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Outlook 2010 starts and then closes after about 2 seconds on my Windows 11 Dell Laptop

Wandering Swans 10 Reputation points
2026-03-24T02:00:24.6+00:00

A few days ago my computer restarted after a routine software update that was done overnight. Everything worked fine afterwards except for Outlook 2010. When I start Outlook 2010 it opens at the inbox and you can see the emails that were there prior to the software update but it closes after about 2 seconds.

I ran SCANPST.EXE on the PST file. It said there were errors detected and that I should run "Repair", which I did but the issue was not resolved. I also tried restoring my back-up PST file from prior to the software update but this also did not resolve the issue.

Can you suggest a solution?

Thanks for your help!

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For home

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  1. Daniel Iribarren 5 Reputation points
    2026-04-04T19:15:10.92+00:00

    Grok saved my life.

    After trying unsuccesfully all the bullshit above, and various other tips and tricks, I just desinstalled Teams and my Outlook 2010 works like never before. 😀

    Note to Microsoft teams : when you discover a such mistake, affecting millions of computers in the world, a general information could help saving millions of hours of your customers. Respect first !

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  2. Q&A Assist
    2026-03-24T02:00:38.9033333+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    The behavior matches a corrupted Outlook profile or damaged Office/Outlook installation rather than a PST-only issue, especially after a Windows update. Since scanpst and restoring a backup PST did not help, use these steps:

    1. Create a new Outlook profile
      1. Open Control Panel.
      2. Select Programs > User Accounts > Mail.
      3. Select Show Profiles.
      4. Select Add, give the profile a name, and configure the email account.
      5. After creating it, set Prompt for a profile to be used or set the new profile as default.
      6. Start Outlook and choose the new profile. If Outlook stays open normally, the old profile is corrupted. Keep using the new profile. If needed, attach the old PST via File > Open & Export > Open Outlook Data File and move data.
    2. Repair Outlook/Office 2010
      1. Close Outlook and all Office apps.
      2. Open Control Panel > Programs and Features.
      3. Find Microsoft Office 2010, right‑click it, and choose Repair.
      4. After repair completes, restart Windows and test Outlook again.
    3. Repair Outlook data files again (if Outlook still closes) Even though scanpst was already run, re-run it on all PST/OST files in use:
      1. Exit Outlook.
      2. Follow the steps in Repair Outlook Data Files (.pst and .ost) to locate and repair each data file.
      3. Start Outlook with the new profile and repaired PST.
    4. If Outlook still closes immediately After the above, if Outlook 2010 still starts then closes after a couple of seconds, completely reinstalling Office has been an effective fix in similar cases:
      1. Uninstall Office/Outlook from Control Panel > Programs and Features.
      2. Restart Windows.
      3. Reinstall Office from the original media or subscription installer.
      4. Recreate the Outlook profile and attach the PST.

    These steps address the common causes in this scenario: corrupted profile, damaged Office binaries, and data file issues.

    References:

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