Outlook is a cornerstone for streamlining my work, I use it multiple times a day to communicate with clients. While that is extremely helpful, my reliance on Outlook means that when Outlook does not open or refuses to boot up, my productivity drops.
If you are someone who is unable to open Outlook or are met with a “Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook window. The set of folders cannot be opened. The operation failed.” error message, I have compiled a few effective solutions that you can use to fix your issue.
Solutions For Microsoft Outlook won’t open Error
While there are several solutions, I recommend you try the following methods.
1. Repair Outlook
When there is an issue you must repair it, and what better way to fix Outlook than using the inbuilt office repair tool? Follow the instructions below to repair Outlook using the quick repair option.
1. Close Outlook and related applications.
2. Open Windows Settings.
3. Under Apps, click on Installed Apps.
4. Locate Outlook, click on the 3 dots, and select Modify.
5. Select the Quick Repair option and click on Repair.
2. Update the Operating Software
You must be running the latest version of your Windows OS for the best results. Follow the instructions below to update Windows.
1. Close all applications.
2. Open Windows Settings.
3. In the System Tab, click on Windows Update.
4. Click on Update Now, or Check For Updates.
3. Launch Outlook in Safe Mode
If that fails, try accessing the application by opening Outlook in Safe mode. Opening Outlook with safe mode by deactivating all the add-ins which more often than not can be conflicting and prevent Outlook from opening.
To open Outlook in Safe mode, follow the instructions below-
1. Use the Windows+R shortcut to open Run Command.
2. Enter Outlook.exe /safe and click on OK.
3.1. Update Outlook
We need to make sure that you have the latest Outlook version installed. To Updated Outlook without opening it, simply follow the instructions below-
1. Open Outlook in Safe mode.
2. Click on File and access the file menu.
3. Click on Office Account.
4. Click on Update Options and Select Update Now.
3.2. Disable Conflicting Add-ins
If you were successful in opening Outlook using Safe mode, there is a good chance that you have a lot of conflicting add-ins, and disabling them should resolve your issue. You can try out the following steps to disable conflicting add-ins.
1. Open Outlook in Safe mode.
2. Click on File and access the file menu.
3. Click on Options and access the Add-ins tab.
4. Select COM-add-ins and click on Go.
5. Uncheck all the Add-ins and click on OK.
4. Repair Outlook Data File
4.1 ScanPST
The inbox repair tool also known as ScanPST can be used to repair lightly corrupted or damaged PST. You can easily fix your Outlook won’t open error using scanPST, follow the instructions below.-
1. Locate ScanPST using the file pathways given below-
Outlook 2019
32-bit Version: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office19
64-bit Version: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office19
Outlook 2016
32-bit Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office16\
64-bit Windows: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\
2. Open ScanPST and use the Browse… option to import your corrupted Outlook PST file and click on Start to begin the scan.
3. The tool will scan your PST file for errors, after which you can use the Browse… option to select a save location and name the repaired file. Then click on Repair to begin the repair process.
4. Verify the results.
4.2 Rikvr Repair For Outlook
ScanPST can only handle minor errors, you would need to use a professional PST repair tool to do what ScanPST can’t. Here we will be using Rikvr Repair for Outlook–
1. Download, Install, and launch Rikvr Repair for Outlook.
2. Import the Corrupted PST file.
Open Default PST File- Imports PST file from default location
Select PST File Manually- manually browse and select the corrupted PST file
Find All Your PST Files- The software scans the entire drive and lists out all the available PST files for you to choose from.
3. Choose a scanning method, select a save location, and click on Repair to begin the repair process.
4. Save the repaired PST file and verify the results.
To Conclude
I hope that you can finally open Outlook and resume using it normally with the help of this article. Outlook can be tricky to deal with sometimes and approaching the right sources to deal with the issue can help. If you have any related queries or feedback, please reach out.
