outlook wont open sometimes i need to turn of my computer and back on to get it to work and my email comes back when its ccdwont

Question

my outlook wont open sometimes i need to turn of my computer and back on to get it to work

Answer 1

Hi Mick Robbie

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A Forum. From your description, I understand that Classic Outlook sometimes won’t open, and you can only get it working again after you restart the computer. I know how frustrating that is when you just need to access your email.

I can see there’s a Q&A Assist reply under your post. To avoid repeating it, have you tried those steps yet? If yes, what happened?

Also, when Outlook won’t open, do you get an error message like "Cannot start Microsoft Outlook / Cannot open the Outlook window", or does Outlook just not appear at all?

Meanwhile, please try the following steps:

1, When Outlook won’t open, end the stuck Outlook process

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc > Task Manager > find Microsoft Outlook / OUTLOOK.EXE > End task
• Then open Outlook again

2, Check for a known Windows update issue (Jan 2026) if you use POP/PST

Microsoft confirmed a known issue where Classic Outlook (especially POP profiles / PST files) can hang, not exit properly, and then won’t reopen unless you end the process or restart. Some users also see emails being re-downloaded. Microsoft states this is fixed by installing Windows Updates until the device shows “You’re up to date.” 

What to do: Windows Settings > Windows Update > Install updates and restart until it says you’re up to date. 

Microsoft notes this can occur when PST files are stored on OneDrive; moving PSTs out of OneDrive is listed as a workaround.

If your account is POP and you use a PST, please check this Microsoft article and ensure Windows is fully updated: Classic Outlook profiles with POP accounts and PSTs hang after Windows updates on January 13, 2026 - Microsoft Support

For more details, you can also see these official support links:

• Outlook for Windows not responding, hangs, freezes, or stops working - Microsoft Support
• Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in classic Outlook for Windows - Microsoft Support

Please feel free to let me know how it goes. Thank you for your time and understanding.

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Answer 2

Use these steps to troubleshoot Outlook randomly not opening so a full PC restart isn’t always required:

1. Start Outlook in Safe Mode This checks if add-ins are causing the problem.
   1. Press Windows key + R.
   2. Type Outlook /safe and select OK.
   3. If prompted, choose the default profile and sign in.
   • If Outlook opens in Safe Mode, an add-in is likely causing the issue.
2. Disable add-ins
   1. In Outlook (opened in Safe Mode), go to File > Options > Add-ins.
   2. At the bottom, ensure Manage: COM Add-ins is selected, then choose Go.
   3. Note which add-ins are checked (or take a screenshot).
   4. Clear all check boxes and select OK.
   5. Close Outlook, then open it normally (without /safe).
   • If Outlook now opens reliably, re-enable add-ins one at a time (File > Options > Add-ins > COM Add-ins > Go) and restart Outlook after each until the problem returns. Leave any problematic add-in disabled.
3. Reset the Navigation Pane Corrupted navigation pane settings can stop Outlook from opening.
   1. Close Outlook.
   2. Press Windows key + R.
   3. Type Outlook.exe /resetnavpane and select OK.
   4. Try opening Outlook again.
4. Create a new Outlook profile If the profile is corrupted, Outlook may fail to start intermittently.
   1. Follow the steps in Create an Outlook profile from the article Create an Outlook profile.
   2. After creating the new profile, start Outlook and choose the new profile in the Choose Profile dialog.
   • If Outlook works with the new profile, keep using it and move any needed data from old data files as described in Introduction to Outlook Data Files (.pst and .ost).
5. Repair Office/Outlook Damaged Office/Outlook files can cause intermittent startup issues.
   • Use Repair an Office application as described in the article Repair an Office application. Try Quick Repair first; if that doesn’t help, run Online Repair.
6. Update Windows and device drivers Outdated or incompatible drivers can cause Outlook to hang or fail to open until a reboot.
   • Run Windows Update (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check online for updates from Microsoft Update on Windows 10) and install all updates.
   • If the issue continues, update key drivers (video card, printer, mouse, keyboard) from the manufacturer’s site.

If Outlook still only works after a full reboot even after these steps, use a clean-boot style approach (disabling non-Microsoft services and startup items) to see if another program is conflicting, as described in the Selective startup/clean boot guidance.

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References:

• I can’t start Microsoft Outlook or receive the error “Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook Window”
• I get a "stopped working" error when I start Office applications on my PC
• Outlook not responding error or Outlook freezes when you open a file or send mail
• What if Outlook can not open after the failure of transferring Outlook related files?
• What to do when Outlook will not open on my PC? - Microsoft Q&A
• Cant get into outlook - Microsoft Q&A
• New Outlook has stopped working, Fails when starting after 30 to 60 seconds - Microsoft Q&A
• Detected a problem launching new Outlook - Microsoft Q&A