If you find that your Outlook has stopped working, is not responding, or freezes or frequently hangs on Windows 11/10, then this post suggests some troubleshooting steps you can try. While it is always a good idea to optimize & speed up Outlook from time to time, you may at some time face this issue.
Outlook not responding in Windows 11/10
If Microsoft Outlook is not responding, stopped working, freezes or hangs, follow these steps:
- Run Microsoft Outlook in Safe Mode
- Disable hardware graphics acceleration
- Let Outlook complete the running task
- Check Outlook data folder
- Use Inbox Repair Tool
- Use command switches
- Use Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant
- Clean Outlook profile
- Repair Outlook account
To learn more about these steps, continue reading.
Outlook keeps crashing or has stopped working
1] Run Microsoft Outlook in Safe Mode
Run Microsoft Outlook in Safe Mode, without add-ins. To do this, open Run box from the WinX Menu, type outlook /safe and hit Enter. If Outlook is not causing you any problems, one of its add-ins may be the source of the issue. Take a look at your installed Outlook add-ins and disable them selectively to find the offender.
Read: Outlook not sending emails in Windows, with or without attachments
2] Disable hardware graphics acceleration
Disable hardware graphics acceleration for Outlook and see if this helps. To do this, open Outlook program > File > Options > Mail > Compose messages > Editor Options button > Advanced.
Here, under the Display section, check the Disable hardware graphics acceleration box and click on OK/Apply and Exit. Restart your Outlook and see. If it resolves the issue, then it’s likely a problem with your video driver. Update it and see.
Hardware acceleration utilizes a computer’s hardware to perform a specific task and function more efficiently than would be possible using software alone. But this creates issues for some people. So, turning it off is one thing you can try if you receive a Program not responding message.
One thing you want to know is that when you disable Hardware Acceleration for Outlook, it gets turned off for all Office programs.
Read: Outlook Email not syncing
3] Let Outlook complete the running task
At the time, your Outlook may be busy carrying out other processes, such as synchronizing your email or archiving old items. At such times, Outlook may respond slowly. In such situations, it’s best to let Outlook complete its task.
Fix: Outlook connectivity issues on Windows 11
4] Check Outlook data folder
If you have a huge Outlook data folder, then this can cause temporary freezes as Outlook takes time to open each email or data folder. These Outlook data files may be either personal folders (.pst) files or offline folder (.ost) files.
The expected behavior is as follows, depending on your .pst or .ost data file size.:
- Up to 5 GB: Good user experience on most hardware.
- 5 to 10 GB: If you have a fast hard disk and lots of RAM, your experience will be good. On others, you may experience application pauses till the drives respond.
- 10 to 25 GB: When the .ost file touches this figure, expect frequent pauses on most hard disks.
- 25 GB or larger: If your .ost file crosses this size, pauses or freezes may be expected, especially while you are downloading new email messages or synchronizing many RSS feeds.
So if you can, delete your unwanted email to reduce the size and ensure that auto-archiving of old Outlook items is enabled.
Read: Outlook not saving passwords in Windows.
5] Use Inbox Repair Tool
There is one more thing you could do. Microsoft has provided Inbox Repair Tool as well as a Fix It, which lets you recover folders and items from corrupted Personal Folders or .pst files. It can even recover items from an offline folder or .ost files. The OST Integrity Check Tool helps you repair corrupted .ost files. Use the Inbox Repair Tool or Scanpst.exe to repair & optimize your Outlook data.
Fix: Outlook high Memory and CPU usage
6] Use command switches
There are also a few command switches that can help you reset, restore or fix certain Outlook functions. Take a look at this post – Troubleshoot Microsoft Outlook problems, to learn more about this.
Read: Outlook not opening or working in Windows 11
7] Use Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant
Use the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant. It provides a detailed report of your installed Office programs and highlights known problems. In other words, you can check if there is some issues with your configuration or not.
8] Clean Outlook profile
If you receive Outlook has encountered a problem and needs to close error, cleaning your Outlook Profile is an option you can consider. It doesn’t consume much time and does the job pretty well.
9] Repair Outlook account
This post will show you how to repair an Outlook account if your Outlook not syncing.
Apart from that, you can also see this post if you receive Cannot start Microsoft Outlook, Cannot open the Outlook window message.
If nothing helps, the remaining options are to repair the Office program or create a new User profile and see if that helps.
New Outlook app not responding
If you open the Outlook (new) app and see a message Email – Outlook (Not Responding) notification, we suggest you Reset or Repair the app and if it does not help, uninstall the app and then visit the Microsoft Store and download and install it.
Why does my Outlook keep freezing not responding?
Although there are various things to consider, you should start by checking the data file and inbox size. Also, adware and malware can cause the same issue on your computer. On the other hand, if your Outlook installation has internal conflicts, you may encounter the same problem on your computer.
How do you troubleshoot issues that cause Outlook to crash or stop responding when using Office 365?
There are several steps to take to troubleshoot the issue. For instance, you can run Outlook in Safe Mode, disable hardware graphics acceleration, check Outlook data folder, use the Microsoft Office Configuration Analyzer Tool, etc. All of them are quite helpful when Outlook crashes or stops working.
