Outlook is so important—it’s almost sacred. If you are a regular user who depends heavily on the inbox application to perform daily operations, then Outlook not working or opening would be a big punch in the gut.
If you are reading this, you are probably having trouble with Outlook at the moment either with errors such as “cannot start Microsoft Outlook” or other issues, so let’s see what we can do about it to repair Outlook.
Preliminary Actions
Before we move on to the serious solutions, it is advisable to confirm that the problem indeed lies with the Outlook application. To do so you can try out the steps below-
- Verify Internet connection
- Update Outlook
- Verify if other applications face a similar issue
After trying these basic solutions. You might have either fixed your Outlook or the issue persists. If the issue continues to trouble you, then you have to continue with the solutions mentioned below.
How to Fix Outlook?
Solutions like opening Outlook in safe mode, fixing Outlook profile, and Repairing Outlook using Microsoft Office using the in-built tool. One can also try reinstalling their Outlook application. Last but not least, you can try to repair Outlook PST files using the ScanPST tool or using a specialized Outlook repair tool.
1. Fix Outlook by Opening Outlook in Safe Mode
Opening Outlook in safe mode means that the application will only open all the necessary files to start the applications. Added customizations and add-ins do not open.
Step 1: Use the Windows+R shortcut to open the Run command.
Step 2: Type in “Outlook.exe /safe” and click on OK.
If this method works, try disabling your add-ins and any recent customizations that you may have made in Outlook to permanently fix the issue.
2. Repair Outlook
Microsoft Office has an inbuilt repair tool to repair the Outlook application. If the application application is corrupted, you can repair Outlook 365 by following the steps below-
1: Use the Windows+I shortcut to open Windows Settings.
2: Access the Apps tab and click on Installed Apps.
3: Locate Microsoft Office Professional and click on the three dots next to it and select the Modify option.
4: Agree to Run the application as Administrator by clicking on Yes.
5: Select Quick Repair and click on Repair.
6: Check to see if the Outlook issues persist.
The next solution to repair Outlook is to reinstall the problematic Outlook version/application.
3. Fix Outlook by Reinstalling Outlook Application
If there was any error during the installation of the application or an update, reinstalling the application is the way to go. We have divided this process into two parts. Find out how to reinstall Outlook using the instructions below-
Part 1- Uninstall Microsoft Office
1: Use the Windows+R shortcut to open Windows Settings.
2: Access the Apps tab and click on Installed Apps.
3: locate Microsoft Office 2019 and click on the three dots next to it.
4: select Uninstall.
Part 2- Reinstall Microsoft Office
1: Download the Office Suite from the Windows App Store.
2: Reinstall Microsoft 365.
The last option in this list is to repair the Outlook data file.
4. Repair Outlook Data File
If all the above methods were unsuccessful, you could take a closer look at the Outlook data file instead. You can easily use ScanPST to examine and repair your PST file. If that does not work you can try using SFWare PST repair software.
a. Repair Outlook Data File with ScanPST
1: Locate Scanpst.exe using the addresses provided below-
32-bit Version: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office19
64-bit Version: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office19
2: Open the Inbox Repair tool.
3: Use the Browse Option to Import the corrupted PST file. Click Start and initiate the scanning process.
4: After the Scanning process, Scan PST states if there are any errors that it can repair.
5: Select the box for creating a backup of the corrupt PST file, select a destination location, and click on Repair.
6: Rename the repaired PST file and verify the results.
ScanPST can only repair and fix minor corruption and issues in Outlook files. If your Outlook data files have gotten severely corrupt or extremely damaged. Then, you need to try specialized Outlook PST repair tools.
b. Repair Outlook Data File with SFWare PST Repair Software
SFWare PST Repair Software is a professional data recovery software that is capable of repairing PST files with high levels of corruption. To get Outlook to work seamlessly with your PST file, use the SFWare PST repair tool now!
Steps to Fix PST files using the SFWare PST Repair:
Step 1: Download, Install, and open the SFWare PST Repair Tool.
Step 2: Upon opening, select a PST file import method.
- Open Default PST file: To Import the default Outlook PST file.
- Select PST File Manually: Manually Browse and select a PST file.
- Find all Your OPST Files: The software scans the entire drive and lists all the Outlook data files, you can choose from them.
Step 3: Select the scan, choose a destination path for the repaired PST file, and click on Repair.
Step 4: Once the scan is completed you can view the results summary, and save the file if satisfied.
5. Contact Microsoft support
When you feel that you are experiencing a Microsoft-related issue that you can’t solve, you can always contact Microsoft Support.
To Conclude
When Outlook is not working, or Outlook keeps crashing pondering upon the cause won’t be of use unless it is a regular issue. I would encourage readers to fix it by trying the solutions in this article. While carrying out the above methods it is advisable to close Outlook beforehand.
Frequently Ask Questions on Fixing Outlook
Q1. How do I Repair Outlook?
You can repair Outlook by following any of the below solutions-
- Open Outlook in safe mode.
- Repair Outlook using Quick Repair.
- Uninstall and reinstall Outlook.
- Repair Outlook data files using ScanPst or a professional tool.
Q2. What does Outlook Quick Repair do?
Outlook Quick Repair troubleshoots all minor Outlook problems and serves as an easy-fix solution. If the Outlook issue persists, you can try out the Online Repair Option.
Q3. I am unable to use ScanPst what do I do?
- Run ScanPST as Administrator.
- Close Outlook beforehand.
- Disable the AntiVirus software if any.
- Before you begin, update Windows, Microsoft Office, and Outlook.
- Once the file is repaired, you need to buy the full version to save the repaired file.
