the steps below on Outlook 2013 and later. If the steps below do not apply to your Outlook version, move directly to Method 4. Here’s a quick guide on repairing the Outlook (.PST or .OST) file using the Inbox Repair Tool:
Method 4: Repairing the Office Installation
If you’ve followed the instructions above and you’ve confirmed that the issue is not occurring due to a corrupted Outlook file (.PST or .OST), there’s a high chance that the issue is encountering due to some kind of corruption inside the Office installation that ends up limiting the functionality of the Outlook app. Several Windows users that found themselves in a similar situation have reported that they finally managed to resolve the issue entirely by repairing the entire Office installation using the built-in functionality. If you recently noticed signs that the Office installation might have been corrupted (a quarantined item, a weird startup error, etc.) you should continue by ensuring that you’re not dealing with a corrupted Office installation by repairing it via the Programs and Features menu. Here’s a quick menu on repairing the Office installation to resolve any system file corruption that might be causing the problem:
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