Outlook windows 10 does not start. "Microsoft Office Outlook cannot start

Unfortunately, the use of Microsoft Office Outlook does not always happen without incident. For example, sometimes when you try to use this tool, you get a crash message.

The error can manifest itself in completely different messages. But, more often than not, it looks like this: the Microsoft Office Outlook application cannot be launched.

At the same time, it does not matter at all which version of this software is used by the user - 2007 or 2010: the situation is similar.

Naturally, I want to solve the problem. Fortunately, the technique exists - all that remains is to use it.

Correction method: the simplest option

So, if every time a window starts to appear on the screen in which it says "it is impossible to start Microsoft Outlook", then it is recommended to try initially the following method:

• Using the "Start" button, go to the "Control Panel";
• Next, in the upper right corner of the screen, select the option of large icons. And go to the "Mail" section;
• From the offered list, click on "data files";
• View suggested items. Find the file you are currently using. Click on "open file location";
• Using RMB on its name, call up the additional menu. In it - go to "Properties".

It remains only to remove the "Read-only" attribute, save the changes made and check the result.

Alternative solution methods

If the application still does not want to open, then it is proposed to try alternatives to the above described instructions:

If it doesn't help, then you can do it this way:

Well, the last alternative that can give a positive result:

• Repeat the first three steps described in the very first instruction of our material;
• Then click on "add". Pay attention to the "default" item. There will be a new file in it - close it;
• Activate the problematic application;
• Go to the account settings. In them - in "Data files".
• From the list, select the one that worked without problems before. New - just delete;
• If the system, for some reason, does not want to respond to the uninstall command, then you should pay attention to the program folders. Find the name "Local data files" in them. Using the same RMB, find the required order and use it.

In the end, all that remains is to restart the software in order to continue using it without problems. That is, there are a lot of methods of dealing with such a nuisance. And, as practice shows, they all give the required effect with a high degree of probability. It remains only to choose the most convenient one. Or - try them all, if necessary, since sometimes some individual settings of the operating system used or certain root causes of a similar situation interfere with the solution.

As you know, "native" Microsoft mail clients in the form of Outlook and Outlook Express programs quite often behave quite capriciously, which makes it impossible not only to use them, but also to start applications. We will figure out why Microsoft Outlook or a similar express client does not start and how to fix unexpected failures or errors, then we will figure it out, having considered several typical examples. And first, let's define exactly the possible situations when, for some reason, the work of these applications is disrupted.

Major problems with built-in Windows mail clients

As a rule, among the most common problems are the following:

• programs do not start at all (most often after unexpected operating system failures or emergency shutdowns);
• outlook does not start processing correspondence or the process hangs;
• apps don't respond to user accounts;
• programs do not connect to the internet or other utilities, etc.

Naturally, there may be other cases, but the above error options are the most common.

Outlook won't start: easiest method to fix the problem

Let's consider the first three problems, since in the last indicated variant of the problem, you will have to perform a lot of additional steps, for example, to connect applications to the Exchange utility (here you will need to check at least the compatibility of the versions of the installed software and set the correct parameters for all programs). The first step is to focus on the situation where Outlook does not start again after unexpected failures and abnormal termination. Why it happens? Yes, only because the very process associated with the mail client is still active.

To fix it, go to the "Task Manager", find there the process with the same name of the program and use either the button for canceling the task, or a similar item in the RMB menu on the selected process. After that, it is advisable to restart the computer. Now you can try starting the application again.

If it still does not start, restart it again, and then start the mail client in safe mode, using the Run console and entering the Outlook / safe command. It may well be that the program will start.

If you see that Outlook does not start in normal mode, but can only start with safe mode, it makes sense to check some of the add-ins that are activated in the program by default.

To do this, log into the client with safe start, go to the settings section, use the add-ins item, and in the window on the right at the very bottom, set the display of COM control add-ins. After clicking the go button, you will see a complete list with add-ons. In it, disable all the elements (do not delete them, just uncheck the boxes), save the changes, exit the program and try to start it again in normal mode.

Checking and recovering files

However, quite often you can find problems that appear exactly at the stage of processing incoming and outgoing messages. It is believed that this is due to the corruption of the OST and PST files. They need to be checked and restored. But with what?

To do this, in the MS Office suite itself, there is a special utility SCANPST (in order not to go through folders for a long time, just search for the file by name in the Program Files directory). After starting the application, you need to specify the location of the objects to be scanned (they are located in the mail client folder located in the user's “Documents” directory). The check must be performed for each of the files of the specified formats available there, using the start of scanning and their restoration after testing is completed.

Sometimes, according to some users, Outlook will not start due to the incorrect XML format (as indicated in the message that appears). In this case, on the system drive, open the user directory in the Users folder, go through the AppData and Roaming directories to the Microsoft folder, and then find and delete the profilename.xml file in the Outlook mail client directory. After that, you can call the program and enter your credentials again.

If the profile is not configured for Microsoft servers, you can experiment with the proxy settings in the program settings or in the Internet connection options. Finally, sometimes, although it looks completely ridiculous, you can temporarily disable the built-in Windows Firewall.

Outlook Express won't start: the best solution to fix possible errors

As for the express client, by and large, the above solutions can also be used, however, many experts, based on situations with the appearance of errors due to the lack of Runtime Library components, recommend installing the latest version of the Microsoft Visual C ++ platform by downloading the installer from the official resource of the corporation ...

There are also more radical solutions, which boil down to uninstalling Outlook Express from the computer completely and completely, using uninstaller programs like iObit Uninstaller, and then reinstalling the client, not system tools.

Note: sometimes, as it is considered, access to the section of programs and components in the "Control Panel" helps, but for the application you choose not to delete, but to change, after which you can try to restore it.

2. Try to open Outlook in Safe Mode

Try to open Outlook in safe mode

1. To start in safe mode when opening Outlook, hold down the key CTRL... (Hold it until a message appears.) Or press Start and in the search or execute box enter outlook.exe / safe and press the key ENTER.

2. If Outlook opens, the add-in is most likely causing the problem. In Outlook, the menu File select item Optionsthen press Add-ons... At the bottom of the screen where it says Control, click Jump,and on the next screen, uncheck the boxes.

3. Disable all add-ons. After that, you can start Outlook again and check if it works. If so, you can enable add-ins one at a time until Outlook crashes again. The most likely source of the problem is the add-on you turned on last. Uninstall or reinstall this add-on.

3.Use scanpst.exe to fix Outlook data file errors

If Outlook does not open in Safe Mode, the problem might be caused by a corrupted PST file or profile.

In a PST or Personal Storage folder, also known as a file .pstOutlook stores messages, contacts, appointments, tasks, notes and journal entries.

1. Find the PST file by opening the section mail in the Windows Control Panel. Click the button Data files.

2. If there are multiple PST files, notice the checkbox file. This is the default.

3. Follow the path indicated in the Data Files window. For example, C: \\ Users \\ robinxxxxx \\ AppData \\ Local \\ Microsoft \\ Outlook

4. You will need to check the box Show hidden files, folders and drives and uncheck the box Hide extensions for registered file types.
For information on how to change these settings, see the Microsoft article Show hidden files.

6. Rename the extension .pst in .psp.

7. Try to open Outlook again and double-click OK when prompted during startup. As a result, a new PST file is created. If Outlook opens successfully, it indicates a problem with the original PST file.

8. However, if the application cannot be opened with the new generic .pst file, then the profile or Outlook is corrupted. Proceed to the next section.

9. If Outlook opens, rename the file .pspby specifying the extension again .pst.

10. Attempt to run scanpst.exe on the source file and test.

11. Try to open Outlook again. If you still have problems with the .pst file, you can perform further recovery by following the instructions in the following Microsoft article: Recovering Outlook Data Files (.pst and .ost).

4. Recover Outlook profile

If Outlook still won't open with the generic PST file, it might be due to a corrupted profile. You can try to restore it from the Control Panel.

mailthen press Email accounts.

2. On the tab Email In the Account Settings dialog box, highlight your account and then click Restore.

3. Follow the instructions of the recovery wizard.

4. Press the button Done... After the repair is complete, restart Outlook.

Another way at this stage is to copy the existing profile and check if it opens.

1. On the control panel, select the section mailand then press Show Profiles.

2. Click Copy, enter a new name for the profile, for example add 1 at the end.

3. Select a new profile from the drop-down list below the radio button Use configurationand then click OK.

4. Try restarting Outlook.

5. Create a new Outlook profile

If Outlook still won't open with the generic .pst file, and the copy and restore functions fail, create a new profile.

1. On the control panel, select the section mailand then press Show Profiles.

2. Click Add to and enter a name for the new profile.

3. Before pressing OK, select Request configuration.

In the life of almost every Outlook user, there are times when the program does not start. Moreover, this usually happens unexpectedly and at the wrong moment. In such situations, many people start to panic, especially if they urgently need to send or receive a letter. Therefore, today we decided to consider several reasons why outlook does not start and eliminate them.

So, if your mail client does not start, then first of all look to see if the process "hangs" in the computer's RAM.

To do this, simultaneously press the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys and look for the Outlook process in the task manager.

If it is in the list, then right-click on it and select the command "End task".

Now you can start Outlook again.

If you did not find the process in the list, or the above solution did not help, then we try to start Outlook in safe mode.

If Outlook has started, then go to the "File" menu and click on the "Options" command.

In the "Outlook Options" window that appears, find the "Add-ins" tab and open it.

At the bottom of the window, select "COM Add-ins" in the "Control" list and click the "Go" button.

We have now gone to the list of email client add-ons. To disable any add-on, just uncheck the box.

Disable all third-party add-ins and try starting Outlook.

If this method of solving the problem did not help you, then you should check the special utility "Scanpst", which is included in MS Office, the .OST and .PST files.

In cases where the structure of these files is broken, the Outlook mail client may not start.

So, in order to run the utility, you need to find it.

To do this, you can use the built-in search or go directly to the directory with the program. If you are using Outlook 2016, then open "My Computer" and go to the system drive (by default, the letter of the system drive is "C").

And in this folder we find and run the Scanpst utility.

Working with this utility is quite simple. We click on the "Browse" button and select the PST file, and then it remains to click "Start" and the program will start checking.

When the scan is complete, Scanpst will show the scan result. We just have to press the "Restore" button.

Since this utility can scan only one file, this procedure must be done for each file separately.

After that, you can start Outlook.

If all of the above methods did not help you, then try reinstalling Outlook after checking the system for viruses.