We're Having Trouble Fetching Results From the Server — What It Means and How to Fix It

The "we're having trouble fetching results from the server" error is a generic connectivity message that appears when an app cannot reach its backend server or API endpoint. It appears in Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Teams, web browsers, search engines, and many cloud applications. The cause is almost always temporary — the fix usually takes under 5 minutes.

Part 1. Check for a Service Outage First

Before troubleshooting your own setup, verify the service itself is not down. Spending 30 minutes checking your network when the server is simply offline wastes time.

Check service status pages:

Quick social media check:

Search Twitter/X for the service name + "down" or "server error." If thousands of users report the same issue simultaneously, it is an outage — wait for the service to recover.

💡 Tip: For Microsoft 365 outages, even non-admin users can check portal.office.com — any active service health advisories appear in the admin or message center section. Admins get full details; regular users see a status banner when there is a known issue.

Part 2. Check Your Internet Connection

If no outage is reported, verify your own connectivity.

Basic checks:

1. Open a different website or app that uses the internet — does it work?
2. Ping the service server from Command Prompt: ping outlook.office365.com (use the relevant domain)
3. Check if other devices on the same network have the same problem
4. If using Wi-Fi: try switching to a wired Ethernet connection or mobile hotspot to isolate Wi-Fi issues

Restart your network equipment:

1. Turn off your router and modem
2. Wait 30 seconds
3. Turn on the modem first, wait for it to connect
4. Turn on the router
5. Test the connection again

🗣️ r/Outlook user: "Teams kept showing 'trouble fetching results' only on my work Wi-Fi. Turned out the guest VLAN I was connected to had a firewall rule blocking Microsoft's servers. Switched to the corporate VLAN and it worked instantly."

Part 3. Clear App Cache and Cookies

Corrupted local cache data can cause apps to fail to communicate with servers even when the network is fine.

Clear cache in Microsoft Outlook:

For Outlook 365 / Outlook 2019/2021:

1. Go to File → Account Settings → Account Settings
2. Select your email account → Change
3. Under Offline Settings, reduce the cached mail period (or toggle Cached Exchange Mode off/on)
4. Click Next → Finish → restart Outlook

Clear cache in Microsoft Teams:

1. Close Teams completely (right-click taskbar icon → Quit)
2. Press Win + R → type %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams
3. Delete the contents of: Cache, blob_storage, databases, GPUCache, Local Storage, tmp
4. Reopen Teams

Clear browser cache:

• Chrome: Ctrl + Shift + Delete → All time → Cached images and files + Cookies → Clear data
• Edge: Ctrl + Shift + Delete → same process
• Firefox: Ctrl + Shift + Delete → select Everything → select all items → Clear Now

🗣️ r/MicrosoftTeams user: "Teams 'trouble fetching results' after a corporate password change. Clearing the Teams cache folder fixed it in 2 minutes. Should have tried this first instead of reinstalling."

Part 4. Fix DNS Issues

DNS (Domain Name System) translates server names (like outlook.office365.com) into IP addresses. A misconfigured or slow DNS server can cause fetch failures even when the internet connection itself is working.

Flush DNS cache:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator
2. Run: ipconfig /flushdns
3. Run: ipconfig /registerdns
4. Run: netsh winsock reset
5. Restart Windows

Change to a public DNS server:

1. Open Control Panel → Network and Sharing Center → Change adapter settings
2. Right-click your active connection → Properties
3. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) → Properties
4. Select Use the following DNS server addresses:
   • Preferred: 8.8.8.8 (Google) or 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare)
   • Alternate: 8.8.4.4 (Google) or 1.0.0.1 (Cloudflare)
5. Click OK

⚠️ Important: Changing DNS settings affects all internet traffic on the device. If you are on a corporate network, check with IT before changing DNS — some corporate environments route internal services through internal DNS servers, and switching to public DNS can break access to internal tools and resources.

Part 5. Fix: App Credentials or Session Expired

Some "fetching results" errors in Microsoft 365 apps are actually credential expiration issues that manifest as generic server errors.

Re-sign in to Microsoft apps:

1. In Outlook or Teams: go to your profile picture (top right) → Sign out
2. Close the app
3. Reopen and sign in again
4. If MFA is required, complete the authentication process

Check token expiration:

For Microsoft 365 work accounts, access tokens expire after 1–24 hours (depending on policy). If you have been logged in for a long time without activity, simply signing out and back in often resolves the error.

💡 Tip: In Outlook, if re-signing in does not work, remove the account from Outlook entirely (File → Account Settings → Account Settings → Remove) and re-add it fresh. This forces Outlook to request new tokens and establish a fresh connection.

Part 6. Recover Locally Stored Files if Service Becomes Inaccessible

If a server error has become persistent and you cannot access your data through the app (for example, Outlook PST or OST files stored locally, or Teams downloaded files), Ritridata can help recover any locally stored files that may have been affected.

Outlook PST/OST file locations:

• C:\Users\[Username]\Documents\Outlook Files\
• C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\

If PST/OST files were accidentally deleted during troubleshooting, install Ritridata on a separate drive and run a Deep Scan to recover them.

FAQ

Q: Why do I get "trouble fetching results" only on certain networks? Network-specific failures usually indicate a firewall rule, DNS configuration difference, or proxy setting on that network. Corporate networks often have firewall rules blocking certain Microsoft or Google endpoints. Check if the same app works on a mobile hotspot — if yes, the issue is the network environment.

Q: Does "trouble fetching results" always mean a server is down? No — it means the app could not reach the server, but the cause can be local (your network, your DNS, your cache) or remote (the actual server). Checking the service status page immediately tells you which it is.

Q: Why does this error appear in Google Search or Bing? Search engine fetch errors are almost always temporary server issues or local network problems. Wait 5 minutes and try again. If the error persists, flush your DNS cache and try in a private browsing window to rule out browser cache issues.

Q: Can a VPN cause this error? Yes — VPNs route traffic through different servers, which can cause timeouts or connection failures if the VPN endpoint is slow or geographically distant from the service servers. Disconnect the VPN temporarily to test whether it resolves the error.

Q: How do I fix this error in Outlook specifically? For Outlook, the most effective fixes in order are: (1) check Microsoft 365 service health at admin.microsoft.com, (2) toggle Cached Exchange Mode off and on in Account Settings, (3) clear Windows Credential Manager of all Outlook-related entries, (4) sign out and back in to your Microsoft account.

Q: How long do server outages typically last? Most major cloud service outages (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace) are resolved within 1–4 hours. Extended outages affecting partial regions can last longer. Check the service health page for estimated resolution times and updates.

References

• Microsoft 365 Service Health Dashboard
• Microsoft Azure Service Status
• Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 DNS
• Microsoft Support — Troubleshoot Outlook connectivity
• Ritridata — Data Recovery Software