Share via

Keep Getting "Outlook closed while you had items open. Reopen items from last session?" Even Though It's Not True

Anonymous
2023-07-05T13:34:20+00:00

This just started happening. Whenever I open Outlook, I get the message "Outlook closed while you had items open. Reopen items from last session?" even though this is not true -- I did not have items open when I closed Outlook. Using Windows 11. Screenshot of what version of Outlook I have:

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For business

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

  1. Anonymous
    2023-07-07T17:46:51+00:00

    I'm on build 2306. Is this the reg key in question?

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Preferences
    DWORD: ReopenWindowsOption
    Value: 1

    Yes.

    Some users that updated to 2306 have reported that the key was not already in the Registry and had to add it and the value.

    Was this answer helpful?

    40+ people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments

178 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2023-07-05T14:17:14+00:00

    Hi, I'm Diane and will be happy to help you today.

    Which version and build of Outlook are you using? See File, Office Account for the information.

    In File > Options > General - do you have the option to change the setting?

    I've seen a few other reports that Outlook 2019 is bringing up that dialog but does not have the option to change the setting. I emailed my contacts at Microsoft about it and am waiting to hear back.

    I suggested to the other users to try this key - only one responded back and said it did not help. If you try it, restart Outlook after adding the key.

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Preferences

    DWORD: ReopenWindowsOption

    Value: 1

    -- Diane

    Give back to the community. Help the next person with this problem by indicating whether this answer solved your problem. Click Yes or No at the bottom.

    Was this answer helpful?

    20+ people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2023-07-07T12:15:07+00:00

    My testing showed that the update to version 2306 build 16529.20154 that was released June 26, 2023 removed the Startup Options on the General tab of Outlook (which has Ask to open items as the default setting, which causes the popup questions). To prove this I rolled back to the prior version 2305 build 16501.20210, which restored the 3 Start up options on that General tab. After the upgrade to version 2306 I did not get the popup box asking to reopen items, but I had that option set to Never reopen items selected before the upgrade occurred. I checked and that Registry key is set to the value of 1 which is for the Never option (0 is for Ask and 2 is for Always open items). Changing that key value to 1 should work.

    Was this answer helpful?

    10+ people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2023-07-13T16:07:49+00:00

    I have office 2016 build 2306 and I have the same problem. I don't have the "startup options" feature and I didn't mess with the registry.

    Under File menu --> Options --> General --> Cloud Storage Options --> I unchecked the "Store my Outlook Settings in the Cloud" checkbox. The issue has gone away for now. I don't know if it has been fixed, but I am not getting that message when starting Outlook for the last few times.

    Was this answer helpful?

    8 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2023-07-05T14:43:13+00:00

    Thanks for the suggestions. Interestingly, the problem has mysteriously gone away.

    Under "Startup Options," there are no options. No down arrow to click, etc.

    This is Outlook 2021:

    Was this answer helpful?

    5 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments