How to Fix Microsoft Outlook Slow to Receive Emails?

Microsoft Outlook works smoothly when set up on a compatible system. However, with time and as the mailbox (or PST) size grows, Outlook often starts showing signs of degraded performance. A most common outcome of this degraded performance and a recurring Outlook issue is that the application starts taking more time to receive emails and download attachments which results an Outlook Send receive error. Even after several refreshes, the new emails and attachments are displayed only after a while.

Read on to know the solutions to fix the issue of Outlook is running slow.

How to Resolve the Outlook is Slow to Receive Emails Issue?

If emails are taking a long time to arrive or load in Outlook or Outlook is slow to download emails and attachments, try the following solutions to fix the problem.

Note: Backup the PST file before applying these solutions. The file is located at: %localappdata%/Microsoft/Outlook or C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook.

1. Check Hard Drive for Bad Sectors

In case your hard drive has developed bad sectors and your PST file is stored at a location on the hard drive that includes one of those sectors, it could be a cause of the Outlook is running slow issue. You can use a tool such as CrystalDiskInfo and check hard drive health status and SMART information. Make sure drive health is good and there are no Reallocated Sector Count warnings.

You can also run the Check Disk command in the Command Prompt window as given below.

CHKDSK /r

The CHKDSK command will find out and repair hard drive issues. After this, restart the system and open Outlook. Try sending a few emails from another email account and then check if Outlook receives those emails normally.

2. Defragment the Hard Drive

It’s quite possible that your PST file may be fragmented and that’s why Outlook is slow to load emails and attachments. So, defragmenting your hard drive would be a good idea if you haven’t done it recently. To defragment, simply type ‘defrag’ in search box and click on Defragment and Optimize Drives.

Select the drive volume where your PST file is stored and click ‘Optimize’.

Also, optimize other partitions and then check your Outlook. If the Outlook is still slow to receive emails, head to the next solution.  

3. Compact or Compress Outlook PST File

Large PST files could also cause Outlook to run slowly. So, you can compress or compact the Outlook PST file. Compacting the PST file size helps reduce the PST size. To compact Outlook PST,

• Launch Outlook.
• Right-click on Personal Folder or Outlook PST.
• Click on Properties > Advanced. 

• Check the ‘Compress contents to save disk space’ box, click ‘OK’, and then ‘OK’ again.

Compacting the PST may take time depending upon the PST file size.

4. Disable Faulty Add-ins

Incompatible or faulty add-ins may also cause Microsoft Outlook is slow to receive emails and loading attachments issue. Follow these steps to find the faulty add-in and disable or uninstall it.

• Press Windows + R, type outlook.exe /safe, and press Enter.
• Go to Outlook Options > Add-ins > Go in Outlook 2007 or 2010. In Outlook 2013 and later, go to File > Options > Manage COM Add-Ins. This opens up a dialog box listing all installed add-ins.

• Uncheck all Add-Ins names and click OK to disable them.

Restart Outlook normally. Enable each plugin one-by-one and try to send/receive messages. This will help you find the add-in that is creating the problem. When found, uninstall or remove it from the Outlook.

5. Update Outlook

Your Outlook may be outdated and have bugs or issues. By updating Outlook, you can fix these bugs and resolve the Microsoft Outlook is slow to receive emails issue. The steps to update Outlook are as follows:

• Open Outlook and go to File > Office Account > Update Options.
• From the available options, choose Update Now.

• If a new update is available, Outlook will start a wizard and download the latest updates. You need to complete the update wizard.

After this, restart Outlook and check if the Outlook is performing as expected or not.

6. Disable RSS Feeds

RSS Feeds, if enabled in your Outlook, can slow down the Outlook, especially if you have a lot of RSS feeds that are synchronized with the Outlook. You can disable the RSS Feeds to fix the slow Outlook issue. The steps are as follows:

• Open Outlook.
• Go to File > Options > Advanced.
• Here, scroll down to the RSS Feeds section and uncheck ‘Synchronize RSS Feeds to the Common Feed List (CFL) in Windows.’

• Click OK.

7. Disable Hardware Graphic Acceleration

Hardware Acceleration may cause slow performance issue in Outlook. By disabling Hardware Acceleration in Outlook, you can improve the Outlook performance. The steps are as follows:

• In Outlook, go to File > Options > Advanced.
• Under the Display section, check Disable hardware graphics acceleration.

• Click OK.

This option may not be available in newer Outlook versions.

8. Remove or Delete Large Attachments

You can remove large attachments from the emails and store them in a local folder. This will help reduce the PST size and improve Outlook performance. You may also delete large attachments from the emails if you do not need them.

To do so,

• Open Outlook and then click on the emails with attachments. You can use the Filter to do so.

• Open the email and right-click on the attachment.
• Choose Save As or Save All Attachments… and then choose a location or folder where you would like to save the attachments.

• After saving the attachment, right-click again on the attachment and click Remove Attachment.

9. Repair PST File

If none of the above solutions works, you can repair the Outlook PST file to fix the issue. Microsoft provides an Inbox Repair Tool (ScanPST.exe) with its MS Office suite. This tool finds and repairs minor faults within the PST file and make it workable again.

You can find this utility within your Outlook installation folder. Double-click on SCANPST.EXE to launch the Inbox Repair Tool and select the PST file. Then, follow the wizard to repair it.

However, if for some reason your PST file cannot be fixed with SCANPST, you can use Stellar Repair for Outlook—an advanced tool to repair corrupt, damaged, or encrypted PST files. This user-friendly software is equipped with algorithms dedicated to resolving minor as well as major PST corruption issues. It can even let you perform advanced tasks such as compressing PST, splitting it, etc.

Final Words 

You can follow the solutions mentioned above to fix the Microsoft Outlook is slow to receive emails issue. More often, it’s the PST file that develops errors and inconsistencies that leads to slow performance issue in Outlook. Remember to repair PST file using built in Inbox Repair tool or SCANPST to fix the problem. If the SCANPST fails, you can always rely on an advanced Outlook repair software, such as Stellar Repair for Outlook. It can repair your severely corrupt, damaged, or inaccessible PST file and save the mail items to a new PST or append to an existing healthy PST file.

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About The Author

Ravi Singh

Ravi Singh is a Senior Writer at Stellar®. He is an expert Tech Explainer, IoT enthusiast, and a passionate nerd with over 7 years of experience in technical writing. He writes about Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft 365, Email Migration, Linux, Windows, Mac, DIY Tech, and Smart Home. Ravi spends most of his weekends working with IoT (DIY Smart Home) devices and playing Overwatch. He is also a solo traveler who loves hiking and exploring new trails.