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Constantly Having to Repair Outlook to Get it to Open

Anonymous
2023-08-04T12:15:04+00:00

When I try to open Outlook in Microsoft Office Professional 2016, 90% of the time, it will not open - I get the little "hourglass" like it's momentarily thinking and then it goes away and will not open. I then have to go into the Control Panel, go to Programs, then "change/repair" Microsoft Office Professional 2016. Sometimes I can do the quick repair and when it's done, Outlook opens and performs as it should. Other times, that doesn't work, and I have to go back in and do an extended repair. After the repair is done, I can then open Outlook, but if I have to close Outlook, or my computer restarts due to an update, the whole process starts all over again. How can I prevent this?

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For business

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-08-04T21:49:40+00:00

    I have the same problem with Outlook in Microsoft Office Pro 2021. Often, when I try to open Outlook, it will not open - I momentarily get the hourglass then it goes away and Outlook will not open.

    If I check Task Manager, I see Outlook is still running in Services. I click to end Outlook, then all is fine.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-08-04T22:01:40+00:00

    Office Repairs are often a good 1st step to troubleshoot many office issues.

    If that doesn't work try deleting the Outlook Profile and re-creating. Be sure to be aware of what type of mailbox you are using as you could lose mail if you don't have backups and aren't using an internet or server based mailbox.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-08-04T20:11:54+00:00

    Thank you so much for the update, TerryBesch.

    Based on the description of how the issues was resolved, it could be that the previous installation of Office was corrupted and got repaired and reinstalled after you performed an online repair.

    We are so glad to hear that the problem you had with your Office application has been resolved. Thank you again for sharing the action you've taken to resolve this issue we have.

    To help other customers searching for help on related issues, please feel free to mark the response you found by clicking "Yes" on the bottom of this post. This will ensure the helpful tips are most visible when searching (and you can vote more thana once if the solution was spread over multiple posts.)

    If you need help in the future, please feel free to post here in community **** and we are more than happy to help and assist you to the best we can.

    Thank you and have a great day!

    Kind regards,

    Mae Sev.

    Moderator Microsoft Community

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-08-04T19:28:54+00:00

    Hello,

    Thank you so much for taking the time to reply.

    Yes, it was happening in all Office applications.

    Office 2016 was downloaded on my device in 2018 and I've been using it since then.

    I use a PC, Windows 11.

    I found out the problem. I had to keep doing a quick repair for Office 2016 applications. Since I had to keep repeating this, I tried the more extended repair on-line. After this I received messages to activate MS Office 365 which I did not want. However, I also noticed in Programs, that Office 2016 said it was now installed today, not in 2018. So, when I clicked on "activate", instead of going through with the unwanted subscription, it did give me an option to enter a product key. I entered the product key I had for Office 2016 and that fixed everything.

    I believe that the on-line repair must have uninstalled, then reinstalled Office 2016 which is why it then needed a product key.

    Again, thank you for your time in answering my question. I greatly appreciate it!

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-08-04T16:00:17+00:00

    Hello TerryBesch,

    Thank you for reaching Microsoft Community.

    Based on your description, you are having issues with your Outlook that you were not able to open from your end but sometimes it works which you can open it and how you wanted to prevent this happening again in the future. Please know that we truly appreciate your time and effort for trying.

    For us to isolate the issue we have, I will be asking you few questions.

    1. Is this happening to all Office application or just happening to specific Office application?
    2. Can please you provide us the exact error message via screenshot?
    3. Was this working before? Or is it the first time you set up outlook 2016 on your device?
    4. Just to clarify, we are using a windows pc for accessing the app, right?

    If so, is it running Windows 10 or 11?

    You may want to check the following to see how to acquire all the answers being asked above.

    • Try opening another Microsoft Office Application from your end to see if the issue persists. (Word, Excel & etc.,)
    • To check your device Operating System, see the steps below:
      • For Windows:
        • Press Windows logo key + R
        • Then, type winver in the open box
        • Select, OK
      • For Mac:
        • From the Apple menu in the corner of your screen, choose about this Mac
        • You should see the MacOS name such as (Big Sur & etc.,) Followed by its version number.

    Sources: Windows Operating System Check

    Which macOS your Mac is using

    We will look forward for your response to this.

    Respectfully,

    Mae Sev.

    Microsoft Community Moderator

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