How to Fix: “Outlook Closes After Opening” Issue in 2024?

MS Outlook as we all know is one of the most popular email clients across the globe. It provides numerous fascinating features and services that users find attractive and thus they use the application. Unfortunately, along with the astonishing services, there are also several drawbacks to this email client. One of the major issues is when Outlook closes after opening, and that too, immediately. Users report that they often face this problem with Outlook and look for solutions to eradicate it.

We also had many users come up to us and ask for solutions to resolve why Outlook crashes after startup. Consequently, we have drafted this technical write-up to share the top tips and solutions if your Outlook auto closes after opening as well. In addition to that, we have also shared the top reasons why users face this issue often. So, without any further stalling, let us get started with the article.

Why Does Outlook Close By Itself?

• Outdated software versions
• Corrupt Outlook profile
• Faulty add-ins
• Incorrect settings in Outlook
• Malware or virus infection
• Issues and conflicts with other softwares or drivers
• Damaged system files in Windows
• Insufficient system resources
• Connectivity issues with the network
• Corruption issues with the Windows registry
• Saturated/exceeded storage limit
• Glitches or bugs in software
• Hardware damage or failure

As you see these are the primary reasons why Outlook opens and shuts down after opening. Now that we are aware of the prominent causes, let’s move on and look at the solutions to resolve the problem.

Ways to Resolve the “Outlook Closes After Opening” Issue

• Find and remove faulty add-ins
• Update outlook version
• Create a new outlook profile
• Repair Outlook
• Disable hardware acceleration
• Turn off support diagnostics
• Run Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA)
• Repair Outlook Data File (.pst)
• Use the expert utility (Corbett recommendation)

Let us further explain each solution in the following segments and see which method provides the best experience.

Eradicate the Faulty Add-Ins If Outlook Randomly Closes

The foremost solution you can opt for is to figure out if there are any faulty add-ins that may be causing this issue. Follow the given instructions to execute the method.

• Start your MS Outlook in safe mode.
• Now, press the Windows + R Keys and open the Run application.
• Next, in the search bar, “Outlook.exe/safe”, press Enter.
• Select “Yes” to start MS Outlook in safe mode.

Upon following the steps, if your Outlook starts in safe mode, then that indicates that add-ins caused the “Outlook closes after opening” issue. You can then proceed to find and remove the faulty add-in. Follow the steps given below to remove the faulty add-in.

• Open Outlook, and click on the File tab.
• Select “Options” and then select “Add-ins” from the menu.
• Select “COM Add-ins” in the “Manage” section and then select “Go”.
• De-select the box next to the add-in you want to remove.
• Click on the “OK” button to save the changes you made and restart MS Outlook.

Check the box for the “Disabled Application Add-ins” option to temporarily disable an add-in you suspect. Upon doing so, if the issue resolves, then you can go ahead and remove that faulty add-in.

Update MS Outlook Application If Outlook Crashes After Startup

Another solution you can opt for is to ensure that you are using the latest MS Outlook version. If not, follow the given instructions to update it.

• Start MS Outlook
• Click “File” and select “Office Account”
• Next, click on “Update Options” and then select “Update Now”
• Follow the provided instructions and complete the update process

Create a New Outlook Profile

If your Outlook keeps shutting down after opening, it could also be because of a damaged or corrupted Outlook profile. To eradicate this problem, you need to create a new Outlook profile; here’s how to do that.

• Go to the control panel
• Head to “Mail” and select “Show Profiles”
• Then, to create a new profile, click on the “Add” button
• Lastly, follow the instructions given on-screen to set up a new profile

Repair MS Outlook Application If Outlook Keeps Closing Itself

To repair MS Outlook, follow the step-by-step tutorial given below.

• Press the Windows + R Keys and open the Run dialogue box. Enter “appwiz.cpl” in the search bar to launch the programs and features window.
• Next, scroll through the program list, and depending on the version that you have installed, select MS Office or Microsft 365.
• Afterward, right-click on your selection and select “Change”.
• Now, in the “How would you like to repair your Office programs?” dialog box, select the radio button beside the “Quick Repair” option.
• Then, select the “repair” button and confirm by clicking on “Repair” one more time. Upon doing so, wait for the Quick Repair to complete fishing the issue.
• If the issue is still not solved after using “Quick Repair”, repeat the process but this time select the “Online Repair” option. Once the process completes, check if Outlook still randomly closes after opening.

Disable Hardware Acceleration

Follow the steps mentioned below to disable hardware acceleration in your MS Outlook email client.

• Start MS Outlook and click on the File tab
• Head to “Options” and click on “Advanced”
• Scroll down till you reach the “Display” section
• Now, de-select the checkbox for “Disable Hardware Graphix Acceleration”
• Lastly, click “OK” to save the changes made and restart the email client application.

Turn Off Support Diagnostics If Outlook Crashes Right After Starting

The Support Diagnostics feature in Outlook logs diagnostic information and helps Microsoft Support diagnose and fix issues with the program. Moreover, if you do not need it, you can also turn this feature off to improve privacy and performance. Here is how to do that.

• Start MS Outlook and click on “File”
• Click on “Options” and select the “Advanced” tab
• Scroll down till you reach the “Other” section
• Then, disable the checkbox for “Enable Support Diagnostics Logging (requires restarting Outlook)”
• At last, click “OK” to save the changes you made and proceed to restart the email client.

Run MS Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA)

The Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) helps diagnose and fix issues with MS Office programs including MS Outlook. Here’s how to execute the process.

• From the official Microsoft website, download and install the Microsoft Support and Recovery Tool (SaRA).
• Then, launch the tool and select Outlook.
• Proceed to follow the instructions provided on the screen to diagnose and resolve the issues with Outlook (if any). SaRA tool will guide you through the diagnostic steps and will provide recommendations on resolving the issues it detected.
• If the SaRA tool cannot resolve the issues, it may provide additional resources or may suggest seeking support from a qualified technician or Microsoft.

Repair Outlook Data File/s If Outlook Closes Automatically

The Inbox Repair Tool, also known as ScanPST.exe is an in-built utility in MS Outlook that helps in diagnosing and repairing corruption issues in your Outlook data files i.e., PST and OST. Here’s how to use this in-built utility to resolve the “Outlook closes after opening” issue.

• Locate the ScanPST.exe file on your desktop. The file’s location may vary depending on the version of your MS Outlook application. [It is typically located at C:\Program Files\Microsfot Office\root\OfficeXX (here, XX is the number conversion of Outlook)]
• Open the ScanPST.exe file to open it.
• Then, enter the path and name of your file in the “Enter the name of the file you want to scan” field.
• Click on the “Start” button to initiate the scan process.
• At last, when the scan is completed, the tool will display a report with the errors it may have found. Click on Repair.

So There You Have It

In this article, we discussed the “Outlook closes after opening” issue. We discussed several manual approaches as well as an automated solution to approach the solution. The manual solutions may turn out to be quite a hassle for users to perform thus, the Corbett Software team also brought you an expert-recommended solution to resolve the issue if your Outlook automatically crashes after startup as well.