If you find that your Outlook has stopped working, is not responding, freezes, or frequently hangs on Windows 11/10/8/7, 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 is not responding, keeps crashing, or has stopped working
- If 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 the Outlook data folder
- Use Inbox Repair Tool
- Use command switches
- Use Microsoft Office Configuration Analyzer Tool
- Clean Outlook profile
- Repair Outlook account
Outlook is not working on Windows computer
Related Post: How to use Microsoft Outlook as an RSS Feed Reader
Run Microsoft Outlook in Safe Mode
To run Microsoft Outlook in Safe Mode, without add-ins, open the Run box from the Winx Menu, type outlook /safe, and hit Enter. If Outlook does not give you any problems, it is possible that one of its add-ins is creating problems. Take a look at your installed Outlook add-ins and disable them selectively, in order to find the offender.
Disable hardware graphics acceleration
Open Outlook > File > Options > Mail. Under Compose messages, click the Editor Options button. In the Advanced options dialog box, clear the Use Microsoft Office Word 2003 to edit email messages check box.
The Display section is where you can check the Disable hardware graphics acceleration box. This will turn off your Outlook and see if the issue goes away. If it does, then it’s probably some issue with your video driver. Update it and see.
Using hardware acceleration can help your computer perform certain tasks and functions faster than if you only used software. However, some people experience issues when they use hardware acceleration. If you receive a “Program not responding” message, you can try turning off hardware acceleration.
Check the Outlook data folder
If you have a huge Outlook data folder, then this can cause temporary freezes as Outlook opens each email or data folder. These Outlook data files may be 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 touched 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.
Why does my Outlook keep freezing and not responding?
The data file might be too big. You should start by checking the data file and inbox size. Adware and malware can cause the same issue on your computer. If your Outlook installation has some internal conflicts, you might get 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 a few things you can do to troubleshoot Outlook crashing or not working. For example, you can run Outlook in Safe Mode, disable hardware graphics acceleration, check the Outlook data folder, use the Microsoft Office Configuration Analyzer Tool, etc. All of these steps can be helpful when Outlook crashes or stops working.
The options remaining if nothing helps are to repair the Office program or create a new User profile and see.
Hello, My name is Shari & I am a writer for the ‘Outlook AppIns’ blog. I’m a CSIT graduate & I’ve been working in the IT industry for 3 years.