How to Fix Common Microsoft Outlook Issues
Microsft Outlook issues
Losing access to your email account on Outlook can be an absolute disaster. It can be hard to troubleshoot Outlook issues because the error messages can be vague or non-existent.
However, you can solve many common Outlook problems with a few clicks. Here are all the ways to fix common Microsoft Outlook issues.
1. Check If Outlook Is Up-to-Date
It’s good to keep both Windows 10 and Outlook updated. This ensures that you get the latest features and bug fixes. They should keep themselves updated automatically, but you can manually double-check.
For Windows 10, press Windows key + I to open Settings and click Update & Security > Check for updates.
For Outlook, open the program and go to File > Office Account > Update Options > Update Now.
2. Use the Support and Recovery Assistant
Microsoft is well aware of the difficulties that most users can have with Outlook and the Office suite as a whole. To address these issues, Microsoft developed a tool that might be able to right any wrongs automatically.
The Support and Recovery Assistant is always available from the support center on Outlook, and can always help you out when Outlook stops responding, when the client cannot receive emails when shared calendars and mailboxes stop working when the program keep on asking for your password, and when the program claims to be “trying to connect” or complains about being “disconnected”.
Download the Assistant and follow the wizard through. It will try to automatically detect and repair any problems.
3. Disable Compatibility Mode
If you’re using an older version of Windows and get a “cannot start Microsoft Outlook” error message, then compatibility mode is probably to blame. This feature is intended to facilitate the use of the program on an older operating system, but it can sometimes cause problems of its own.
To check whether compatibility mode is activated, you need to find the Outlook.exe file. To do this, open Start, enter Outlook.exe. Then, right-click the result and select Open file location.
Alternatively, navigate there via File Explorer at the following path: Program Files > Microsoft Office > Root > Office16.
Right-click the file and choose Properties, then head to the Compatibility tab. If any of the fields on this screen are checked, uncheck them. Then click OK.
4. Run Outlook in Safe Mode
If Outlook stops responding while a “processing” message is currently on-screen, it is worth starting the program in Safe Mode to possibly diagnose the issue.
To do so, press Windows key + R to open Run, enter Outlook.exe /safe, and click OK.
If Outlook opens up successfully, close the program and then open it up as normal. Hopefully, it would no longer hang at the “processing” dialog stage.
5. Make Repairs
Outlook startup issues are usually caused by a corrupted installation file or damaged data files. Fortunately, it is simple to run a repair operation on these files.
Repair the Office Suite: To repair Office as a whole, press Windows key + I to open Settings and click Apps. Find Microsoft Office on the list, select it, then click Modify.
This will open a window that asks how you would like to repair Office. Assuming you’re connected to the internet, select Online Repair, then click Repair. Let the wizard run and see if it fixes your issues.
Repair Your Microsoft Outlook Data Files: If Your Microsoft Outlook is not working properly, but the rest of the Office suite is, there could be a problem with the data files of the program. To solve this, we can make use of the Inbox Repair Tool.
The Inbox Repair Tool by default is installed alongside your Microsoft Office installation. Go to your Outlook installation folder (Program Files > Microsoft Office > Root > Office16), and open SCANPST.exe. More information about this tool can be found on Microsoft’s Repair Outlook Data Files page.
Repair Your Outlook Profile: A corrupted profile might also be the cause of your difficulties with Outlook. To get started on a fix, open the Control Panel (search for it on the Start menu) and search for Mail.
This will launch the Mail Setup window. Click the box labeled Email Accounts.
On the next screen, find your account and click Repair.
Follow any further steps in the wizard as necessary the actions may differ depending on the problem.
