Cannot open outlook

Question

I cannot open outlook anymore. How can I access my outlook account?

Answer 1

Hello. Can you clarify whether you’re trying to open Outlook in the web browser or the desktop app? Also, do you see any error messages when you attempt to launch it, or does it just fail to open?

Answer 2

Try these steps in order until Outlook opens or there is another way to access mail:

1. Use the Outlook startup troubleshooter (classic Outlook)
   • If using classic Outlook for Windows with Microsoft 365 for home, run the classic Outlook startup troubleshooter to automatically diagnose and fix common startup issues.
   • Go to the "I can’t start Microsoft Outlook or receive the error ‘Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook Window’" article and select Start under "classic Outlook startup troubleshooter", then follow the prompts in the Get Help window.
2. Start Outlook in safe mode and disable add-ins (classic Outlook)
   • Right-click Start and select Run.
   • Type Outlook.exe /safe and select OK.
   • If Outlook opens in safe mode, disable add-ins:
     1. In Outlook, select File > Options > Add-ins.
     2. At the bottom, ensure Manage is set to COM Add-ins, then select Go.
     3. Clear all check boxes to disable all add-ins and select OK.
     4. Close Outlook and start it normally (without /safe).
   • If Outlook opens, re-enable add-ins one by one (File > Options > Add-ins) until the problematic add-in is found, leaving that one disabled.
3. Reset the Navigation Pane (classic Outlook)
   • Close Outlook.
   • Press Windows key + R.
   • Type Outlook.exe /resetnavpane and select OK.
   • Try opening Outlook again.
4. Create a new Outlook profile (classic Outlook)
   • If Outlook still will not start, create a new Outlook profile as described in Create an Outlook profile, then set Outlook to use the new profile.
   • Start Outlook and choose the new profile in the Choose Profile dialog.
   • If Outlook opens with the new profile, the old profile is corrupted.
5. Repair Outlook data files (classic Outlook)
   • If data file corruption is suspected, close Outlook and run the Inbox Repair Tool (scanpst.exe) as described in Repair Outlook Data Files (.pst and .ost).
6. If using new Outlook for Windows and it will not launch
   • If new Outlook is installed and shows errors when launching, but classic Outlook works, remove corrupted local data for new Outlook:
     1. Close Outlook and all other Microsoft apps.
     2. Press Windows + R, type appdata, press Enter.
     3. Go to Local > Microsoft > Olk and delete the Olk folder.
     4. Go to Local > Microsoft > OneAuth and delete the OneAuth folder.
     5. Restart the computer and try opening new Outlook again.
7. Access Outlook account without the desktop app
   • If Outlook for Windows still cannot be opened, access the Outlook account via Outlook on the web (OWA) or, if classic Outlook is the one failing, use new Outlook for Windows as a workaround while troubleshooting continues.

If none of these steps restore access in the app, sign in via the web interface to keep using email and consider opening a support case from the Microsoft 365 portal if using a Microsoft 365 subscription.

---

References:

• I can’t start Microsoft Outlook or receive the error “Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook Window”
• Open Outlook in safe mode
• What to do when Outlook will not open on my PC? - Microsoft Q&A
• Cant get into outlook - Microsoft Q&A
• Detected a problem launching new Outlook - Microsoft Q&A