Fix Outlook 2013 and 2010 “Loading Profile” Problems – Several Solutions

Microsoft continuously develops Outlook, a popular mail client, in both interface and functionality.

Furthermore, in the latest versions of Outlook, there are performance problems too.

As a result, one problem you may encounter in Outlook 2013 or 2010 is that it takes too much time to load and hangs while loading the profile.

Different versions of Windows show this issue. You may try to rename the .pst file, as it may be corrupted. But Outlook will not grant permission to do so even if you kill it using the Task Manager.

This scenario is a familiar picture you see for some time until your head goes dizzy and you want to restart your computer or close Outlook.

The Solution

I too experienced the same problem while adding an email account created with HostGator. I had to research forums and many other blogs to find the solution. But the ultimate answer lies in deleting the default profile and re-creating one.

How do you do it in Windows 8.1 and 10?

The fix for this kind of problem is the same for both 32-bit and 64-bit systems. I was searching through the Microsoft community for deleting profiles in Outlook when a solution appeared for “Outlook stuck during loading profile”-kind of problems.

Close Outlook.

Press the Windows key and type mail. This step is for Windows 8 or 8.1. If it’s Windows 7 or Vista, you can find it in the Control Panel. Another way is to open the Charms bar and use search and type mail.

Please remove the existing profile, typically named “Outlook,” and start with a new profile. The downside is that if you have any email accounts added to this profile, they will also be deleted. (I’m assuming).

Please let me know your experience in the comments section.

Please restart Outlook, and the “loading profile hanging problem” will be resolved.

The Other Solutions

There are typically other solutions, which I found out while researching this topic.

Fix It – #1

You can try to uninstall Office 2013 completely and reinstall it. But the process will take some time. You can also perform a repair install from the Programs and Features section in the Control Panel.

Fix It – #2

You can also repair the .pst or .ost file using the Outlook repair tool. ScanPST is a tool to scan and repair corrupted PST files. This file is located in different locations for different versions of Microsoft Outlook.

SCANPST IN OUTLOOK 2010 32-Bit
Windows 32-Bit C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14
Windows 64-Bit C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14
SCANPST IN OUTLOOK 2010 64-Bit
Windows 64-Bit C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14
SCANPST IN OUTLOOK 2013 32-Bit
Windows 32-Bit C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15
Windows 64-Bit C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15
SCANPST IN OUTLOOK 2013 64-Bit
Windows 64-Bit C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15
Windows 32-Bit C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15
Windows 64-Bit C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15

Run that file with elevated privileges and find the location of the .pst or .ost file. These files are nothing but related to your email account in Outlook 2013. The most noteworthy location will be like this—

C:\Users\palla\AppData\Local\MicrosoftOutlook

Click on the Start button. The tool will check the .ost file in Outlook 2013 for consistency and any repairs. Once the repair complete dialog box is displayed, you can click on OK and try reopening Outlook again. 

This sometimes mostly solves the problem.

Fix It – #3

Another solution is to disable hardware acceleration.

Fix: 

1. 
   

   Run regedit

   
   
2. 
   

   Browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Common

   
   
3. 
   

   Create a new key and name it “Graphics.”

   
   
4. 
   

   Select Graphics, right-click on the right panel and create a New DWORD (32-bit). Value and name it DisableHardwareAcceleration.

   
   
5. 
   

   Enter Value data as 1

   
   

Fix It – #4

Another simple solution is to verify the system drive for errors using the following command.

Method: – Simple solution on Windows 8: Win+X -> Command Prompt (Admin) -> chkdsk c: /f -> Answer (Y) -> Restart Windows.

Fix It – #5

Another simple method is to open Outlook in safe mode and disable the add-ins.

Method:
Let us open Outlook in safe mode and check. Follow the steps:
1. Press the Windows + R keys on the keyboard.
2. Type “Outlook /safe” (leave a space after “Outlook”). -> Click OK.

If you are able to open Outlook 2013 or 2016, then disable the add-ins and verify if it helps. Follow the steps to disable the add-ins:
1. Click on File -> Go to Options.
2. Click on Add-ins -> select COM Add-ins under Manage -> Click Go
3. Select the add-ins you want to disable, then click OK.

Fix It – #6

Sometimes a third-party VPN like “Express VPN” can interfere with the normal startup of Outlook. So either uninstalling the VPN or disabling it from running at start-up can solve the issue.

Fix It – #7

In a corporate environment, you will not be provided access to uninstall VPN software. In such cases, if you can open Outlook in safe mode and disable the add-ins for your VPN software, this can solve the issue. You can run the following two commands in the Run box.

outlook.exe /resetnavpane  or  outlook.exe /resetfolders

If everything works fine after the first command, then you can proceed. Otherwise, try the second command. But Outlook may take a bit of time after executing the 2nd command.

Fix It – #8

In Windows 8 and 7, there are some services that can interfere with the proper functioning of Outlook 2013 and 2016. One such service is the “Desktop Window Manager Session Manager.” You can stop this service and set the status to “disabled.” Now restart, and Outlook should open fine.

Fix It – #9

Lync is one Office product that can have compatibility problems with Outlook. So if you have it running parallel, then it’s best to kill the task using the Task Manager. Now Outlook 2013 should open without problems.

Fix It – #10

The common cause for an Outlook profile not loading is that other applications access its data files. If the data file is being locked or accessed by third-party applications like Google Calendar, Microsoft Communicator, etc., such issues can happen. There are a few solutions in this case.

1. You can stop the sync process of other applications that are trying to access these data files.
2. You can temporarily disable your anti-virus and check if you have resolved the problem.
3. You can stop the Windows search indexing service and see if Outlook loads fine.
4. You can kill the outlook.exe process and then restart Outlook.

Fix It – #11

Another common problem with Outlook taking forever to load in the 2016 version could be due to compatibility problems. For example, if you are using Windows 7 SP1, then you can examine the properties of the Outlook 2016 shortcut. Now, under the “Compatibility” tab, uncheck the box next to ‘Run this program in compatibility mode for: Windows 7 Service Pack 1‘.

If it is Windows 10, the shortcut would be available in the following path.

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

You can then run the “Troubleshoot Compatibility” tool, which can resolve this issue.

Fix It – #12

In Windows 10 and Outlook 2016, there can be problems related to networking things. So, while loading Outlook, if you can cut off your Wi-Fi and other network interfaces, Outlook should load fine. The general problem may be due to telemetry and TCP-related stuff.

These are some of the solutions I have tried to fix my Outlook 2013 loading profile problem. You can disable the add-ins, which will reduce the delay in opening Outlook.

Were you able to solve your slow loading issues with the Outlook profile using these tips? Which fix did you apply? Did it work out for Outlook 2010 and 2007 in the same way I told you? Please comment and share about this post.