Repair PST File

Top 5 Outlook Problems that Users Face and How to Fix Them?

Written By Charanjeet Kaur
Approved By Kuljeet Singh
Updated on 23 Jan, 2023
Min Reading 5 Min
Share

Table of Content

Summary: In this blog, we will share some common Outlook problems such as; 'Outlook stuck on loading profile', 'Outlook not working', 'Outlook PST is corrupted', & their solutions. Read the blog to see if it includes any Outlook issues that you’ve encountered, and know-how they can be fixed. If you're having trouble accessing your PST file due to issues with your Outlook account, use Stellar Repair for Outlook software to regain access to the PST file.

Free Download100% secure

There are several attributes that make Microsoft Outlook as one of the most widely used email clients, including a simple-to-use interface, advanced features, and efficiency being the main ones.

However, as crucial as MS Outlook is to manage your work life, some errors can crop up out of nowhere to put a halt, albeit a temporary one, to the regular flow of your daily activities. Some of these common problems with Outlook include freezing, start-up issues, sluggish working, problems with profile handling, etc.

Who knows, you might start loving this simple to fix software even more?

Common Outlook Problems and Solutions

Note: The errors and solutions mentioned below apply to Outlook 2007. Though most of them should work with other versions of Outlook too, you should be aware that they might not.

You might be interested in reading this: How to repair Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010 & 2007

Problem 1 – Outlook Stuck on Loading Profile

This is the most common of Microsoft Outlook problems. Over time, emails, notes, calendar entries, attachments etc. keep piling up in the Outlook PST, making it abnormally large in size. It eventually reaches to such an extent that working with Outlook becomes nearly impossible due to its utterly slow speed. It may cause ’Outlook stuck at loading profile’ issue.

Solution – The first solution here is to reduce PST file size. For this, you need to remove any and everything that is causing the PST to bloat up. Find out the folder called “Larger Than 100 Kb” in Outlook 2007, it will contain all emails that are larger than 100 Kb. Delete all unwanted old emails (especially the ones with bulky attachments). If you really need an attachment, save it to the disk but clear it out of the PST. Also, delete all other unwanted emails and clear out the Trash.

The second thing that could do wonders is Archiving. Archive your emails by year. This will save large amounts of data to your disk, relieving the PST of its burden.

Read this: Five Best Tips to Keep Outlook PST File Size Smaller

Problem 2 – Outlook not Working or Not Responding?

It’s ironic how something that’s meant to help can itself become a cause of the trouble. Many Outlook add-ins claim to help around with Outlook’s working and make things easier for you. Sadly, quite a few add-ins have bugs and many are poorly written. And, using a corrupt add-in may cause Outlook to crash without warning, or it may result in Outlook has stopped working error. Installing too many add-ins can make Outlook slow too.

Other reasons that may cause the email application to crash or halt its working are a corrupt Outlook profile, corruption in Outlook data file, etc.

Solution – To find out if add-ins are causing a problem, start Outlook in safe mode and see if it performs better. If it doesn’t, the problem lies elsewhere. However, if it does, go to Outlook’s Trust Center and disable any suspected add-ins, then restart Outlook normally.

If disabling the add-ins doesn’t help solve the issue, try re-creating your Outlook profile. If this doesn’t help, skip to the next problem and its solution.

Problem 3 – Outlook PST is Corrupted

You’ll know if the PST is corrupted if you start seeing errors pointing out the same on opening Outlook. A corrupt PST file can lead to inaccessibility of all data within your Outlook since it won’t allow it to open.

Solution – Microsoft’s built-in repair utility, ScanPST.exe proves to be quite effective in this situation. You can find it in your Outlook installation folder and just run it. However, if the utility freezes or fails to fix PST file corruption, using Stellar Repair for Outlook software can help.

Read this: [Fix] Scanpst.exe Freezes, Fails on Repairing Outlook PST Files

Problem 4 – An Email on the Office PC Doesn’t Show up on your Laptop

When Outlook is installed on more than one computer, you may find that the email settings on one don’t match the other. Downloading an email on both would also lead to an inconsistency.

Solution – Follow any of these solutions to fix this problem:

Copy the PST file from one computer to the other manually. Whichever computer has all the emails, copy its PST to the other manually, and then restart Outlook.
Switch to IMAP protocol that synchronizes the mail on the server with the mail in Outlook.

Problem 5 – You’re Sending out Spam emails

You may get to know from your contacts that they’ve received unwanted emails from you while you may not be aware of sending them. This could prove to be quite embarrassing if the receiver is an important business associate and the sent out email is inappropriate.

Solution – The cause of this problem could be either a malware-infected computer with access to your email address or your email account being hacked. Changing the password could solve the latter problem. However, if you’re unable to do so, you should contact support immediately and report the issue.

If, however, your computer is virus-infected, scan your entire hard disk with a premium antivirus program, other than your regular one. Meanwhile, also inform your contacts that something like this has happened so that they can be aware of such an issue too.

You can also refer to this Manual guide for outlook related issues

To Sum it Up

Though the above points should pretty much capture most of your Outlook problems such as; ‘Outlook stuck on loading profile’, ‘Outlook not working’, ‘Outlook PST is corrupted’, ‘Outlook PST is corrupted’ however if you’re still facing some issues, you could try other fixes such as rebuilding your Outlook profile, disabling your antivirus, adjusting your calendar permissions, etc.

But, you can save the manual efforts and time spent in Outlook troubleshooting by using Stellar Repair for Outlook software. The software is purpose-built to repair large-sized, severely corrupt PST files. It can also fix common Outlook errors if need be.

Was this article helpful?

YES0

About The Author

Charanjeet Kaur

Charanjeet is a Technical Content Writer at Stellar®who specializes in writing about databases, e-mail recovery, and e-mail migration solutions. She loves researching and developing content that helps database administrators, organizations and novices to fix multiple problems related to MS SQL and MySQL databases and Microsoft Exchange.

110 comments

y.sailendrakumar says:

December 26, 2015 at 8:04 am

in my outlook i am getting a massage that data file is not closed properly . and outlook is not responding

Reply
1. Ankur says:
  
  December 28, 2015 at 9:57 am
  
  Hi Y.Sailendrakumar
  
  Sorry for the delayed response.
  
  You are facing issue because Outlook PST file has been corrupt. It’s a common problem faced by Outlook users. There could be several reasons behind “Outlook not responding” errors. Few of them are:
  
  * Overgrown mailbox size
  * Accessing and sharing PST file over networks
  * Hardware/Software compatibility issue
  * Corrupt Outlook PST
  
  To make it accessible repair corrupt PST file using scanpst.exe (Inbox Repair Tool). It’s a free inbuilt utility suggested by Microsoft but few times, this utility does not work. If the situation occurs, I would say that opt for Stellar PST Repair Software. This tool would be optimum solution for repairing the corrupt pst file. You can try the free version of the software to evaluate the software performance in real life scenario. Still, if you face any problem, feel free to contact us.
  
  Reply
Ronald says:

December 16, 2015 at 9:40 am

I am facing issue with my Outlook. My Outlook is not behaving well as I opened it again it demands to restart. Is my Outlook got corrupt what should I do to make it work properly?

Reply
1. Ankur says:
  
  December 16, 2015 at 9:42 am
  
  Hi Ronald
  Outlook behaves like this when it got corrupt. To resolve your issue I would suggest repairing it. Repairing Outlook PST file would definitely solve your problem.For repairing you can try manual process i.e. “Inbox repair tool” or can opt for Stellar product. We suggest you to give a try to Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe) first as it is free to use.
  
  Note: Please make sure to take a backup of Outlook PST file, before proceeding to Manual Repairing process using Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe).
  
  Reply
  1. Ronald says:
    
    December 17, 2015 at 9:46 am
    
    I have already tried Inbox repair tool. But nothing happened. Is something wrong with my PST?
  2. Ankur says:
    
    December 17, 2015 at 9:47 am
    
    Nothing to worry. Inbox repair tool have some limitation like sometimes its unable to repair severely corrupt pst file. I would suggest you to opt for Stellar Outlook PST Repair. This tool will definitely resolve your problem.
  3. Ronald says:
    
    December 17, 2015 at 9:48 am
    
    Thanks for sharing the solution. Could you please specify whether your software supports for Outlook 2016 on Windows 10.
  4. Ankur says:
    
    December 17, 2015 at 9:49 am
    
    Yes, our software is compatible with Outlook 2016 and other predecessor versions like Outlook 2013, 2010, 2007, 2003, on Windows 10 or any other previous version like Windows 8 , Windows 7, and Windows Vista.
Neo says:

November 26, 2015 at 9:38 am

Information you shared here is nice. Recently I am also facing issue with my Outlook PST and want to repair it using recommended PST Repair software. I am using Outlook 2016 on Windows 10. Could you please tell me whether your PST Repair supports for the same configuration?

Reply
1. Ankur says:
  
  November 26, 2015 at 10:07 am
  
  Yes, Stellar Repair for Outlooksoftware supports for all latest Outlook version as well as latest Operating system. Here I am sharing software compatibility and support:
  MS Outlook Version Support: MS Outlook 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007 and 2003
  OS Support: Windows 10 / Windows 8 / Windows 7 / Windows Vista
  
  Reply
  1. Muktar Ahamad says:
    
    September 7, 2017 at 10:02 am
    
    if you don’t mind can you tell me how many types problem is coming in ms outlook (actually i have’t idea so thats why i’m asking )
  2. Eric Simson says:
    
    September 8, 2017 at 7:05 am
    
    Hello Muktar,
    
    It is not feasible to calculate the exact number of errors in MS Outlook. It depends on several factors like Outlook settings, database file, Outlook build etc.
Jose says:

November 18, 2015 at 9:43 am

Is there any demo version available of your software? If, Yes then please share from where I get that.

Reply
1. Ankur says:
  
  November 18, 2015 at 10:17 am
  
  Yes, we provide demo version of PST repair software to our users at no cost. Additionally we let user’s see preview of repaired PST file in demo version.
  
  You can download software from our website
  
  Reply
  1. Jose says:
    
    November 26, 2015 at 10:20 am
    
    Thanks, I opt for suggested PST Repair software and really after using software I must say it is good software for all MS Outlook users facing corrupt Outlook PST file issue.
  2. Ankur says:
    
    November 26, 2015 at 10:36 am
    
    Hi Jose… It was a pleasure to know that software resolved your problem.
TimonD says:

October 21, 2015 at 10:28 am

I am using Outlook 2013 on windows 8. I’m unable to start Outlook on my computer even after trying it again and again. Every time I try to start Outlook, it gives an error and afterwards nothing happens. Could you please resolve my problem?

Reply
1. Ankur says:
  
  October 21, 2015 at 10:30 am
  
  It would be great if you could tell us about the prompting error code or error message.
  
  Reply
2. Timon says:
  
  October 23, 2015 at 6:58 am
  
  I am facing Outlook error: “PST is not recognized” .
  
  Reply
  1. Ankur says:
    
    October 23, 2015 at 8:11 am
    
    In reality, the main difficulty is because of your Outlook data file i.e. PST files. PST files are main repository of complete Outlook mailbox (email, contacts, messages, tasks etc). I analyzed your problem and find the possible solution. It’s a common issue faced by Outlook users and reason behind this is same their PST file got damaged. Same is happened with you. There may be several reasons that make your PST file corrupt.
    • Hardware failure
    • System compatibility issues
    • Improper closing of Outlook
    To resolve the issue I would suggest opting for Stellar Repair for Outlooksoftware. Recommended PST repair software is specifically designed with advanced algorithms to resolve all corrupt Outlook issues. It will surely resolve your problem .
    
    You can download tool from website
  2. TimonD says:
    
    October 26, 2015 at 3:36 am
    
    Thanks Ankur for the solution. But I want to know more about the demo version. Is there any hidden cost is associated with the product. I want to try this software before purchasing it.
  3. Ankur says:
    
    October 27, 2015 at 5:12 am
    
    Demo version have all the features as in Registered version of software. The only difference between demo version and register version is – “Saving Option is disabled in demo version”. For saving PST file you have to register the PST repair software. Except that there is no difference between the demo version and registered version.
    
    Demo version is free to try and absolutely there is no hidden cost associated with it. Software is available at: here
Potterj says:

September 30, 2015 at 7:34 am

Hello Stellar

I tried for PST Repair software demo version and after trying demo version I want to activate the product. Could you please share details about how to activate the product?

Reply
1. Ankur says:
  
  September 30, 2015 at 7:49 am
  
  Hello Potterj,
  
  Here are the complete details.
  
  • To launch the Stellar Repair for Outlookapplication
  • Point to Menu Bar select option Register and click on Registration button
  • A dialogue box will appear on screen having Registration options. Enable the option I have the Registration Key
  • Choose option Online Registration and proceed by clicking the OK button
  • Dialogue box will appear labeled as Stellar Outlook PST Repair. Click on OK button
  • A dialogue box will appear labeled as Stellar Repair for Outlook-Manual Software Registration. Enter the serial number you have in the box.
  • Click on Next button
  • Go to desktop and search for file PHX_REG.txt and after searching email file to support@stellarinfo.com. Now click on Finish button
  • Once your details will get verified you will receive a site key to register the software manually
  • Open the Stellar Repair for Outlooktool select the option Yes, I have the registration key
  • Choose option Manual Registration and click on OK button. After clicking on OK button enters the site key and click on validate button to validate the software.
  
  Follow these steps and activate your product. In case if you face any issue, feel free to contact us.
  
  Reply
Lara T. Johnston says:

September 29, 2015 at 8:38 am

Could you please tell me that recommended PST Repair software meets the specific requirement or I have to look for alternative:

OS: Windows 10
Outlook Version: Outlook 2013 (64 bit)

I want to use this software but not aware whether software will meet the requirement or not. Please confirm this at your end.

Reply
1. Ankur says:
  
  September 29, 2015 at 10:03 am
  
  Hello Lara T. Johnston,
  
  Our software supports Outlook 2013 (64 bit) on Windows 10 OS based computer.
  
  I would also like to tell you that all software from Stellar including the PST repair software comes with the free demo version so that user can test the software compatibility & working in real life scenario. You can get the free demo of product from here:
  
  Once you are satisfied with product working, they can register the product and can take benefits of the premium features of the product.
  
  Thanks
  Ankur (Stellar Email Recovery Team)
  
  Reply
Mikaela Pitkänen says:

September 27, 2015 at 1:37 am

My Outlook is getting crashed every time whenever I try to open it. I thought the problem was due to recently installed Add-in and even after uninstalling it, the same problem persists. I’m not able to access my emails now.

What could be the reason? I think PST has become corrupt due to continuous Outlook crash? Suggest something.

Reply
1. Ankur says:
  
  September 28, 2015 at 11:16 am
  
  Hi Mikaela Pitkänen,
  
  Yes you are right. Your Outlook PST file has been corrupt due to continuous crash of Outlook.
  
  To repair damaged PST file, you can opt for Microsoft suggested free inbuilt utility i.e. scanpst.exe or as its alternative Stellar Outlook PST Repair.
  
  Though Inbox repair Tool (Scanpst.exe) is free to use but it has some limitation like it would not repair severely damaged PST file or after executing the repairing process, you may observe that some emails are permanently deleted. So, to avoid permanent deletion of emails or to repair severely damaged PST file opt for Stellar Repair for Outlooksoftware. It will resolve your problem.
  
  If you face any difficulty while using the Scanpst.exe or Stellar Outlook PST repair, feel free to ask.
  
  Thanks
  
  Reply
Wrighter Tross says:

September 18, 2015 at 8:15 am

Hey, I am facing some issues in my outlook; whenever I try to send emails a popup message appear like this: Error 0X80040116? Could you please suggest me solution?

Reply
1. Ankur Bhatia says:
  
  September 18, 2015 at 9:14 am
  
  Hi Wright,
  
  Don’t worry. Such error appears on Outlook user screen when Outlook PST file got corrupt. There may be following reasons that make your Outlook PST corrupt:
  
  Outlook Direct Shutdown: Sometime user closes their Outlook directly by clicking the Close button. Users are not aware of fact that it makes Outlook PST file corrupt.
  
  Large PST file: Users usually ignore the warnings given by Outlook to remove the unwanted emails. Not deleting unwanted email data will make user Outlook PST file heavy in size and large size PST file outcomes in corrupt PST file.
  
  Header of PST File Corrupt: Outlook PST header’s sometime corrupt very easily and outcome in PST file corrupt. May be same is happened with you.
  
  You can resolve this problem by following opting for any of these methods:
  
  • Create new Outlook PST file
  • Repair Your Outlook PST file
  
  Though creation of new PST file would be tough task and as well this is not a secure method. Along it will result in loss of current email data. To resolve your issue I would recommend repairing it using Stellar Repair for Outlooktool. Tool will surely resolve your problem.
  
  Thanks
  
  Reply
Arran says:

September 17, 2015 at 5:44 am

I was encountering some errors whenever I try to open my MS Outlook. Upon some research, I got to know the reason behind the problem and tried Scanpst to repair the PST but unfortunately it did not solve the purpose. Luckily, I landed upon this post and got to know about Stellar PST Repair, tried the software and I was able to access my mail items again.

Reply
1. Ankur says:
  
  September 18, 2015 at 10:11 am
  
  Hello Arran,
  
  I’m glad to know that our software helped you in accessing your emails.
  
  Thanks
  
  Reply