Microsoft Outlook Not Responding – Fix Outlook Stuck at Startup (8 Ways)

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4 Easy Solutions to Fix Outlook Stuck at Processing in Windows

Outlook freezing on startup is typically the result of minor issues that can be easily resolved. We’ve gathered quick solutions for the common problems in Outlook.

1. Start Outlook in Safe Mode

Starting Outlook in Safe Mode helps identify the potential sources of problems. Here’s how you can do it:

• In order to open the “Run” dialog, press ‘Win + R’.
• Type outlook.exe /safe then press ‘Enter’. If Outlook opens, the problem can be with add-ins.

• So, in the next solution, we will try disabling every add-in and restarting “Outlook” normally to see if that fixes the issue.

2. Turn off Outlook Add-Ins

Outlook might not respond properly due to conflicts with add-ins when it starts. To ensure a smooth startup, identify and fix compatibility issues by disabling or removing unwanted add-ins.

• Close “Outlook” and open it in “Safe Mode”.
• Go to “File” > “Options” after opening “Outlook”.
• Choose “Add-Ins” from the menu on the left.
• Select “COM Add-ins” from the “Manage” dropdown menu, then click “Go”.

• To disable any add-ins, just uncheck the boxes next to them or select them and choose “OK”.

• To see if the problem still exists, click “OK” to save the modifications and restart “Outlook”.

3. Make a Fresh Outlook Profile

Startup problems are often caused by a faulty Outlook profile. Starting from scratch when creating a new profile will help remove any underlying problems related to profiles and give Outlook a fresh start.

• Close “Outlook”.
• To open the ‘Search’ window, press the ‘Windows and S keys.’
• Type “control panel” and open it.
• Click “Add” after selecting “User Accounts” > “Mail” > “Show Profiles”.

• After entering a ‘new profile name‘, click “OK”.

• Then, to finish the process, adhere to the on-screen directions.
• Go back to “Mail” > “Display Profiles”.
• Then select “Prompt for a profile to be used” after selecting the just generated profile. Click “OK” after that.

• After that, launch “Outlook” and carry on working using the newly created profile. You can remove the previous profile from Outlook if it doesn’t open the new one.

4. Upgrade Windows and Microsoft Office

You could easily get into the “Outlook stuck on processing” issue if your computer is running an outdated version of Windows or Microsoft Office. To resolve this issue in this instance, try updating them to the most recent version.

To update Microsoft Office, take the actions listed below:

• Launch any ‘Microsoft Office program’, such as “Excel” or “Word”.
• Click the Office logo in the upper-left corner or select the “File” menu.
• From the list of options, choose “Account” or “Office Account”.
• To browse for and install updates, click “Update Options” and select “Update Now”.
• To finish the upgrade procedure, adhere to the instructions.

To update the Windows, take the actions listed below:

• Navigate to “Settings” on your Windows computer after updating Office.
• Select “Check for updates” after going to “Update & Security”.

• Install any Windows updates that are available.
• After installing the updates, restart your computer to see if Outlook launches without any problems.

5 Advanced Ways to Fix Outlook Being Stuck at Startup

With the help of simple solutions, users resolve Outlook startup problems with ease, however, if the problem isn’t solved, move to the advanced solutions below: 

1. Fix Corrupted System Files

Outlook may not start properly due to underlying system problems that can be fixed by using SFC and DISM.

• In ‘Windows Search’, type “cmd”.
• Click on “Command Prompt” and select “Run as administrator”.
• Press “Yes” to accept when UAC asks if you wish to make changes.
• Next, duplicate and insert the subsequent commands, hitting ‘Enter’ each time:
  sfc /scannow
  DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
  DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
  DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

(Note: try again after adding /Source:C:\RepairSource\Windows /LimitAccess if you receive an error when attempting to run the previous command.)

• Restart your computer

2. Fix or Reset MS Outlook

Outlook-specific problems, like corrupted data or settings, can be resolved by repairing or resetting the program.

• Open “Control Panel”.
• Navigate to “Programs” > “Programs and Features”.

• From the list of installed programs, find and select “Microsoft Office”.
• Select the “Change” button located at the window’s top.
• You can select “Repair” or “Reset” based on your own preference.

• To finish the repair or reset procedure, adhere to the on-screen instructions.
• After you’re done, try restarting your computer and opening “Outlook” to see if the problem has been fixed.

3. Reduce the size of the Mailbox by Archiving Older Items

Outlook performance may suffer if it has a huge mailbox. Outlook runs faster if you reduce the size of the mailbox by archiving old items.

• Open “Outlook” and navigate to the “File” tab.
• Click on “Mailbox Cleanup” in the menu.
• Choose “AutoArchive” and specify archiving preferences.
• Decide which folders or items to archive. Customize additional archiving settings as needed.

• Review and save your settings.
• After finishing, try restarting Outlook to see if the problem with the startup has been fixed.

4. Install MS Office again

If all else fails, a clean reinstallation of Microsoft Office can fix Outlook and its dependencies. This guarantees a new installation free from corruption or bugs from the past.

• Right-click on “Start” and select “Applications and Features”.
• Scroll down and find the “Microsoft Office”.
• Click “Uninstall” and then confirm.
• To thoroughly uninstall the software, adhere to the on-screen directions.

• To access “File Explorer”, press ‘Win + E’.
• Select the following location and remove its contents: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office

• Next, use ‘Windows search’ to type “regedit” and hit ‘Enter’.
• Use the “Registry Editor” to navigate to the following location and remove these items:
  Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\AppVISV Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office

• After restarting your computer, reinstall “Microsoft Office”.

5. Repair Your Outlook Data Files

To repair Outlook data files (PST/OST files), you can also utilize the “Inbox Repair Tool”. Here are some steps you can try:

To repair Outlook using the Inbox Repair Tool (SCANPST.EXE), follow these steps:

• Right-click on the “Outlook” shortcut and select “Properties” to open the Properties window.
• In the “Shortcut” tab, click on “Open File Location” to access the installation directory.
• Locate “SCANPST.EXE” and open it. This launches the “Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair Tool”.

• The tool will prompt you to select a file to scan and repair. Click on “Browse” and navigate to the following directory:
  C:\Users\*username*\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
  (Replace *username* with your own username.)
• Select the profile you want to repair (stored as OST files), then click “Start” to begin the scanning process.

• Once SCANPST finishes scanning and repairing, click “OK”.
• Launch “Outlook” to check if the issue has been resolved.

To Wrap Up

Although solving Outlook startup issues can be difficult, if you know the right solutions, you can solve them easily. We truly hope that you resolved the error by following the instructions provided in this guide.

In case you’re still getting issues — don’t hesitate to share it in the comments below and consider downloading an auto-fix software offered at the beginning and the end of this guide.

Good luck!