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Is Your Outlook Not Responding in Windows 10? Get Rid of the Issue

  author
Published By Ashwani Tiwari
Tej Pratap Shukla
Approved By Tej Pratap Shukla
Published On March 1st, 2022
Reading Time 6 Minutes Reading

Have you been facing Outlook not responding error and have not found anything to overcome it? Rather than wasting your time on other things, stay here and give 5 minutes of your time to get the best of solutions.

Microsoft Outlook has the ability to perform various functions altogether. It is used worldwide by most businesses and has helped them grow on a large scale.

Well, it is also true that no matter how advanced the tool is, it is prone to errors.

One such error in Microsoft Outlook is – Outlook not working error or Microsoft Outlook keeps freezing up. This can be stressful and panicking for a majority of users.

If your Outlook stops working in the middle of a conversation regarding an important business deal. Or if you are waiting on an update which is in regards to a security breach, this error may make it frustrating for you.

Find out what methods are there to overcome this error in the next segment.

Mechanisms to Solve Outlook Not Responding Error in Windows 10

Here, we have brought 6 workarounds for you to use and get over this issue:

  1. Exit All Programs from Task Manager
  2. Remove Faulty Add-ins
  3. Switching Off Anti-virus Programs
  4. Reduce File Size
  5. Maintaining the Archive

All these solutions work well. The following section has the detailed working of all these methods. But before that, we would like to give you an instant solution for you to have a better experience.

Resolve Outlook Not Working Error by Fixing File Corruption

If your Outlook has stopped working and you find out that your Outlook data file is damaged or corrupted, then you should use this Outlook PST Repair Software.

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There may be something wrong with your Outlook PST file which is why it is not opening up. This tool will repair your damaged or corrupted file (.pst) so that your Outlook is up and running again.

You can solve the Outlook not responding error using the features provided by this tool. It is possible to repair all the mailbox items from Outlook such as emails, contacts, calendars, etc.

It is also capable of repairing the archive data without any limitations of the file size.

You are offered a number of benefits by this tool. Know more about it in the following video.

How to Resolve Outlook Not Working Issue in Windows 10

Check out all the methods mentioned above being explained in detail:

1. Quit All Programs from Task Manager

If you have exited Outlook and it still is showing the error, outlook.exe may be running in the background.

You can exit all the programs that have access to your PST file.

Follow the steps to do so:

  • Press ctrl + Alt + delete keys or ctrl + shift + ESC to open Task Manager. You can also right-click on the task bar and hit the “Task Manager” button.

task-manager

  • From there, choose the “Processes” tab and look for the processes namely Outlook, communicator, Lync, etc.
  • Now, click on each process and hit the “End Task” option.
  • Once all the tasks are ended, try opening Outlook again.

If Outlook not responding in Windows 10 is still not solved, use the next method.

2. Remove Faulty Add-ins

To check out which add-in is faulty and is causing this error, you will have to first open Outlook in safe mode. Follow the steps for it:

  • Press the ctrl key and hit the Outlook icon on your desktop.
  • Enter outlook.exe/safe in the field and hit “Run”.
  • If you are able to launch Outlook in safe mode successfully, go to the “File” tab and click “Open”.
  • Choose the “Add-ins” option and hit “Go”.
  • Disable all the add-ins and then restart Outlook.
  • Enable add-ins one by one to find out which is the faulty one.

Still not able to overcome the Outlook not working issue? Skip to the next method.

3. Switching off Anti-Virus

The anti-virus software is used to keep your computer safe from threats but it sometimes deletes some PST files without headers.

Due to this, these files become inaccessible causing the error. You can turn off the anti-virus and check if your Outlook is working again.

Click on the Control Panel and disable the anti-virus software installed. Restart your Outlook again.

If it’s working, well and good. If not, you may want to check out the next solution to resolve Outlook not responding error in Windows 10.

4. Reduce File Size

Sometimes, if the size of your PST file grows large, there may be risk of damage or corruption in it. You can reduce the size of the file by cleaning up your Outlook folders, archiving your emails, and deleting the junk.

You can also use the Compact feature to reduce the file size.

compact-outlook-tool

5. Maintaining the Archive

It is important that your Outlook is well organized and maintained. Instead of keeping one large folder, you should have different folders, labels for keeping it maintained. This helps in avoiding the Outlook not working error.

Moreover, you should regularly delete the files that are of no use or delete older emails that you don’t require anymore.

Make sure to clean up your Deleted Items folder as well. Also, keep in mind to archive the older emails that you might need later someday and free up space in the mailbox.

If none of these work, your PST file is definitely damaged. Use the third-party tool mentioned above to get it repaired.

Summarizing It All

As you can see, there is no certainty that all of these methods will work. Instead of wasting so much time trying out all these solutions, you should go for a reliable one.

The tool as mentioned above makes it pretty easy for a user to get the Outlook supported file (.pst) repaired and solve the Outlook not responding error in Windows 10.

People Also Ask

Q. How do I fix Outlook not responding issue in Windows 10?

A. You just need to make sure that you follow the below guide:

  1. Make sure that Outlook is not being used in other tasks
  2. Install Latest Windows Updates
  3. Update the latest version of Outlook
  4. Declutter your Outlook and Remove Add-ins
  5. Control External Content
  6. Disable Third-Party Antivirus Software for Temporary Basis
  7. Check that Windows Firewall is Not blocking Outlook
  8. Ensure that the Outlook Data File is in healthy state
Q. Why is my Microsoft Outlook not Responding?

A. There can be multiple reasons for this issue:

  1. Your system is not installed with the latest updates
  2. The Outlook is being used by some other process
  3. An already installed plug-in is causing trouble
  4. Your mailbox is oversized
  5. Your user profile or data file is corrupted
  6. Some other program within your system conflicts with Outlook
  7. Make sure that Windows Firewall is not blocking MS Outlook