Despite the world being privy to a host of reputable email clients, Microsoft Outlook remains one of the most popular thanks to its user-friendly interface, cutting-edge features, and overall efficiency. As beneficial as Outlook can be to both your business and your personal life, it is not a flawless application. There are, in fact, a number of issues and error messages that can rear their ugly heads when you least expect (and need) it. In fact, regardless of the version of Outlook you are using, chances are you have been faced with at least one of a range of fairly common concerns. Thankfully, chances are good that you will be able to troubleshoot the most frequent errors with relative ease.
Outlook is unable to receive emails but can send
Every so often you may find that, although you can send emails, you are unable to receive any. While this is undoubtedly a cause for great frustration, the issue can usually be resolved with some basic troubleshooting. Some of the most common causes for your Outlook not receiving emails include insufficient disk space, an unstable internet connection, automatic junk mail filtering, incorrect POP or IMAP settings, and a corrupt Outlook profile. These problems are all fairly simple to rectify and you should be able to do it yourself as long as you have a basic understanding of Outlook and computers in general. There are a number of accurate and simple-to-follow troubleshooting guides available on the internet that can help you receive emails again in next to no time.
Outlook PST file is corrupted
One of the most common errors you may come across when using Outlook 2013, 2016, or 2019 involves a corrupt PST file. When the PST file is corrupted, all your Outlook data may become inaccessible. There are a number of reasons why the PST file may become corrupt. This includes new PST file creation, a mammoth PST file, using unreliable tools, a virus attack, bad sectors on your hard drive, and file partaking across diverse networks. Repairing a corrupt PST file should be fairly straightforward. You can either repair the file manually by using Microsoft’s built-in repair functionality or by using reputable third-party software that will allow you to activate an automatic repair.
Outlook gets stuck on loading profile
As mentioned, a corrupt PST file can wreak havoc with your Outlook. When Outlook gets stuck on the loading screen it is more than likely due to an abnormally-big PST file. Over time, and with increased use, a lot of data derived from emails, attachments, calendar entries, and notes end up in the PST file, making it bulge at the seams. Eventually, its performance will slow down so much that it is almost impossible to get anything done. There are a few different ways in which you can resolve this issue. Start by identifying what is causing congestion and remove it. Remove all unwanted emails, especially the ones with large attachments, and remember to clear out the ‘trash’ file. You can also open up considerable amounts of space by archiving your emails.
Outlook has stopped working or isn’t responding
If you are still using Outlook 2007 you may be all too familiar with the ‘Microsoft Outlook has stopped working’ error message. More often than not this problem is caused by the very add-ons meant to make the program run smoother. If an add-on is poorly written the chances of it becoming corrupt is amplified considerably. Such a corrupt add-on can prevent Outlook from functioning as it should. Although faulty add-ons are the most prevalent cause for Outlook to stop working, it is not the only known reason.
A corrupt Outlook profile or corrupt Outlook data files can result in the same error being displayed. Start the troubleshooting process by ensuring that no corrupt add-ons are operational. This will require you to start Outlook in safe mode and disable the add-ons one at a time to see which one is causing the problem. If disabling the add-ons does not solve the problem, consider creating a new profile or reinstalling Microsoft Office altogether.
Useful troubleshooting tips to employ
Although every Outlook-related concern needs to be resolved in a specific manner, there are a number of general troubleshooting tips that can improve the overall performance of your Outlook. A good place to start is to check that your antivirus software is not interfering with Outlook. A few tweaks to your settings should be all that is required to resolve any send/receive issues that stem from your antivirus software.
Don’t neglect your updates
If you want Outlook to perform as intended it is also essential to make sure that your computer is up-to-date as far as service packs and patches are concerned. A seemingly unimportant update can make a huge impact on the speed and general performance of your email client. If you are making use of an exchange account you can also boost the responsiveness of the program by enabling Cached Exchange Mode. It is, however, important to note that you might benefit from disabling the Cached Exchange Mode if you have a fast and reliable connection between your computer and the exchange.
Despite the variety of available email clients increasing all the time, many users still prefer the look, feel, and functionalities of Microsoft Outlook. As with any other email client, Outlook does have issues but, thankfully, most of them can be resolved with relative ease.