Outlook not opening

Question

My 365 account is in my name but I have office running on my wife's desk top as well. She is having problems opening outlook on her desk top. When we tab the icon it gets no where. Also it looks to me like there are 2 separate data files (separate locations).

Answer 1

Does Outlook show any error at all, or does it just never load, and is her Windows user account separate from yours on that desktop?

I recommend starting with these steps in order:

1. Try starting Outlook in Safe Mode to rule out add-ins, https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/open-outlook-in-safe-mode-f394c2ee-b2af-e97a-64ee-35cd24414811.
2. If it still will not open, create a new Outlook profile and set it as default, https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-an-outlook-profile-f544c1ba-3352-4b3b-be0b-8d42a540459d.
3. If needed, run Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant to automatically detect and fix Outlook startup issues, https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/running-troubleshooters-in-get-help-23bddffd-5495-47f6-a419-7efe166b

Since your Microsoft 365 subscription is in your name, this should not prevent Outlook from working on her PC, as long as she is signed in correctly and the Office apps are activated.

Answer 2

If Outlook is not opening on your wife's desktop, there could be several reasons for this issue. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot:

1. Check for Updates: Ensure that Outlook and Microsoft 365 are updated to the latest version. Sometimes, not having the latest updates can cause issues.
2. Repair Outlook: You can try repairing the Outlook installation. Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features, find Microsoft Office, and select "Change" to access repair options.
3. Check for Conflicting Processes: Ensure that Outlook is not already running in the background. You can check this in the Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and end any Outlook processes that may be running.
4. Check Data Files: If there are two separate data files, it might be causing confusion. You can check the data file locations by going to File > Account Settings > Account Settings > Data Files. Make sure the correct data file is set as default.
5. Create a New Profile: Sometimes, creating a new Outlook profile can resolve issues. You can do this by going to Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles > Add.
6. Delete Temporary Files: Deleting temporary files can help. Close Outlook, then navigate to %localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook and delete any temporary files.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, consider uninstalling and reinstalling Microsoft Office from her account.

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References:

• What to do when Outlook will not open on my PC? - Microsoft Q&A
• Detected a problem launching new Outlook - Microsoft Q&A