The’s a common pattern for this issue – the user installs Outlook, sets it up and the program loads without problems. Then, Outlook is closed but hangs indefinitely at the loading screen while displaying “Loading Profile“. The message remains until forcibly closed. Also, In some cases, it just springs up the “Cannot Start Outlook” Error and doesn’t load at all.
If you’re currently dealing with this issue, we can help. Below you’ll find a collection of methods that have helped Windows 10 users jumpstart Outlook again. But before we get to the fixes, here’s a list of the most common culprits:
Corrupted Outlook ProfileGlitched navigation panelBad PST / OST fileThe outlook is starting in compatibility modeOutlook does not start with administrator privilegesGlitched add-in
Now that you know the problem-causers, follow the methods below in order until you find a fix that works. Note: Before you go through the methods, make sure this isn’t a result of a bad installation. Uninstall your Office suite and run Outlook again. If that didn’t solve your problem, move to the fixes below.
Method 1: Running Outlook as Administrator
This might seem like a cheap fix, but it enabled a lot of users to get their Outlook to work again. So far the fix is confirmed to work on Windows 10, it can’t hurt to try it on an older OS. All you have to do is right-click on the Outlook.exe executable and click on Run as Administrator. Note: Keep in mind that right-clicking on the Outlook icon might not show you the option to run as administrator. If that’s the case, navigate to C:\ Program Files \ Microsoft Office \ Office 14\15\16 (depending on your Outlook version) and right-click on the executable there.
Method 2: Disabling Outlook’s Compatibility preferences
It’s quite mysterious how Windows 10 decides to launch Outlook in compatibility mode for Windows 7. Some users have reported that their issue was solved once they disabled Outlook running in compatibility mode. Here’s a quick guide on how to check if Outlook is opening in compatibility mode and how to disable it:
Method 3: Resetting the Navigation panel
In Outlook, the navigation panel can be found on the left-side of the screen. It allows easy access to emails, calendars, tasks, and contacts. The trouble is, it can easily glitch out and prevent Outlook from starting properly. Luckily, there’s an easy fix that will reset the navigation panel to its default, non-glitched state. Here’s how to do it:
Method 4: Opening Outlook in Airplane Mode
This is a temporary fix, but it has worked for a lot of users. As it turns out, cutting off the internet connection during the initial Outlook startup has helped a lot of users get past the Loading profile screen. Now, there are several ways of disabling the network interface, but we opted for using Airplane mode since it’s easier. Here’s what you need to do:
Method 5: Starting Outlook in Safe Mode and disabling add-ins
Add-ins are great at enhancing Outlook’s already great functionality, but some of them have the potential to glitch out and prevent Outlook from starting again. When you start Outlook in Safe Mode, all add-ins are prevented from loading up. This enables us to deduct if the “Loading Profile” issue is caused by a faulty add-in. The steps below will walk you through starting Outlook in Safe Mode. If the launch is successful we’ll deactivate every add-in and restart in normal mode. Here’s how:
Method 6: Repairing the Outlook data file
Another solution that proved to be effective is to use the Inbox Repair Tool (SCANPST.exe) to perform a general repair on your Personal Folders Profile. Here’s what you need to do:
Method 7: Creating a new Outlook profile
Before we can completely eliminate a corrupted profile from the list, let’s create a new email profile and see if Outlook manages to boot up. Here’s what you need to do:
Method 8: Uninstalling NET Framework updates
A lot of users have reported that uninstalling the two latest updates of .NET Framework managed to make Outlook start normally again. Here’s how:
Method 9: Closing Background Applications
In some cases, certain background applications might be using important files that need to be launched by Outlook due to which the error might be triggered. Therefore, in this step, we will be closing those background apps. For that:
Method 10: Deleting Outlook Profiles
In certain cases, an Outlook profile might have gotten corrupted over time and it might be preventing Outlook from loading its resources properly. Therefore, in this step, we will be deleting the Outlook Profiles and then check to see if the issue still persists.
Method 11: Removing Office Key
In some cases, due to an upgrade from an older version of Microsoft Office to a newer one, you might have some leftover keys from the previous installation. Therefore, in this step, we will be deleting that key and then check if the issue still persists.
Method 12: IP Release
In certain cases, the issue might be fixed by releasing the IP while the loading profile screen is stuck and then renewing it after it starts up. This is sort of a workaround and it helps in reducing errors due to incorrect IP configuration. In order to implement this workaround:
Method 13: Disabling Hardware Acceleration
In certain cases, the Hardware acceleration for outlook might be enabled due to which some components of the application might not be loading properly. Therefore, in this step, we will be disabling the hardware acceleration after running the app as an administrator.
Alternatively:
General Fixes:
How to: Create A New Outlook 2007, 2010, 2013 or 2016 ProfileHow to Setup Out Of Office replies in Outlook 2013/2016 and 2010How to Move an Outlook Offline Data File (OST) in 2010, 2013 and 2016Fix: Outlook Not Sending Emails ‘2007, 2010, 2013, 2016’
