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. If so, wait a short time (usually two or three minutes) to see if Outlook starts working again. If you can't choose any of the menu options, type inside an email message, calendar event, or contact, Outlook may have frozen. There are three steps you can take to try to get Outlook working again.

However, for more severe cases of corruption, you might need a more robust solution like the SysCurve Outlook PST Repair Tool. This tool offers advanced features to repair Outlook PST files that go beyond the capabilities of SCANPST.EXE. Using SCANPST.EXE is a straightforward and often effective method to address common PST file issues. It's a good initial step in troubleshooting and repairing Outlook data files due to its ease of use and accessibility as part of the Microsoft Outlook installation. There are several methods available to repair PST files, ranging from simple in-built tools to more sophisticated Outlook PST repair tool options. These methods vary in complexity, allowing you to choose the most appropriate solution based on the severity of your file corruption.

In this case, you can reset your view settings before opening the how to stop Outlook freezing app. Select your Microsoft Office installation on the list and choose "Change" at the top. In this case, open Outlook in safe mode where your add-ins aren’t loaded and remove any suspicious add-ins. In most cases, Outlook doesn’t tell you why it isn’t opening, which leaves you guessing as to what has caused the issue. Due to underlying system or PST issues, Outlook may crash, freeze, or not function properly. Find solutions to common problems or get help from a support agent.

Here, we list fixes for the possible causes, starting with the most likely culprit. Go in order so you have best chance of getting back to your inbox as quickly as possible. 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. If so, wait a short time (usually two or three minutes) to see if Outlook starts working again.

These dialog boxes often don’t allow Outlook to respond properly, so check for any open dialog boxes on your system. By installing add-ins in Microsoft Outlook, you can combine the application with extra features or functionalities that were not available by default. The navigation pane is the leftmost pane in Outlook where you'll find your folder list and the icons to move between Mail, Calendar, People, and Tasks.

It might be that antivirus software is trying to block a function that is repeatedly trying to squeeze through the firewall. There are a number of causes to Outlook not working you can troubleshoot. If you want to learn how to fix Outlook issues involving a frozen screen, here are some things you can do. If nothing else fixes your Outlook search problem, then your Spotlight index may be corrupt.

Get Help has troubleshooters for how to stop Outlook freezing classic Outlook for Windows you can run for many common scenarios, such as Outlook startup or profile setup problems. These often help resolve issues without the need to contact support. The issues documented in this section have been reported after installing the recent updates listed below. We're investigating the issues and will update this page when a fix is available.

To resolve this issue, switch Outlook from read-only mode and try moving your PST file from external drive to hard drive. You can check that the Outlook configuration settings are correct and your internet connection is stable. You may also temporary disable your firewall or antivirus program to check if it’s responsible for the error. If the PST file is corrupted, you can try repairing the file using the Inbox Repair Tool (SCANPST.exe).

In some specific cases, we observed that the problem no longer stayed after deleting the Outlook App Data folder. Thus, you can try deleting the Outlook App Data folder and check whether Outlook functions in your case