Outlook Issue since 1/14/26 Update

Question

After the 1/14/26 security update with Windows my Outlook Classic will pull in new emails to my IMAP email, but then at some point while working it freezes and I have to close and reopen, again download all emails since that update, and see how long it lasts until I have to close and restart. I also tried setting myself up in the New Outlook on my computer but it was doing the same lag and freeze. I've tried all the troubleshooting issues I can find so far. It even will end up freezing at some point when running in safe mode. Here's what I've tried:

1. Go to Programs and Microsoft365, I've tried both the quick and the online repair
2. Windows+R, Safemode open Outlook Classic, Options, COM, uncheck all boxes. When I tried to reopen Outlook Classic it wouldn't open so I did the Quick Repair from step 1 and now I can open it again at least. Only one COM option is checked now.
3. Tried to setup the new Outlook for windows, got it working, it still froze so I went back to Classic.
4. Updated Windows, Updated Lenovo Drivers, opened Outlook and checked for updates again but all good.
5. Tried the advanced outlook diagnostic troubleshooter. The only thing helpful form that is my data file is too big. However, it seems like I can't archive anything because if I try it crashes.
6. Went into Outlook account and tried to clean up old items, it froze and went non responsive
7. In the Accounts in Outlook I tried to compact the file, and that's where things went totally wrong and now I have a corrupt file. I use OneDrive and tried logging into that to get the old version of the file but that's gone and the corrupt version is in there too which apparently happened immediately.

Any other things I can try? I have 5 years of emails I need to recover.

Answer 1

Best solution is to back of the security patch that was applied on January 13th. I don't like that I don't have the latest security patch, but I need Outlook to function.

Settings

Windows Update

Update History

scroll down to Uninstall Updates

and you should see one on the 13th that can be uninstalled

Reboot

Outlook functionality should be restored

I'm hoping the 16th security update makes up for the removed update from the 13th.

Answer 2

I had the same issue, resolved by uninstalling the security update. Very frustrating, spent all morning resolving. Guessing there are many other users with this problem, probably worth more investigation that a canned response? Please provide a formal response. Thank you.

Answer 3

I was having this same issue (solved now, see below). Classic Outlook was locking up after just a few minutes of being open. I would have to do an End Task and Restart it, but no changes (deleted emails for instance) were saved. I tried switching to New Outlook, which is a huge, messy, unclear process, AND after you get it done, you find out you can't use your current PST file! Literally, WTH?!? So, through another very unclear process, you can upload your current PST file and search, find, and use past emails, BUT you have to move them to the new account first (basically, you have access to past emails, but with New Outlook, you are starting over. Quite unbelievable, but true. AND after all of that, New Outlook crashed too! And the program was hidden (literally was not shown anywhere on my computer, even in a search for it).

I opened Old Outlook and selected to "Switch to New Outlook" again to go through the process again, and then suddenly New Outlook appeared and opened, so I had both Outlooks running at the same time (which from this forum is apparently what some people do for some reason), but again, they both locked up just as before. So, despite comments above saying you can't just "Roll Back" this update, it worked for me. I went to the Recovery page, selected "Go Back" and went through the process (after a bunch of scary as heck screens telling you that you may lose all your data, you might not be able to log back into your machine, etc.). Honestly, I wasn't ready to start it, didn't have everything backed up, and was just checking out the process, and it suddenly started running (I was clicking through the screens waiting for the big "Point of No Return / Start Process" button, but there wasn't one, just another Next button, and it took off). After a frighteningly long time of thinking "Oh No, what have I done", the system came back up, it was rolled back to before that horrible update, and everything worked as normal. Whewwwww!

As you can tell from reading this, I am not an IT guru, but I've been working with computers daily since PCs have been around, and have had to work through all types of issues running departments, and small businesses with no IT assistance. In general, things are way better now, and we aren't dealing with daily or weekly issues like we did back in the old days, but when there is a problem now, getting it fixed seems to be much harder and more complicated. The developers don't seem to know how to write clear instructions, or communicate things, the support is all AI, which can sometimes be way off base and not even addressing your need, and just getting to a forum like this is made so hard that most people give up (and maybe that is the point, sadly).

Just to add a comment here, I had to login, but it found multiple MS accounts (schools, my own, my business), so that had to be sorted out, then I had to verify it through a separate device (phone), then I had to set up and verify a Passkey (which I didn't want to do), then I had to set up an account profile for this forum. There is probably a million people dealing with this issue right now, but from this thread, it looks like there is only about 10 of us. Do better Microsoft.

Connect with your customers, make things easier, not harder, and understand real human needs beyond the big corporations that have huge IT staffs. You have millions of customers out here on our own running small businesses and handling issues like this ourselves. Test out instructions and processes with older, average people to see if it makes sense. These are basic things. You can do better.

Anyway, I'm back up and running, and I have turned off the Auto-Updates (oh, and I can't do that indefinitely, because 5 weeks is the max, so I have to set a reminder to keep extending it every few weeks, as well as check on this problem and determine when I can do updates again - see what I mean, this isn't making life easier). Cheers.

Answer 4

@anthony reilly said

I have the same issue and I’m using windows 10

The fix for Outlook under Windows 10 is KB5078129

Close Outlook and keep it closed while you are playing the Windows Update Game.

Create a System Restore Point (Windows Update should do this for you, but I like to have my own) https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/system-protection-e9126e6e-fa64-4f5f-874d-9db90e57645a

Resume Windows Updates and "Check for Updates".

If it wants to re-install KB5074109, let it.

You should see KB5078127 or KB5078129 either auto applied or offered to you for "Download & Install". Once you have either you are in the clear.

If you do not get KB5078127 or KB5078129:

Do a System Restore (This puts you back the way you were)
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/system-restore-a5ae3ed9-07c4-fd56-45ee-096777ecd14e

Pause Updates and then contact Microsoft Support. Ask "I can not get KB5078127 or KB5078129".

MS 365 User Support  https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/support
Free Chat Support  https://support.microsoft.com/home/contact

Answer 5

This is a know bug

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/classic-outlook-pop-account-profiles-hang-and-freeze-after-windows-11-update-to-kb5074109-590fe356-ecc2-49f4-b9e3-bd39fafa58f6

Temp fix is to uninstall the Jan 2026 Update KB5074109. If you can not uninstall this update thru normal means, see this thread for alternatives.

https://learn.microsoft.com/answers/questions/5707915/outlook-classic-not-opening-properly-or-recording