Cant get into outlook

Harry Cochran 5 Reputation points
2025-11-18T18:57:21.33+00:00

My PC crashed with outlook open, and now I can't get back into my email. When I re-open outlook it asks me to login, but when I put in my password it says, "adding account" and then "setting things up" but then it dumps me back onto the login page. sometimes I get an error that says "outlook is having trouble starting. How about starting with essentials only?" whatever I select makes no difference, I just go back to the same login loop.

All of the support articles I can find say to start in safe mode, but this doesn't work, because the .exe can't be found. This started me on a rabbit hole of trying to find the .exe, but there doesn't seem to be one. I've looked everywhere and tried multiple searches both in the search bar and with copilot. I've tried to uninstall and reinstall about 4 times, tried rebooting the machine, updating windows, and everything else I can think of. Not sure what else to do from here, any ideas?

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For home
0 comments
Answer recommended by moderator
Harry Cochran 5 Reputation points
2025-11-18T21:54:56.93+00:00

I got this figured out eventually. What I had to do was set up a new email address in the outlook app, go into my settings inside the app, remove my old account, and set it up again from scratch. Then I just deleted the new email account that I set up.

Was this answer helpful?

4 people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

6 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Arlene D 36,225 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-11-18T21:03:57.49+00:00

    Thanks, Harry. Since you are on the new Outlook, have already repaired, reset, and reinstalled multiple times, and app updates are on, the official guidance from Microsoft is that persistent login loops like this can sometimes be caused by a corrupted profile stored in the cloud or your account settings.

    The next step is to sign in to Outlook on the web at outlook.com to confirm your account works there and clear any account issues. If it works online but not in the app, I recommend using the official account recovery and troubleshooting tools to check your account and remove any cached credentials that may be causing the loop.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
  2. Arlene D 36,225 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-11-18T19:32:28.0433333+00:00

    Thanks for sharing this, Harry. First, are you using the new Outlook or the classic Outlook from Microsoft 365?

    The login loop usually points to a damaged Outlook install, and the official step is to repair Microsoft 365 from Settings, Apps, Installed apps, Microsoft 365 Apps, Modify, then run Quick Repair. If you use the new Outlook, open the Microsoft Store, go to Library, then run Updates to refresh the app. This restores missing files and fixes the login loop.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
  3. Arlene D 36,225 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-11-18T20:52:20.1633333+00:00

    Thanks for the screenshot, Harry. It looks like you are using the new Outlook app.

    The official step is to reset the app: go to Settings, Apps, Installed apps, find Outlook, click Advanced options, then Reset. This clears app data and often fixes login loops. After that, open Outlook and sign in. If it still doesn’t work, uninstall the app completely and reinstall it from the Microsoft Store. Have you tried resetting the app yet?

    Was this answer helpful?

  4. Arlene D 36,225 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-11-18T20:10:50.85+00:00

    Thanks for clarifying. Let’s confirm which Outlook you have.

    Open Outlook and check the top right corner—if you see a toggle that says “New Outlook,” you are on the new version. If not, it’s the classic version from Microsoft 365. For the new Outlook from the Microsoft Store, updates happen automatically through the Store. If you don’t see an update option in Library, make sure the Microsoft Store itself is updated: open the Store, click your profile, then Settings, and turn on “App updates.” After that, restart your PC and try opening Outlook again.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.