You might need to set Windows Update to automatically download and fix Outlook after Windows update issues install recommended updates. Installing any important, recommended, and optional updates can often correct problems by replacing out-of-date files and fixing vulnerabilities. To install the latest Windows and Office updates, click the link below.

• After updating Office, you may experience a brief flashing window every hour, which triggers the OfficeBackgroundHandlerRegistration task to start running.
• Please install the latest updates on your phone to resolve the issue.
• It’s harmless and resolves 30% of stuck startup issues according to Microsoft community reports.
• MAPI does not validate that a provider's DLL that it is requested to load is registered correctly in MapiSVC.inf or even that it comes from the local machine.
• You may notice that All, Unread , Mentioned and other sort and filtering options, such as By date, and Newest are missing in Outlook above your email list.
• This happens to accounts that are configured in the iOS Mail app.

Outlook Known issues in October 2020 updates

You can also add the secondary connected accounts (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) in Outlook.com as additional accounts in the Outlook profile. Until you can install the Windows Update fix release, you can set a registry key that will cause Outlook to stop using the local Windows Search service. When this registry key is set, Outlook will use its own built-in search engine. The built-in search will display the Office 365 Sync Errors Fix message below to indicate it is not using the Windows Search service. This command deletes the custom folder views, restoring default configurations. It’s harmless and resolves 30% of stuck startup issues according to Microsoft community reports.

Outlook known issues in the January 2019 updates

Auto-archive, sending and receiving a very large attachment, or running guide to Office 365 sign-in errors some of the other mailbox tools can all be done in the background. Check the status bar at the bottom of the screen to see if another process is running. If so, wait a short time (usually two or three minutes) to see if Outlook starts working again. To access the calendar shared with your Microsoft 365 for business account, you'll need to accept the invitation from Outlook on the web, iOS, or Android.

Troubleshoot Outlook for Windows issues

To learn more about how to send us feedback, please see How do I give feedback on Microsoft Office. Note that you can quickly tell how your mail is currently sorted, by the presence of a small triangle on the field headers. Outlook 2016 freezes when you try to preview an Excel file that's attached to an email. This issue affects all Outlook versions on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10.

Outlook Known issues in March 2025 updates

Stay updated, back up regularly, and enjoy uninterrupted productivity in your Outlook workspace. Online Repair reinstalls Outlook components while preserving your data, resolving DLL and registry mismatches that prevent startup. This process checks for structural issues and automatically fixes them. Occasionally, classic Outlook tries to run a process in the background.



Third-party add-ins are among the most common culprits for Outlook not opening properly. Safe Mode allows you to start Outlook with all extensions temporarily disabled. The only other change to the Exchange Server was a certificate update for IIS. This is a standard DigiCert wildcard cert that we have replaced every year with no issues.