Outlook opening?

Question

my outlook wont open anymore and my search bar at the bottom on my windows 11 doesnt work?

Answer 1

Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

1. Are you using the Classic Outlook (that comes with your Microsoft 365/Office apps) or the New Outlook (the preinstalled version or downloaded from the Microsoft Store)?
2. Regarding the Windows search bar, is it not responding at all when you click on it, or does it open but fail to search?

To fix the Search bar issue:

1

Restart the Windows Explorer process.

Open the Task Manager.

Locate the Windows Explorer process, right-click, and select Restart.

2

Restart Windows Font Cache Service.

Click Windows + R key, type services.msc, and click ok.

Locate the 'Windows Font Cache' service in the list, right-click, and select stop.

Start the service again after a few seconds.

3

Run the System File Checker Utility scan.

Open the Command Prompt (Administrator) window. Run these commands one by one and click enter for each command.

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

sfc /scannow

Restart your computer and use the search bar.

If you're still having issues, let me know. If the search bar issue is fixed, we can then focus on the Outlook problem next.

Answer 2

Try the following steps in order, as they address both Outlook not opening and Windows 11 search issues:

1. Run the Windows Search troubleshooter (for the taskbar search issue)
   • In Windows 11, select Start → Settings → Privacy & Security → Troubleshoot.
   • Find and select Searching Windows and then select Indexer troubleshooter.
   • Follow the on‑screen steps and apply any fixes it suggests.
2. Verify the Windows Search service is running
   • Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
   • In the list, double‑click Windows Search.
   • Set Startup type to Automatic (Delayed Start).
   • If Service status is not Running, select Start, then OK.
3. Repair Microsoft Office (for Outlook not opening)
   • Right‑click the Start button.
   • On Windows 11 select Installed apps.
   • Find the Microsoft Office product, select it, then select Modify (or the three dots → Modify).
   • In the repair window:
     • For Click‑to‑Run installs: choose Online Repair → Repair (or try Quick Repair first if preferred).
     • For MSI‑based installs: choose Repair → Continue.
   • Follow the prompts and let the repair complete, then try opening Outlook again.
4. If Outlook opens but search inside Outlook is broken
   • In Outlook, select File → Options → Search.
   • Select Indexing Options → Advanced.
   • Under Troubleshooting, select Rebuild to rebuild the search index. It can take some time to complete.

If Outlook still will not open after an Office repair, completely uninstalling Microsoft 365/Office and reinstalling it from the subscription has resolved similar issues for other users.

---

References:

• Troubleshooting Outlook search issues
• Outlook Search not showing recent emails after Windows update KB5008212
• What to do when Outlook will not open on my PC? - Microsoft Q&A