Since email is the primary mode of communication at work today, email client applications have become very popular among desktop users. And Microsoft Outlook is the most preferred email client all around the world. It provides you excellent features and great performance. You can effectively communicate at work to get things done. Although many web-based clients are available, most of the users prefer Outlook over them. There are a number of capabilities missing in Gmail and other web-based clients. But Microsoft Outlook never disappoints you. But sometimes users may face some strange Microsoft Outlook problems. Being an application program, Microsoft Outlook is prone to errors and issues which may lead to serious troubles. In this article, I’m sharing top 8 Outlook troubleshooting tips & tricks which will help you resolve problems quickly.
Primarily used as an email application, Microsoft Outlook includes various features like contact manager, task manager, calendar, note taking, journal, and a web-browser. Thus, it can be said that Microsoft Outlook is not just an email client, it’s more than that.
8 Useful Tips for Outlook Troubleshooting
While using Microsoft Outlook client, you’re likely to receive an Outlook error message if there’s any sort of problem. It’s very annoying, isn’t it? Maybe Outlook troubleshooting is challenging for novice users since they don’t have sound knowledge.
If the situation of “fixing Microsoft Outlook problems” has become a nightmare, you should follow the troubleshooting measures I’m sharing below:
#1 – Running Outlook in Safe Mode
This is the very first thing Outlook users should definitely follow. Running Microsoft Outlook in a safe mode is the smartest way to troubleshoot the errors. But keep in mind that a number of features won’t work during safe mode. Also, don’t forget that running Outlook in safe mode isn’t a solution to any problem. It just helps you debug the real cause, that’s it.
#2 – Repairing Microsoft Outlook Installation
Maybe the Microsoft Outlook program you’re using needs to be repaired. It may happen that an internal bug is causing the issue. Or maybe it’s simply a malfunction caused by software collision. Whatever is the reason, you should repair Microsoft Outlook installation. If Outlook doesn’t work properly,
#3 – Running Inbox Repair Tool
Outlook data files are always prone to corruption due to many reasons. Any sort of error may lead to file corruption and prevent Microsoft Outlook client from working properly. So it’s always better to run the Inbox Repair tool scanpst.exe utility against each PST file associated with your Outlook profile. This is the best way to diagnose the real problem within the Outlook data file. The scanpst.exe utility is highly capable to:
- Scan Outlook data file and resolve the errors if found
- Fix header corruption issues and rebuild the file structure
- Reindex PST file by deleting the invalid indices and email messages
Note: The Inbox Repair tool scanpst.exe utility can take some time in scanning the Outlook data file. And if the file is large, the process may take more than enough time. Also, you need to locate the executable file (.exe) of the scanpst.exe utility before you can run it.
#4 – Archiving Outlook Data File
Although it’s really not an Outlook troubleshooting tip or trick, there’s no harm in trying it. Whenever the size of an Outlook data file grows, corruption is likely to happen. Being a smart user, you should never let an Outlook data file grow continuously. Instead, you should use the archive feature of Microsoft Outlook client. If you find that the Outlook data file has already reached its maximum size, you should archive the file by year. Doing this will reduce the size of the original Outlook data file, and also reduce the chances of corruption and other issues which may happen due to an oversized Outlook data file.
#5 – Renaming OST File
If the problem is associated with the offline storage table (OST), you should try to rename the file. Sometimes this small trick is enough to resolve plenty of issues. Follow these simple steps:
- First, close Microsoft Outlook client.
- Open the folder where the OST file is stored. Make sure you can see the extension names.
- Now change the Filename.ost extension to something like Filename.old.
- Next time you open the Microsoft Outlook client, it’ll rebuild the OST file. Hopefully, you won’t face any problem now.
#6 – Rebuilding Outlook Profile
Maybe the issue is related to your Microsoft Outlook profile. So deleting it and rebuilding a new one can help you.
- If Microsoft Outlook profile is working with a POP account, you have to export the current Inbox and other mailbox folders as an Outlook data file. And when you recreate a new POP account, you can import them back.
- Or if the Outlook profile is connecting with an IMAP account or Exchange Server, you can simply delete the profile and recreate a new one.
#7 – Removing Add-ons
If there are many add-ons connected to Microsoft Outlook, it’s likely to be slower than usual. So it’s better to run Outlook in safe mode in order to check how faster and smoother Outlook client runs. You can simply run this command outlook.exe/safe. If Microsoft Outlook runs perfectly in the safe mode, you should disable the add-ons.
- Go to the Trust center and disable the suspected add-ons.
- Now you can restart Microsoft Outlook in normal mode.
If Outlook runs normally, this means the add-ons you’ve disabled earlier are faulty. Maybe the add-ons are outdated. You should update them. And if the updates are not available, you should delete them.
#8 – Disabling Antivirus
It’s strongly recommended to use Antivirus program so that you can prevent virus attacks. Some Antivirus programs support Outlook connector that scans the email messages you send and receive. Sometimes this process can slow down the performance of Microsoft Outlook client. You should disable the Antivirus Outlook connection temporarily to check if this can resolve the problem. And if it does, this means the problem is associated with the Antivirus program. Maybe you need to update it.
Conclusion
There’s no guarantee that the above Outlook troubleshooting tips will surely work for you. However, they’re worth trying. And there’s no harm in trying them. Also, Outlook users can refer to this article for some useful information – 5 Common Outlook Problems Faced by Outlook Users
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