These tips help you speed up Microsoft Outlook 2024/2021. We have 5 tips out of which, one is a visual explaining how to optimize MS Outlook. Disable unwanted Add-ins, Compact & Combine PST Files, Archive Mail & Contacts Folders! While these tips will help you to speed up Microsoft Outlook, as well as keep it running without hogging on the CPU resources to kill other applications.
Speed up Microsoft Outlook
There are many reasons why Microsoft Outlook email is so slow. If your inbox has lots of messages, it will slow the synchronization with the mail server which makes Outlook email slow. Use these tips to optimize and speed up a slow Outlook 2024/2021 on Windows 11/10. This will improve Outlook performance for sure!
- Disable unwanted Add-ins
- Compact & Combine PST Files
- Disable RSS Feed feature
- Repair Outlook PST & OST files
- Archive Mail & Contacts Folders.
1] Disable Unwanted Add-ins
[Steps To Disable Outlook Addins – Click To Enlarge]
As with any program, many applications install their own plugins to Outlook as well. This makes up for heavy CPU usage, making your computer slower, and may also hang it for a while or two. The method to disable Outlook add-ins is described in the image. Click the image to open its full size in a new tab.
2] Compact & Combine PST Files
Outlook slows down as the different PST files become larger and larger. One method is to compact the PST files:
- Right-click on the account (example Outlook) in the navigation pane towards the left
- Select Properties and then, Advanced
- Click COMPACT NOW
Another method involves combining different (POP3 only) accounts into a single PST file so that Outlook doesn’t have to load different PST files which make it slower. Do check our article on how to combine multiple Outlook Inbox(es).
3] Disable RSS Feed if you do not use it
Open Options > Advanced Options. Here, uncheck Sync RSS Feeds to the Common Feed List to disable the RSS feed feature. You should also delete all unrequired feeds stored in Outlook by going to Account Settings.
4] Repair Outlook PST & OST files
You may repair corrupt Outlook PST & OST personal data files with Inbox Repair Tool
5] Archive Mail & Contacts Folders In MS Outlook
Most of us tend to keep very old emails and contacts that we no more use. While there is an option to export the entire PST file and then go ahead deleting each mail that we don’t need anymore, it is better to set up MS Outlook to archive files automatically. When you turn on Auto Archive in Outlook for any folder, MS Outlook checks for mail items older than the time period you specify and archives them into Archive.pst into a folder you specify.
To (auto) archive a folder, right-click on the folder and select Properties. Go to the Auto Archive tab (see image below). Set up: (a) threshold for archiving; and (b) the folder where you want the old items to be archived. You may specify additional settings or even use the default one.
Do note that until you set up Auto Archive, Microsoft Outlook will not optimize folders in PST files. This explains how to optimize MS Outlook for speed.
If you have any further tips, please share with us.
How do I fix slowness in Outlook?
To fix Outlook’s slowness, start by disabling unnecessary add-ins, reducing mailbox size, and ensuring Outlook is up-to-date. Clearing the cache and repairing your data files can also help. Finally, check your internet connection if you’re using Outlook connected to an online server. These steps can improve Outlook’s performance.
Why is my Outlook getting emails so slowly?
Your Outlook may receive emails slowly due to large mailbox size, insufficient RAM, unnecessary add-ons, network problems, or incorrect settings. To improve email speed, try reducing your mailbox size, disabling extra add-ons, checking your internet connection, and ensuring your Outlook settings are properly configured.
