My Outlook ribbon and anything above is frozen constantly

Question

Hi, my outlook ribbon has frozen, plus anything above that, I can't even seem to close Outlook on the task manager either. Please can someone guide me?

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Moved from: Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For business

Answer 1

Hi @Sheelah, 

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Regarding that your Outlook ribbon has frozen. I’d like to ask a few quick questions to better understand the situation and help you troubleshoot more effectively: 

 Does this issue happen to other user in your organization as well? 

 Have you tried any troubleshooting steps so far?  

As kagiyama yutaka suggested, you can repair the Outlook app through Windows settings: 

1. Right click the Windows Start button and go to Installed apps.    
2. Locate Outlook in the list.   
3. Click the three dots next to it and select Advanced options.   
4. From there, choose Repair to fix the app.   

Thank you again for your time and understanding. While my initial response may not resolve the issue immediately, I’d like to gather more details about your situation so I can assist you more effectively.    

I really appreciate your patience, and I’m here to help. Looking forward to your response.   

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Answer 2

Hi @Sheelah

Thank you for posting question to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Can you please provide your Outlook version and build? (You can check this in File > Office account > About Outlook)

I have seen two threads that face the same issue as yours.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5781413/class-outlook-is-not-working-properly-after-window

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5781695/how-to-fix-outlook-ribbon-that-wont-work-because-o

Can you check if you see any error dialog box?

Meanwhile I gather some information, you can try these troubleshooting steps:

• Restart your computer.
• Open Outlook in safe mode - Microsoft Support (If this works, the problem is likely one of the add-ins, you can go to File > Option > Add-ins > Go > Uncheck any suspicious add-ins)
• Repair an Office application - Microsoft Support (Choose Repair Online)

Please provide your Outlook version as well as your Windows version so I can investigate this behavior further.

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Answer 3

I think Outlook froze because the ribbon state file got corrupted and it’s a bit of a hidden issue, but I’ve seen it a few times.

I rewrote the steps in order, just in case it helps and sorry if any of this sounds too simple:

1. open Task Manager and end every “Outlook.exe” and “ctfmon.exe”
2. press Win+R → type %appdata%
3. go to Microsoft > Office > 16
4. delete the file named “mru‑ribbon*.dat”

Outlook rebuilds that file on the next start, and that usually brings the ribbon and top bar back.