When Outlook gets stuck updating the inbox, it can disrupt workflow. In this article, we will explore simple troubleshooting steps to fix the issue and get Outlook back on track.
Why does Outlook keep getting stuck on inbox updates?
Outlook may get stuck on inbox updates due to various common reasons such as network issues, large mailbox size, or interference from the antivirus/ firewall. It could also be due to add-ins or data file corruption. In the upcoming section, we are going to find out the reason and fix it.
Fix Outlook stuck on updating inbox
If Outlook is stuck on updating your inbox, go through the solutions listed below:
- Restart Outlook
- Disable the Cached Exchange mod
- Repair the Outlook Data file
- Disable add-ins
Let’s dive deeper into the guide.
1] Restart Outlook
To fix Outlook issues, first, try restarting the program to clear temporary glitches and reset connections to the mail server. Restarting the app and device can also improve functionality by clearing accumulated memory. Properly close the app and device, restart, and check if emails are synced. If not, try the next solution.
2] Disable the Cached Exchange mode
Cached Exchange Mode allows Outlook to store a local copy of the mailbox data, improving performance by reducing the need to constantly access data from the server. However, if there are issues with network performance or connectivity to the Exchange server, these cached exchange modes may cause Outlook to get stuck while loading. Therefore, we recommend disabling it, and here’s how to do the same.
- Launch the app, select the File menu from the left pane, and go to the Info tab.
- Select the Account Settings section, and then on the Account Setting option.
- Now, click on the account on which you are having the issues, and hit the Change button.
- Untick the box of Use Cached Exchange Mode to download email to an Outlook data file and hit the OK button to save the changes.
Now, check if the issue is resolved.
3] Repair the Outlook Data file
One of the reasons why we are having this issue can be corrupted Outlook data files. We can either delete the data files so that when we reopen them, Outlook will reload them or repair them using the repair tool, however, we are going to do the former. For that, Click Win + R to open the Run dialog box, type %localappdata%/Microsoft, and hit the Enter button to open the directory location. Now in the Microsoft folder, look and open the Outlook subfolder, right-click on the Outlook’s OST data file, and select the Delete option. Once done, check if Outlook is back to functioning well or not.
Read: Outlook Email not syncing; Repair Outlook account
4] Disable add-ins
Another reason why Outlook is getting stuck and not uploading the inbox can be the interference from some of the add-ins. To rule out this reason, we are going to run Outlook in safe mode by simultaneously holding down the Ctrl Key and double-clicking the Outlook shortcut. Now press the Yes button to run it. If the emails are updated, then follow the steps to disable each add-in one by one to find the culprit:
- Launch the app, and go to the File Menu, located at the top.
- Now, click on Manage Add-ins.
- Lastly, untick the box to disable add-ins, and then hit the OK button.
Relaunch the app, enable the add-in one by one, and find out the one causing it. You can either disable it permanently or for the time you’ll be using the app.
That’s it!
Read: Outlook stuck on Adding account
How do I get Outlook to update my inbox on Windows?
If you have executed all the above solutions, yet no success, then use the Office Repair tool. Just lick Win + R to open the Run box, type appwiz.cp, and hit the Enter button. In the Programs and Feature window, select the MS Office product, click the Change button, and lastly, hit the Online Repair option and click Repair. Once done, launch Outlook, and hopefully, the issue will be resolved.
Also Read: Outlook stuck on Verifying data integrity.
