Home » Outlook » Quick And Effective Fixes For Outlook Running Slow Problem

 

No discussion about the top email services can be complete without a mention of Microsoft Outlook. This feature-rich email service continues to get enhanced with every update. However, it still does not mean that users always have a great time with it. Errors are a part of every software program, and Outlook is no exception. Many users find their Outlook running slow, which hinders their workflow adversely. This performance issue in Outlook is most commonly a result of a corrupt PST file or profile or defective add-ins. But there are numerous ways you can tackle this problem. In this article, we’ll give you some quick and effective fixes to implement when you find yourself facing this issue. 

Related Post:- Why Outlook keeps crashing

 

Troubleshoot Outlook Running Slow on Your Device

Many of the resolutions we will present don’t take much time and yet give you a desirable result. Start trying them out and make Outlook work optimally again.

 

1. Make a New Outlook Profile

Any damage or corruption in your Outlook profile will interfere with its functioning. In such a scenario, you can simply make a new profile and eliminate the problem.

• Go to ‘Control Panel and choose ‘Mails.’
• Click the option of ‘Show Profiles.’
• To make a new profile, tap ‘Add.’
• Give a name to the profile and hit ‘OK.’
• Place a tick on the option of the ‘Prompt for a new profile option.
• Now, open Outlook again, and choose the name of your profile. Hopefully, Outlook won’t run slow now.

 

2. Disable Logging

You may find that Outlook is slow if logging has been enabled. This is a tool intended for technicians to fix problems in Outlook. Disable it through these steps.

• Choose ‘Window‘ followed by ‘Sync Errors.’
• Tap the ‘Action‘ button.
• Remove the tick from the ‘Turn on logging for troubleshooting‘ checkbox.
• Start Outlook again.

 

3. Disable Problematic Add-Ins

Another reason Outlook is running slow can be because of defective add-ins on your browser. They interfere with its working, causing it to not function normally. To check if this is the reason and disable problematic add-ins, you can launch Outlook in safe mode. Here, it will open without any add-ins.

• Right-tap ‘Start‘ and choose ‘Run.’
• Input ‘outlook.exe/safe‘ and hit ‘Enter.’
• If Outlook works fine in this mode, add-ins are the culprit. 
• Disable them by tapping ‘File‘ and clicking ‘Options.’
• Tap’ Add-ins,’ go down, and choose ‘Manage.’
• Tap ‘Go‘ and click ‘Remove the checkmarks in the subsequent screen.
• Now tap ‘Disable‘ to disable the add-ins.

 

4. Turn Off Graphics Acceleration

If you have enabled hardware graphics acceleration, it may interrupt the working of Outlook. You will find yourself frequently facing performance problems in Outlook. To resolve this problem, it’s best to disable graphics acceleration.

• Launch Outlook and tap ‘File.’
• Go to ‘Options‘ followed by ‘Advanced.’
• Remove the tick from the ‘Disable hardware graphics acceleration option.
• Tap ‘OK.’ 
• Save the changes you have made.

 

5. Hide Completed Actions

The tasks list in Outlook will perform optimally if you hide the completed actions. Here is how you can show only the incomplete tasks.

• Tap ‘Tasks‘ at the end of the navigation pane.
• Clear the checkbox of ‘Completed‘ on the Home page.

 

6. Repair the Data File

If you are wondering why is Outlook so slow despite implementing the fixes above, the problem may lie in a corrupt Outlook PST file. You need to take steps to fix data file errors to eliminate the problem. Follow these points to do so.

• Go to ‘Control Panel and choose ‘Mail‘ to locate the PST file.
• Tap ‘Data Files.’
• Navigate to ‘Show hidden files, folders, and drives.’
• Remove the tick present from the ‘Hide extensions for known file types option.
• Create a backup of the PST file to a convenient location on your device.
• Change the extension name from .pst to .psp.
• Launch Outlook.
• When the prompt to ‘Create a new PST file‘ occurs during start-up, tap ‘OK‘ two times.

 

7. Check the Size of the Attachments

Often you may find your Outlook running very slow if you are sending emails with huge attachments. Outlook only allows a 20 MB attachment size. If you are sending emails with attachments bigger than that, it will slow down the working of this email service. 

A simple resolution for this problem is to save the file with the attachment to a cloud service. Then, you can share its link. Some popular cloud services you can use are Google Drive, iCloud, and OneDrive. After uploading the file to one of these services, just take its link and paste it into your message.

Related Post:- Why is Outlook not sending emails

 

8. Turn on Cached Exchange Mode

Enabling cached exchange mode will prove to be effective for those dealing with Outlook slow issues. It’s because when this mode is turned on, Outlook downloads data files from the server and caches them onto your device. There is no need to read data across the network, and it boosts its speed.

• In Outlook, tap ‘File‘ and click ‘Account Settings.’
• Select ‘Account Settings‘ again from the dropdown.
• Choose the Microsoft Exchange Account and tap the ‘Change‘ icon.
• Turn on the ‘Use Cached Exchange Mode‘ option below ‘Offline Setting.’
• Start Outlook again. See if it works properly.

 

9. Turn Off RSS Feeds

Updates in RSS feeds can impair the optimal performance of Outlook. You can disable the RSS feeds by following these points.

• Launch Outlook and tap ‘File.’
• Go to ‘Options‘ followed by ‘Advanced.’
• You’ll now see a list of RSS feeds. Remove the tick in front of every single one of them.
• Locate the ‘Synchronize RSS Feeds to the Common Feed List.’ Then remove the tick from this option.
• Start Outlook again. See if it’s working properly or not.

 

10. Sort Messages by Date Received and Subject

Outlook takes more time to sort email messages in less common fields than it does by Date Received and Subject fields. To sort the messages by this field, follow these steps.

• Go to the folder list and tap the folder that’s taking much time to open.
• Tap the column heading you wish to sort by. In this case, it will be Date Received and Subject.

 

Final Thoughts

Outlook is a daily use application for a large majority of people worldwide. So, finding Outlook running slow can certainly prove to be quite troubling. Implement the easy-to-use measures explained above and get your Outlook working as it should. If you need more support with troubleshooting this problem, contact an Outlook support service.