Outlook not responding is often a result of an issue or error within the application. However, there is no need to worry as this is a fairly common Outlook issue and it is easily fixable most of the time. Here, I am sharing all the solutions that worked out for me when my Outlook failed to respond.
Why is Outlook Not Responding?
1. Add-ins causing errors
Conflicting add-ins can make you unable to open Outlook or prevent it from responding. If so, opening Outlook in safe mode should help.
2. Outdated Outlook version
Outdated Outlook applications may cause compatibility issues which could result in Outlook not responding.
3. Large mailbox size slowing operations
If your PST file has exceeded its storage limit then it could easily cause an Outlook not responding error when you try to access it.
4. Corrupted PST/OST files
Corrupted Outlook data files are a very probable cause. However, I would suggest trying out all the other solutions before drawing a data corruption conclusion.
How to Fix Outlook Not Responding?
There are a lot of methods for you to try out. To keep things simple, I have divided all the solutions into 2 categories-
Make sure to try out all the troubleshooting solutions before you proceed to the advanced options.
A. Troubleshooting solutions
1. Quit Outlook With End Task
If Outlook is not responding and refuses to close, you can use Windows Task Manager to forcefully close the application.
1. Use the Ctrl+ Shift + Esc shortcut to open Task Manager.
2. Locate and right-click on Outlook. Select the End Task option.
2. Update Windows
Updating Windows may just help resolve the Outlook not responding issue. You can easily try it out by following the instructions below-
1. Open Windows Settings.
2. Click on Windows Updates.
3. Click on Update Now.
Advanced Solutions To Fix Outlook Not Responding
1. Disable Outlook Addins
Conflicting Outlook add-ins could not only cause Outlook to not respond but also prevent Outlook from opening itself. We can rectify this by disabling all the conflicting add-ins. To do so, we will need to open Outlook in safe mode you can follow the instructions below to try it out.
1. Access Run Command using the Windows+ R shortcut.
2. Enter outlook.exe /safe and click on OK.
After Outlook opens, you can now follow the given steps to disable conflicting add-ins.
1. Click on File.
2. Click on Options, access the add-ins tab, and click on Go.
3. Uncheck all the boxes of the conflicting add-ins and click on OK.
4. Restart Outlook and verify the results.
2. Repair Outlook
You can repair Outlook by using an inbuilt office repair feature, you can access it through Windows Settings. You can try it by following the instructions below-
1. Open Windows Settings.
2. Click on Apps and access Installed apps.
3. Search for Microsoft Office, click on the 3 dots next to it, and select Modify.
4. Select the Quick Repair option and click on Repair.
3. Repair PST File Using ScanPST
ScanPST is a free inbox repair tool that you can use to rectify the “Outlook not responding” issue. All you need to do is follow the steps below-
(make sure to close Outlook and all related applications before proceeding)
1. Locate ScanPST. you can refer to the below addresses –
Outlook 2019
32-bit Version: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office19
64-bit Version: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office19
Outlook 2016
32-bit Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office16\
64-bit Windows: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\
2. Open ScanPST.
3. Use the Browse option to import the corrupted PST file, then click on Start.
4. In the next window, select the save location and click on Repair.
5. Verify the results.
4. Repair PST File Using SFWare PST Repair
SFWare PST Repair is a professional tool that you can use to repair corrupted PST files an resolve “Outlook not responding” issues. With its advanced algorithm and user-friendly interface, anyone can easily repair severely corrupted Outlook data files within a few clicks. You can try it out for yourself by downloading the software now!
1. Download, install, and launch SFWare PST Repair.
2. Import your PST file using one of the provided options-
- Open Default PST file: Imports Outlook PST file from default location.
- Select PST File Manually: Manually browse and select the corrupt PST file.
- Find All Your PST Files: The software scans the entire drive and lists all the Outlook data files for you to choose from.
3. Select The Smart Scan option, choose a destination Path, and click on Repair.
4. After the repair process, view the repaired PST file and verify the results.
To Conclude
I hope that you were able to successfully resolve the Outlook not responding issue with the help of this article. Ensure that you follow clean practices such as regularly updating Outlook and Windows, creating and maintaining backups, and keeping a check on your add-ins will help prevent common Outlook issues in the future. If you have any feedback or related queries, please do reach out to me.
