If you are trapped in a similar situation that my Outlook is not opening, you may feel disturbed about the problem. In the following post, you will find out solutions for the common Outlook not opening problems bonus tips to prevent the problem from happening again.
Why Won’t Outlook Open?
Microsoft Outlook provides a better experience for users. With great functionality, you can manage your email, contacts, calendar as you like.
However, you might sometimes encounter an error message. Or the Outlook is stuck on your computer screen with the word “processing”. Probably, the MS Outlook just freezes and stops working when you open it. Here are some reasons why Microsoft Outlook won’t open:
A standard personal folders file is already there when you start Outlook but you can also create some files by yourself to have a backup copy of emails you archive.
You have known the reasons why won’t Outlook open, then you can scroll to explore methods to fix the Outlook not opening problem.
7 Methods | How Do I Fix Outlook Not Opening?
If you are figuring out how to fix “Outlook Not Opening,” you will find several possible solutions. The best part is that you are spoiled for choice because some are quick to implement while others are time-consuming. This section introduces solutions that you can use when Outlook 2016 or Outlook 2013 is not opening.
1 Find out defective add-ins while in the safe mode
People personalize Outlook to enhance its appearance and functionality by incorporating add-ins. As a result of this, if you see Outlook 2013 signature not opening, probably it’s because of these add-ins. Outlook signature not opening normally shouldn’t be a big problem because your best option is to start it in the Safe Mode and make sure that you disable add-ins. Here are the Solutions you can follow:
Outlook will now start in the safe mode without add-ins. This helps you to identify add-ins that are preventing Outlook from opening normally. The important thing is to complete the following Solutions to identify these add-ins:
If you restart it successfully, it will show you that one or more add-ins are defective. Now, it’s time to uncover them by the elimination process.
2 Change your profile
The first solution might be unsuccessful. Worse still, the Outlook window might not even open in the safe mode. When this happens, consider taking a look at your personal folder file. The Outlook profile contains all the settings, but it can get faulty. This problem can be solved by doing the following:
If you do everything properly, Outlook will open when you use the new profile. This goes to prove that the problem came from your original Outlook profile.
3 Repair corrupt Outlook data files
Data files keep all your email messages, tasks, contacts, and events. The data file may be defective, preventing Outlook from opening. The good news is that there are solutions available to repair the data file. Take a look at the following solutions that will enable you to fix quickly Outlook opening problem:
If the in-box Program cannot fix the corrupted Outlook PST files, you can also try Wondershare Repairit for Email. It is a powerful and almighty software that can be applied to fix corrupt Outlook PST files in any scenarios.
Click the above link to have a quick download, then you can have Outlook errors fixed within minutes.
4 Ensure Outlook is not in Compatibility mode
Compatibility mode is suitable for older software with Windows 10 that fail to run normally. Thankfully, Microsoft Outlook is fully optimized for Windows 10, meaning Compatibility mode is not necessary. You might be wondering what happens when you switch on the Compatibility mode for Outlook. When you do this, your Outlook might have opening problems. For this reason, you should always turn off Compatibility mode for Outlook.
So, is your Outlook not opening Windows 10? The simplest way to solve this problem is to follow the Solutions below:
5 Remove the Outlook App Data folder
Most users have successfully overcome Outlook opening problems by deleting the Outlook App Data folder. Whether it’s Outlook 2010 “not opening” or Outlook 365 “not opening,” it’s worthwhile to follow these Solutions to fix this problem:
Here’s the deal, when Outlook manages to open, all the files you delete will automatically be recreated. It gets better because you also resolve all the Outlook opening issues.
6 Make sure you have permissions for PST file
Outlook keeps all your information in a PST file. However, you will have certain errors if you don’t have the right permissions to access this PST file. The worse part is that Outlook might not open on your computer. You can only fix this problem if you change the security permissions. Below is a simple technique you can perform to correct this issue:
Once you have made these changes in your PST file, Outlook should open without encountering any more problems.
7 Update Outlook
If your Outlook still has problems, there is one more solution you can do before installing a new one. Likely, Microsoft might have already detected the problem and sent you updates to solve the issue. Therefore, update your Outlook by using Windows update in the following way:
With the window with the Windows Update, you will see all the updates you need to make for your Microsoft Office.
However, if you encountered other issues like Outlook not responding, learn how to fix Outlook not responding here.
How to Avoid the “Outlook Won’t Open” Problem?
The Outlook program is a popular e-mail program but it can be frustrating when you can’t open the Outlook Windows. While some specific error codes help you to identify the cause of the problem, many people don’t know how to deal with it in such particular situations. Therefore, to prevent your Outlook from not opening, take the following measures:
Closing words
Outlook opening problems are simple to deal with. The only thing is to know how to overcome them when they arise. Whether it’s defective add-ins, frozen Outlook, faulty data files, and many others, you can manage all these problems yourself. Knowing the cause of the problem will help you sort out all the issues related to Outlook opening.
A well-running Outlook will ensure that you enjoy the full benefits of this popular email program. If you follow the above solutions, your Outlook will perform according to your expectations.
