It may be a worst experience for any Outlook user if they’re facing this error, and without doubt, it is one of the most irritating Outlook errors which usually occur whenever you try to open Microsoft Outlook by clicking on Outlook’s icon. And an annoying error box appears with following message 'Cannot start MS Outlook. Unable to open Outlook window'.
So today, we are going through few easier steps for troubleshooting this Outlook error. But before move further, we should understand why we got this error. So, these are some most common causes which are responsible for generating this error. Let’s check it before move to solution-
a) When an Outlook user click Outlook’s icon, a message appears which is hanging for some time and then the user get “Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook” error. As per Microsoft, the main cause of this error is corruption of Navigation Pane settings file – xyz.xml where “xyz” is the name of users Outlook profile.
b) When Outlook is being run in compatibility mode.
c) When users using a profile created in older Outlook version
d) And in case if Outlook data files (.pst or .ost) get deleted or damaged.
So whatever the reason, but the result remains the same; User cannot open Outlook window anyhow. However, slight variation in the error message can be seen in different versions, as -
Outlook 2010: "Microsoft Outlook has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience."
Outlook 2007: "Cannot open your default e-mail folders. The information store could not be opened."
Outlook 2003: "Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook. Unable to open the Outlook window. Invalid XML, the view cannot be loaded."
So, let’s see the numbers of ways to fix this error -
1) By recovering Navigation Pane configuration file: In most cases, usually, the corruption in Navigation Pane settings file which prevents Outlook from starting.
So, do the following to overcome this issue-
a) For Windows Vista, Win7, & Win 8 users, click Start > Run.
b) Execute the following command in the search field: outlook.exe /resetnavpane
c) Press Enter and then open Outlook.
2) By repairing Outlook data files (.pst and .ost) using inbox repair tool: If you recently reinstall after the uninstallation of Outlook, and if anything went wrong during previous uninstallation, then chances are the default Outlook data files (.pst/.ost) has been damaged. So, it’s time to repair Outlook with Inbox Repair Tool by using scanpst.exe
a) Open Windows Explorer and navigate to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\{Office version}
b) Find Scanpst.exe in the list and double click on it.
c) Click the Browse button to select your default Outlook.pst file.
Now, try to open Outlook. Hopefully it would start without any error.
3) By turning off the compatibility mode in Outlook: It is not recommended to enable the compatibility mode in Outlook. So, you can turn off the compatibility mode in the following way:
a) Click Start, and type Outlook.exe in the search field.
b) Right-click on OUTLOOK.EXE and then click Properties.
c) Then switch to the Compatibility tab and clear the “Run this program in compatibility mode for” check box.
d) Click OK and try to start Outlook.
4) By creating a new Outlook profile:: If all(repairing and restoration of Outlook.pst file) didn’t work, then you can create a new mail profile and copy the current Outlook data in that newly created Outlook profile.
Follow the steps to create a new Outlook profile-
a) Go to Control Panel > Mail> Data Files> Add…
b) Make the new profile as the default one by following the mentioned command:
On the "Account Setting" dialog >Data files tab, select the new profile and click the Set as Default button on the toolbar.
c) Then try to open the Outlook.
d) Finally, import data from the old Outlook PST file with the below mentioned steps:
Go to File > Open > Import.
Select "Import from another program of file" and click Next.
Choose "Outlook DataFile (.pst)" and click Next.
Click the Browse button and select your old .pst file.
e) Click Nextand then Finish to complete the migration process.
5) By starting Outlook in Safe Mode without any extensions: By starting Outlook in safe mode, it will run without any add-ins which is currently installed on your computer. Follow the steps to start Outlook in Safe mode. By doing this you can easily find if there is any problem caused by few add-ins.
Follow the steps to open or run Outlook in safe mode-
a) Click on the icon by holding the Ctrl key or click Start and enter outlook /safe in the search line and then press Enter.
b) Then, Outlook message will pop-up asking that you really want to start in the safe mode. Click Yes.
That’s it. These are some top solution to fix this Outlook error. Hope, at-least one of them definitely worked for you.
So today, we are going through few easier steps for troubleshooting this Outlook error. But before move further, we should understand why we got this error. So, these are some most common causes which are responsible for generating this error. Let’s check it before move to solution-
a) When an Outlook user click Outlook’s icon, a message appears which is hanging for some time and then the user get “Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook” error. As per Microsoft, the main cause of this error is corruption of Navigation Pane settings file – xyz.xml where “xyz” is the name of users Outlook profile.
b) When Outlook is being run in compatibility mode.
c) When users using a profile created in older Outlook version
d) And in case if Outlook data files (.pst or .ost) get deleted or damaged.
So whatever the reason, but the result remains the same; User cannot open Outlook window anyhow. However, slight variation in the error message can be seen in different versions, as -
Outlook 2010: "Microsoft Outlook has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience."
Outlook 2007: "Cannot open your default e-mail folders. The information store could not be opened."
Outlook 2003: "Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook. Unable to open the Outlook window. Invalid XML, the view cannot be loaded."
So, let’s see the numbers of ways to fix this error -
1) By recovering Navigation Pane configuration file: In most cases, usually, the corruption in Navigation Pane settings file which prevents Outlook from starting.
So, do the following to overcome this issue-
a) For Windows Vista, Win7, & Win 8 users, click Start > Run.
b) Execute the following command in the search field: outlook.exe /resetnavpane
c) Press Enter and then open Outlook.
2) By repairing Outlook data files (.pst and .ost) using inbox repair tool: If you recently reinstall after the uninstallation of Outlook, and if anything went wrong during previous uninstallation, then chances are the default Outlook data files (.pst/.ost) has been damaged. So, it’s time to repair Outlook with Inbox Repair Tool by using scanpst.exe
a) Open Windows Explorer and navigate to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\{Office version}
b) Find Scanpst.exe in the list and double click on it.
c) Click the Browse button to select your default Outlook.pst file.
Now, try to open Outlook. Hopefully it would start without any error.
3) By turning off the compatibility mode in Outlook: It is not recommended to enable the compatibility mode in Outlook. So, you can turn off the compatibility mode in the following way:
a) Click Start, and type Outlook.exe in the search field.
b) Right-click on OUTLOOK.EXE and then click Properties.
c) Then switch to the Compatibility tab and clear the “Run this program in compatibility mode for” check box.
d) Click OK and try to start Outlook.
4) By creating a new Outlook profile:: If all(repairing and restoration of Outlook.pst file) didn’t work, then you can create a new mail profile and copy the current Outlook data in that newly created Outlook profile.
Follow the steps to create a new Outlook profile-
a) Go to Control Panel > Mail> Data Files> Add…
b) Make the new profile as the default one by following the mentioned command:
On the "Account Setting" dialog >Data files tab, select the new profile and click the Set as Default button on the toolbar.
c) Then try to open the Outlook.
d) Finally, import data from the old Outlook PST file with the below mentioned steps:
Go to File > Open > Import.
Select "Import from another program of file" and click Next.
Choose "Outlook DataFile (.pst)" and click Next.
Click the Browse button and select your old .pst file.
e) Click Nextand then Finish to complete the migration process.
5) By starting Outlook in Safe Mode without any extensions: By starting Outlook in safe mode, it will run without any add-ins which is currently installed on your computer. Follow the steps to start Outlook in Safe mode. By doing this you can easily find if there is any problem caused by few add-ins.
Follow the steps to open or run Outlook in safe mode-
a) Click on the icon by holding the Ctrl key or click Start and enter outlook /safe in the search line and then press Enter.
b) Then, Outlook message will pop-up asking that you really want to start in the safe mode. Click Yes.
That’s it. These are some top solution to fix this Outlook error. Hope, at-least one of them definitely worked for you.
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