Outlook is an email service that is a part of the Microsoft 365 Office family. Anyone who purchases a new laptop with Windows OS in it and without any prior Microsoft account acquires a complimentary 365 office family kit with an account on Outlook.com. However, if you have been coming across an error where Outlook seems to be stuck on processing, there are a few fixes that you can try to resolve this issue.
In this article, we will discuss why Outlook is stuck on processing or not responding and how you can resolve this issue in simple steps.
Why is Outlook stuck?
If your Outlook seems to be stuck on processing, or while opening, closing, or sending a mail. Whatever the action is, you are unable to open Outlook successfully as it gets stuck. This might be due to some hindrance from third-party apps, corrupted files in Outlook, or you have not updated Microsoft 365 Office. If this happens there are a number of fixes that you can try to carefully resolve without deleting any sensitive emails.
Your Outlook might be stuck on processing as there might be an Outlook.exe process running in the background. You can try disabling your VPN or any other third-party app to see Outlook fares better. If the processing error does not get resolved you can follow the steps given in the next section.
Also read: What is the Red Circle on Outlook email?
Outlook stuck on processing error: 7 fixes
You can follow the steps given below to figure out a way to resume your Outlook mail normally:
Safe Mode
You can open Outlook mail in safe mode and close it in this mode. Relaunch Outlook to see if the issue has been resolved. You can open Outlook in Safe Mode in the following way:
- Close your current Outlook application. Click on Start or the Windows icon.
- Head to the search bar and type Run.
- Type Outlook.exe /safe and click on OK.
Close Outlook and relaunch the application when it is no longer in Safe Mode. If it is still creating issues that are making your Outlook freeze or stuck with the processing error, you can check the other solutions.
Close dialog boxes
When a persistent dialogue box remains open, one is usually not able to do any other task until it is closed. You can check if there is an open dialog box by pressing the ALT+TAB buttons together. Keep pressing ALT and when you press TAB, your desktop shows the number of open windows. If you can detect any dialog box, close it and relaunch Outlook to check if everything is functional.
Slow down
If you were in the process of deleting a large number of files simultaneously or any other action at a large scale, it may have caused Outlook to glitch. Try to give Outlook some time to get back to normal by itself. It might appear to be frozen when it is processing a lot of files. You can also check the status bar at the bottom of the page to see its progress.
Update Office
You can always check in your settings to see if there is a new update for Windows and Microsoft Office 365. If it is set up to automatic, your PC or Mac will download updates and restart your device. In case, it is not set to automatically install updates, you can learn how to install updates on your device here. Outlook is a part of the Office 365 family and it will work more smoothly when it is up-to-date with new features.
Also read: Outlook data file cannot be accessed: 4 Fixes
Repair Office 365
You can repair the processing, screen freeze, or not responding errors by repairing Microsoft Office 365 application in the control panel. All apps that are installed on your device have the option to repair themselves when you head to the control panel. So close any Microsoft Office programs, search for Control Panel in Start and follow the steps given below:
- When Control Panel opens, click on Programs.
- Then click on Programs and Features.
- From the list shown, search for and right-click on Microsoft Office.
- You will see an option for Change in the header. Click on this option and a dialog box will appear asking if you want to make any changes or uninstall the program. Click on Yes. You will be given two options: Quick Repair or Online Repair.
You can click on Quick Repair. This will remove any malicious files from all Microsoft Office 365 services and your Outlook mail should be running normally again. In case, it is still showing the same processing error, you can follow the other steps.
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Using Inbox Repair Tool
So every Microsoft Office comes armed with an Inbox Repair Tool which can scan Outlook’s files to look for corrupted files. Outlook has two files called .ost and .pst in which the Inbox Repair tool can scan, diagnose, and fix any errors that are found. However, there might be times when the damage is too big for the repair tool to fix.
Click here to see how to repair .pst file in Outlook
Create a new user account
If none of the above-mentioned solutions are working then you can create a new user account. You can create a new account and add it to your Outlook account. If your PC is updated to the latest Windows then you can also create a new and free Outlook account or add another one to your PC if you have a second Outlook account:
- Open Settings and click on Accounts.
- Scroll down and click on Email & accounts.
- At the top-right corner, you can click on Add Account.
- You will be shown a number of options, including adding a Google, Yahoo, or iCloud account. You can click on add new Outlook account. Then proceed further by filling in your details to create a free and new Outlook account.
You can now log in with your new account on Outlook and check if you are facing processing or any other error. You can also contact Microsoft Office Support for any additional help.
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