Office Outlook is undoubtedly the best desktop email client out there for the Windows operating system. I have been using Outlook for the past few months, and all I can say is that it’s hard to switch to other email clients once you start using Outlook.
Outlook 2016/2019/365 hanging at processing, starting or loading profile screen
While launching the Outlook 2016 on my Windows 10 PC last morning, the Outlook 2016 hanged at the processing screen. After killing the program in Task Manager and launching again thrice, Outlook 2016 started without any issues. This noon, when trying to launch Outlook 2016, it hanged again, but this time at the starting screen.
If your Outlook 2016 or Outlook 365 is hanging at the processing, starting or loading profile screen, try out the following solution to fix the hanging issue.
Fix to Outlook 2016/2019/365 hanging at processing, starting or loading profile screen
Solution 1 of 2
Step 1: Simultaneously press the Windows logo and R keys on the keyboard to open Run command dialog.
Step 2: Type Outlook.exe /safe and then press Enter key to open Outlook 2016 or Outlook 365 in Safe mode.
NOTE: Be sure to add a space between Outlook.exe and /safe. Else you will get “Windows cannot find Outlook.exe/safe. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again” error.
Step 3: When you see the Choose Profile dialog, choose a profile (if you have multiple profiles), and then click OK button.
Outlook 2016 or Outlook 365 should open now without hanging.
Step 4: Close the Outlook program. Start the Outlook program again normally now. The application should now start without any issues.
Solution 2 of 2
If the above method didn’t for you, you could fix the hanging issue by creating a new Outlook data file. Here is how to do that:
Step 1: Open up the File Explorer and navigate to the following folder.
C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
In the above path, “C” is the drive where Windows is installed, and UserName is your user account name.
NOTE: If you can’t see the AppData folder, it’s because the folder is hidden by default. In the File Explorer, click View, and then check Hidden items to view the folder.
Step 2: Right-click on your Outlook data file, click Rename and then add Backup at the end of it. For instance, if the name of the Outlook data file is [email protected], you need to rename it as [email protected] backup.
Step 3: Finally, open the Start menu and launch Outlook 2016/365. The program should now launch without hanging at processing, starting, or loading profile screen.
The Outlook program will automatically connect to the server to download all messages. You will not be asked to set up your account again.
