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Outlook Stuck On Loading Profile? Here’s How To Fix It

By Tsering

Outlook Stuck On Loading Profile? Here’s How To Fix It

Sometimes when you open Outlook, the program seems to be loading but doesn’t open at all. This is a common problem that many users face across all versions of Outlook.

Usually, factors like corrupted files, hardware acceleration, and more can cause Outlook to stop responding. So, let’s explore the causes further and how to fix Outlook getting stuck on loading profile: 

Why Does Outlook Get Stuck on Loading Profile?

Here is a list of why Outlook is stuck on loading profile:
  • Add-in applications and extensions
  • Corrupt data files
  • Weak internet connection
  • Outdated Windows
  • Compatibility preferences
  • Hardware acceleration

How to Fix Outlook Getting Stuck on Loading Profile on Windows?

Let’s look at some of the ways to fix Outlook getting stuck: 

Disable Add-in and Extensions

External add-in applications and extensions, such as Skype, Teams are external to Outlook, which can cause interferences in the system.

In order to know whether add-ins and extensions are causing the issue, you need to open Outlook in safe mode. This is because safe mode does not include add-ins and extensions while operating. To open Outlook in safe mode, please follow the steps below:

  1. Go to the Windows logo.
  2. Click on Run.
  3. Type: Outlook.exe /safe.
    outlook-on-run
  4. Select your profile.
    choose-profile
  5. Click Ok.

If your Outlook works fine after this, the issue is due to certain add-ins and extensions. To open Outlook in normal mode, disable all the add-ins in the safe mode. To do this, please follow the steps below:

  1. Go to the File menu.
  2. Select Options.
  3. Select Add-ins from the left hand menu.
  4. On the bottom, Select “COM Add-ins” on the Manage option.
  5. Click on Go.
    com-addins
  6. You will see the list of Add-ins.
  7.  Uncheck all the add-ins to disable them.
  8.  Click on Ok.

Relaunch the Outlook in normal mode. Now you can start enabling the add-ins one by one and see if a certain add-in causes the issue. Once you find it, you can disable that certain add-in and again check to see whether Outlook works in the normal mode.

Repair Outlook Data Files

repair-outlook

If Outlook has corrupt data files, it can prevent the application from loading. Outlook comes with an inbuilt Inbox Repair Tool that diagnoses and repairs corrupt data files related to Outlook. Before using the tool, you might want to back up some of the important files just in case. This option is also available during the process of repairing the files. Once the backup is done, please follow the steps below:

  1. Click on the Windows logo.
  2. Go to Local Disk C.
  3. Depending on your Outlook version, there are the different paths you can take:
    • Outlook 2007: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office12.
    • Outlook 2010: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14.
    • Outlook 2013: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15.
    • Outlook 2016: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16.
    • Outlook 2019: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16.
  4. Scroll down to find SCANPST.exe.
  5. Select Browse to select the Outlook Data File (.pst) you want to scan.
  6. Click on Start .
  7. The scan will provide information on the errors found in the files and provide option to repair it.
  8. Click on Repair.

Create New Profile

Creating a new profile also creates a new PST file. If you do not have time to repair the corrupt files with the steps below, you can just create a new profile. Here’s how you can do it:

  1. Click on Windows logo.
  2. Select Control Panel.
  3. Click on Mail with Outlook.
  4. Click on Show Profile located under profile.show-profiles
  5. Click on the Add option.
  6. Type in Profile Name.
  7. Enter the email account.
  8. Under the General tab in Mail, Click on your new profile.
  9. Check on “Always use this profile.”Always-use-this-profile
  10. Click on OK.

Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant

You can also install the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant. The application detects issues and offers solutions. You can install it from Microsoft’s official website.

Close All the Office Processes

Sometimes just restarting Outlook and closing other office-related software helps to clear away glitches that may prevent Outlook from loading. This step is also necessary before running any repairs. In order to close all the Office processes, please follow the steps below:

  1. Press Windows + X
  2. Go to Task Manager.
  3. Click on Processes Tab.
  4. Find all the processes related to Office such as: Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel, Outlook.
  5. Right click on the applications.
  6. Click on End task.
    end-other-office-related-tasks

Disable Outlook Presence Features

In addition to closing all the office processes, you can also disable Outlook presence features to ensure that all the outlook related programs and features are closed. To do this, please follow the steps below: 

  1. Open Outlook. 
  2. Go to File > Options > People.
  3. Uncheck the boxes Display online status next to name and Show user photographs when availabledisable-features
  4. Click on OK.

Disable Compatibility Preferences

All versions of Outlook are fully compatible with Windows so there is no reason to enable compatibility preference. Instead, sometimes compatibility preferences do not support Outlook which can prevent it from loading. In order to disable compatibility preferences, please follow the steps below: 

  1. Go to Windows logo.
  2. Search for Outlook.
  3. On the result, right click and go to Properties.
  4. Go to Compatibility tab.
  5. Uncheck  Run this program in compatibility mode
  6. Click on OK.

Disable Hardware Acceleration

Hardware acceleration allows the computer to offload some of CPUs tasks to other hardware that can perform the activity better. As such, the tasks run faster. However, sometimes this can overheat the system and cause more harm in the system’s operations. In order to disable hardware acceleration please follow the steps below:

  1. Go to the search button.
  2. Type “Registry Editor” and open it.
  3. Browse: ​​HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Commonregedit
  4. Click on Edit located on the top menu.
  5. Go to New.
  6. Press on Key and type in Name for it.
  7. Right click on the new key created, Go to New and Select DWORD (32-bit) Value.dword-32-bit-value
  8. Rename the DWORD 32-bit value as DisableHardwareAcceleration, double-click on it.
  9. In the pop up window, put the Value data as 1 to disable Hardware acceleration.
  10. Click on OK.

Update Windows

windows-update-3

Outdated Windows can impact the overall performance of your system, one of which may be preventing Outlook from loading. In order to update Windows, please follow the steps below:

  1. Click on the Windows logo. 
  2. Select Settings, which is also a gear icon.
  3. Scroll down to find Update & Security.
  4. On the left hand menu, select Windows Update.
  5. You can find the updates required.
  6. Click on Download and Install.

How to Fix Outlook Getting Stuck in Mac

Your Mac can have the same issue of Outlook getting stuck due to similar causes such as corrupted profiles and lack of updates. Follow the steps below to address these issues. 

Update Outlook

In order to update Outlook, please follow the steps below: 

  1. Open any Microsoft office software such as Word, Powerpoint, Excel. 
  2. Click on the Help tab located at the top of your screen.
  3. Click on Check for updates.
  4. Click on Update, if any. 

Update Add-ins

You should also make sure all the add-ins and extensions are up to date. In order to update the add-ins, please follow the steps below:

  1. Click the Apple logo.
  2. Click on App store (the drop menu will also show if you have any updates).
  3. On the left-hand menu, go to Updates.
  4. On the right box, you should see if any of the applications require updates. 

Besides updates, you can also check to see whether creating a new profile will allow Outlook to load. If it loads with the new profile, corrupt files in the previous profile can prevent Outlook from loading. Follow the steps below to address this issue:

Create New Profile

To create a new profile for your Outlook in Mac, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to the search button located on the top right corner.
  2. Type Applications and click on it.
  3. Scroll down to Microsoft Outlook.outlook-on-mac
  4. Control click (click with two fingers) and select “Show Package Contents”.
  5. Click on Contents, Go to Shared support and Select Outlook Profile Manager.
    outlook-profile-manager
  6. Click on the “add” icon on the bottom to create a new profile.
  7. Name the profile.
  8. Control click on the profile and select “Set Default”.

Try opening the Outlook with the new profile, if it opens then the issue lies with the previous profile. For this, you need to rebuild To fix this, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to the search button located on the top right corner.
  2. Paste ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook 15 Profiles/Main Profile/Data.
  3. A data file should open.
  4. Scroll to find Outlook.sqllite and drag the file to your desktop.outlook-sqlite
  5. Open Outlook with the original profile. 
  6. Outlook will inform “there is a problem and Outlook needs to rebuild”.
  7. Follow the onscreen instructions.

Update Mac

To check for updates and install them, please follow the steps below:

  1. Go to the Apple logo. 
  2. Select System preferences.
  3. Select Software Update.
    mac-software-update-e1641101661462
  4. You should receive information if any softdate update is required.
  5. Click on Upgrade now if there is an upgrade required.
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