Classic Outlook not responding, stuck at “Processing,” stopped working, or freezes

“COM Add-ins” are modules that add specific features to Microsoft Office products including Outlook. In some instances, however, one or more Add-ins may cause problems and needs to be disabled. Add-ins can either be removed from the Windows Control Panel or through Outlook itself.

If so, wait a short time (usually two or three minutes) to see if Outlook starts working again. Shows contacts or contact lists depending on what you selected in the left pane. Select a contact or contact list to https://fixoutlookhelp.wordpress.com/2025/10/29/repair-outlook-ost-and-pst-files-2025-guide/ view details in the contact card on the right. You can also select multiple contacts—for example, to send an email to the selected contacts. Keep track of appointments, meetings, or any other event from anywhere.

The new Outlook Attachment Preview feature lets you see your pictures and files without leaving your inbox. Or how about customizing the look and feel of your mailbox? To effortlessly change your settings so that your inbox looks the way you want it to, see Personalize your new Mail experience in Outlook.com. Occasionally, classic Outlook tries to run a process in the background. Auto-archive, sending and receiving a very large attachment, or running some of the other mailbox tools can all be done in the background. Check the status bar at the bottom of the screen to see if another process is running.

Method 1: Use the Built-in Inbox Repair Tool (ScanPST.exe)Close Outlook.Press Windows + R, type %programfiles%/Microsoft Office/ and press the Enter key or click OK.Open the Officexx or root/officexx folder and locate the ScanPST.exe program.Double-click on the program file to launch it.More items…•Jan 26, 2024

If it does and Outlook starts working properly, then most likely the problem is with one of your add-ins, which leads us to the next step. Use the following steps to re-enable the Send immediately when connected option. This problem can occur if the Send immediately when the connected option is not enabled, as shown in the following https://fixoutlookhelp.wordpress.com/2025/10/29/repair-outlook-ost-and-pst-files-2025-guide/ figure from Outlook 2016. If your antivirus software isn’t up-to-date, Outlook may not function correctly.

Each message also has a mini toolbar when you open the message in a new window. For each message, you can delete it, mark it as unread, flag the message, or pin it to keep it at the top of your folder. There might also be a visual alert that a message is unread, has an attachment, or is flagged. This is a lightweight app designed to handle multiple accounts https://fixoutlookhelp.wordpress.com/2025/10/29/repair-outlook-ost-and-pst-files-2025-guide/ and fairly moderate email use. TrustedTech delivers unbeatable customer service, with experts in licensing and high-level technicians always on-call to answer your tech issues in-depth.

Below, you will see some of the most common issues that users run into, and what the most efficient way to troubleshoot Outlook is. If you’re having trouble installing HubSpot Sales for Outlook, the troubleshooting steps listed here should help you get up and running in no time. Having trouble connecting to your email from Outlook on your desktop? Follow these steps to let Outlook diagnose and fix errors in your Outlook mail profile that might be causing the issue.

At a higher level, the more visible changes that you see involve folders and messages. The Inbox Repair tool is automatically installed with all English-language Microsoft Outlook installation options depending on your https://fixoutlookhelp.wordpress.com/2025/10/29/repair-outlook-ost-and-pst-files-2025-guide/ operating system. Provide the email address, followed by the password of the account.

To manage your mailbox by using the AutoArchive feature, see AutoArchive settings explained. We recommend that you move several items in your larger folders to separate folders, or that you archive those items by using the AutoArchive feature. If the problem doesn’t occur after you restart Outlook, one of the add-ins is likely the cause of the problem. Restore the add-ins one at a time until the problem does occur to determine which add-in is causing the problem. Although add-ins https://fixoutlookhelp.wordpress.com/2025/10/29/repair-outlook-ost-and-pst-files-2025-guide/ can enhance your user experience, they can occasionally interfere or conflict with Outlook. Try to start Outlook without any add-ins running.

If that doesn’t work, try https://fixoutlookhelp.wordpress.com/2025/10/29/repair-outlook-ost-and-pst-files-2025-guide/ using the Inbox Repair Tool or creating a new profile. And if nothing else helps, there are great tools out there that can recover everything for you. Take it one step at a time, and you’ll have Outlook working again soon.

A conflict with Outlook may occur with applications like desktop search, PDF software, or other Microsoft 365 tools that interact with your email account. Outlook not responding may be a frustrating error, but with the appropriate troubleshooting steps, you can often resolve the problem on your own. Checking your internet connection and updating Outlook helps to fix this. Moreover, you can manage https://fixoutlookhelp.wordpress.com/2025/10/29/repair-outlook-ost-and-pst-files-2025-guide/ add-ins and follow the other tips outlined in this blog.

You can also add the secondary connected accounts (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) in Outlook.com as additional accounts in the Outlook profile. If you manually type in the secondary connected account email address in the “From” field, the email is sent as “On behalf of” your primary Outlook.com account. While these Microsoft accounts work in other Microsoft products (e.g. OneDrive, Windows, Xbox), they are non-functional when visiting Outlook.com. Outlook.com (the web version of Outlook) and Outlook apps require a 1st party alias (Outlook/Hotmail/Live/MSN) to send and receive email, use calendar, etc. Availability has recovered, and engineers are investigating the root cause and identifying problematic servers. The team is sweeping all remaining capacity to identify and address residual issues.