If Microsoft Outlook crashes while trying to perform a specific task, it may take some time to pinpoint the source of the problem, as many different factors may contribute to the error. For example, your program files may be lost or damaged, or your profile may be corrupted. If you have installed add-ins, one or more extensions may interfere with the operation of Outlook. Unfortunately, the only way to fix the problem is to troubleshoot the application until the error message stops appearing.

Repair or reinstall outlook

Microsoft Outlook Repair will replace or fix important files without affecting your personal data or settings. If you are running Office 2013, you can do a quick repair or online repair. For best results, run online repair instead of quick repair. Although this latter is more rapid and does not require a connection to the Internet, the process is shorter than online repair and may fail to fix some issues. If you continue to crash Outlook after trying to repair the application, try uninstalling the email client and then reinstalling. You can repair or delete Outlook through programs and features in the control panel.

Fix your outlook data file

If the error only occurs when you perform an action with a specific account, your Outlook data file ( Outlook data file cannot be accessed” error ) may be corrupted. By default, your information should be stored in the% userprofile% \ AppData \ Local \ Microsoft \ Outlook folder in Windows 8 and 8.1. To check and repair issues in your data file, close the email client and open the Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair Tool from the application screen ("Windows-Q". Browse and select your PST file from the "Outlook" folder. Click "Start" and the utility will scan to detect any problems and fix them. The next time you open Outlook, you can see a folder named "Recovered Personal Folder" in your folder list. The folder contains your repaired items.

Update Outlook and remove add-ins

If you have turned off automatic updates, you should scan Windows Update once a week for new updates, as some patches can fix problems affecting MS Office in general or Outlook. Open PC Settings from the Settings charm ("Windows-I" and then click "Check Now" on the Windows Update tab in Windows 8 or the Update and Recovery tab in Windows 8.1. Click "Install Now" to download updates and patch your system. You should run the email client in a safe mode to see if add-ins can interfere with Outlook processes. Run Outlook.exe / Secure from the application screen and try to recreate the problem. If the application works as desired,

System Restore

If the problem occurred after a recent change in your system and failed to troubleshoot the problem, restore your computer to the previous point. In Windows 8 (System Restore is not available in Windows 8.1), search for "Recovery" in the Control Panel ("Windows-X". Click "Open System Restore" and follow the onscreen instructions to select and load from the restore point. If you do not know which point to choose, you can click on "Date and Time" to arrange the points by system date.