How to Solve Outlook Won't Open Issue in Windows and Mac?

Outlook application is a go-to application for all of our day-to-day work needs. It does it all, making appointments, sending emails, taking notes, and monitoring tasks. however, there may come a day when Microsoft Outlook will not open. The worst part is that Outlook not opening can prove to be a major obstacle as 80% of your work is dependent on it! (or at least in my case)

Knowing how important Outlook is, it is easy to spiral out and break into panic mode. However, I would say that there is still hope. as someone who has faced several Outlook not-opening issues myself, I have compiled all the tips and tricks I have learned along the way and presented my findings in the form of this article so that no one has to face the same issues that I did.

How to Fix Outlook Not Opening in Windows? 

Discussed here are several ways that are guaranteed to fix the problem of Outlook not opening on a computer.

1. Disable Outlook Add-ins or toolbar extensions.
2. Make sure that the outlook is not in compatibility mode.
3. Try a different version of Outlook.
4. Reset the Navigation pane.
5. Scan the system for Viruses.
6. Repair Corrupt Outlook Data.

Open Outlook in Safe Mode

First of all, we suggest you start Outlook in Safe Mode and try the methods mentioned below. Here is how you can open Outlook in safe mode.

Step 1:  Press Windows + R key.

Step 2: Type in Outlook /safe, and click on the OK button.

Step 3: Choose the Outlook Profile and click on OK.

Step 4: If asked for login credentials, enter your password and click on Accept.

Safe Mode is a feature that lets the user launch and run Microsoft Outlook with a restricted number of options and features also blocking extensions and add-ins. To help you troubleshoot minor issues or some bigger problems in Outlook.

Important Note: If you want to discover how to make boring activities in Outlook more enjoyable, take note. We suggest reading this post to learn how to use Quick Parts in Outlook to streamline routine activities.

Method 1: Disable Outlook Add-ins or toolbar extensions.

Using too many Outlook add-ins or extensions might also be the reason why the Outlook app won’t open on your Windows system. This can be due to unexpected or continuous conflict between two or more add-ins. We highly recommend our users try disabling the add-ins one by one and see which one was at fault.

Step 1: Launch the Outlook application.

Step 2: Find and click on File from the top of the screen.

Step 3: Click on options.

Step 4: A new window will appear on your screen, consisting of all the installed add-ins.

Step 5: Select Manage: COM Add-ins and click on the Go button.

Step 6: Uncheck the add-ins that you have decided to disable and click on OK.

Step 7: Close Outlook and try to restart the application. 

Method 2: Check if Outlook is in Compatibility Mode.

The Compatibility Mode is an inbuilt feature that is designed to run an older version of Microsoft Outlook on a newer version of Windows such as Windows 11 or 10. At times you might have accidentally enabled compatibility mode due to which Outlook is not opening in Windows 10 or other versions.
We suggest you check and disable the compatibility mode. 

Step 1: Open Outlook.

Step 2: Access the File menu and click on Options.

Step 3: Under General, select Optimize for Compatibility.

Step 4: Click on Apply and hit the OK button.

Method 3: Update to the Newer version of Outlook:

If the issue still persists, you can try a newer version of Outlook which is available. Upgrading to a newer version of Outlook might not just solve Outlook won’t load issues but also other problems such as the set of folders cannot be opened in Outlook.  

Follow the steps to install a newer version of the Outlook app on your computer system.

Step 1: Click on the File option from the top of the screen.

Step 2: Select the Office Account option from the drop-down menu.

Step 3: Click on Update Options.

Step 4: Click on the Update Now option to update the Outlook email client.

Method 4: Reset the Navigation Pane

There might be an issue with the navigation pane which is preventing Outlook to open and work properly. It makes sense to try resetting the navigation pane, whereby you get rid of all the customizations and optimizations made to the navigation pane in Outlook.

Step 1: Hit Windows Key + R key simultaneously.

Step 2: Type in the following command “Outlook.exe /resetnavpane” and click on OK.

Step 3: Launch Outlook. The navigation pane should be reset by now.

In some cases, this method works. If Outlook still does not open for you. Then kindly try the next method.

Method 5: Scan the system for Viruses.

A virus attack might be a possible reason why you are unable to open the Outlook application. That’s why we always suggest our users regularly run anti-virus scans on their systems to prevent any unexpected virus attack.  If in case you are not at all using any antivirus software. We highly suggest installing and using any reliable software. You can also use Windows Defender Firewall.

At times you might be able to open and run the Outlook application without any issues, but there might be certain issues like sent items not showing in the sent folder of Outlook or sudden disappearance of the draft emails from the drafts folder, or Outlook email not opening. All of these are signs of Outlook's profile getting corrupt.

Suppose all of the above methods have failed to fix the “Cannot Open Outlook in Windows” problem. Follow the next method that is guaranteed to repair corrupt Outlook data files.

Method 6: Repair Outlook Data Files

There are two ways to repair Outlook data files, one is by making use of ScanPST. This is a free DIY solution, which also has its own share of limitations and directly works on the original file, thereby putting your PST file at risk.

Hence we recommend a far better and safer way to repair your Outlook data file using a professional Outlook PST repair tool by Remo.

Remo Repair Outlook PST is an exclusive tool that is built for repairing corrupt Outlook data.  The tool can repair severely corrupted or damaged Outlook files with just 3 simple clicks on any version of Outlook. 

How to Repair Outlook Data File using Remo Repair Outlook PST

What to do when Outlook Won’t Open on Mac?

If you are wondering why you cannot start Microsoft Outlook on a Mac system or if the application becomes unresponsive or freezes unexpectedly. Then keep reading this section to find out an answer to fix the problem.

If you are using 14 versions of Microsoft Office or anything lower than that, the application will not run in Catalina or Big Sur. Office 2016 for Mac is no longer supported by Microsoft (no bug fixes or OS compatibility updates after October 2020). Office 2016 might or might not work on Big Sur.

So the easiest way to fix the problem is by updating Outlook.

How to Update to the Newest Version of Microsoft Outlook?

• Step 1: Launch the Outlook App.
• Step 2: Click on Help.
• Step 3: Select Check for Updates.
• Step 4: Choose Update and download the updates if available.

Conclusion:

Here we end our discussion on how to repair Outlook not opening in Windows and Mac. if you have any additional questions, feel free to drop them in the comment section below.

Frequently Asked Questions