Luckily for you, I have a few things you can do to make Outlook perform at a much improved level. None of it requires any change to your email server configuration (Exchange, IMAP or POP3).
You must understand however that some of these suggestions may seem a bit more rudimentary than others, and some may give you a light bulb moment! Since I can't comment on anyone's skill level, I'll cover the basics to help you improve your Microsoft Outlook experience.
1: Windows Updates
Most people don't understand that with Windows updates, the updates for Microsoft Office are also included. Make sure you allow the updates to install. Why? Microsoft may might update Exchange. Sometimes, those updates can either break or cause problems with the communication between Outlook and Exchange and Microsoft might issue a patch to the server or client to resolve a speed issue or patch a security hole. Don't use Automatic Updates strictly, visit the Microsoft update site to catch up on non-critical updates as well. Microsoft Windows Updates2: Archive
I have truly lost count of how many times I see users with thousands of emails in their Inbox and Sent Items. This can cause serious issues, especially when using PST files. Instead of just letting those folders grow to ridiculous numbers, set up auto archiving so that your Inbox retains only a portion of those emails. When you archive, you create a new data file so Outlook doesn't have to struggle against the burden of an oversize PST or OST file. You truly do not need that Merry Christmas email from your boss from the 1990's!3: Download complete items
When you use Outlook with either an IMAP or POP3 mail account, you should have Outlook set up to download the complete message (instead of just the header). If you do this, Outlook won't have to synch with the server every time you click on a new item (as it will already be in the data file.) How you do this will depend upon which version of Outlook you're using. Look for the setting "Download Complete Item Including Attachments" or similar.4: Use Cached Exchange Mode
If you use Cached Exchange Mode in Outlook, you effectively take a copy of your data from the server and cache it on your local machine (OST). This can make a huge difference in speeding up your Outlook experience because Outlook doesn't have to read the data from a server across a network or outside the network. Instead, all it has to do is read the locally stored data file. This option (obviously) is available only when connecting Outlook with an Exchange server.5: Compact your PST file
When the Outlook PST file gets out of hand, a built-in tool can keep the size of that file under control. One of the issues is that even when you delete email from your Inbox, the size of the PST file may remain the same, it's called whitespace. If you're using Outlook 2010, you can go to Account Settings | Data Files and select the data file to be compacted. Once you've selected the file click Settings | Advanced | Outlook Data File Settings and click Compact Now. Depending on the size of your data file, this process can take some time.6: Repair your PST file
Scanpst is THE go-to tool when Outlook is acting off kilter. It will scan through your data file and look for data inconsistencies and errors. Here's the thing about Scanpst -- it's not always the easiest tool to find. Do yourself a favour and search through your C drive to locate the Scanpst.exe file. Make note of its location (usually within the Office installation folder). Be forewarned - Outlook must be closed while using it and it can be a time-consuming experience. Make sure you back up that data file before you start the repair tool. If Scanpst finds errors and repairs them, run it again. Repeat until no further errors are found. Then open Outlook.7: Cut back on the published and shared calendars
It's easy to publish and share your calendars with others. The problem is that the more you do it, the more of a burden you place on Outlook. The more data Outlook has to share and pull down from the Internet, the slower it will perform. Just know that the more data you have to push and pull, the slower your connection will be.8: Disable RSS
By default, Outlook will sync RSS feeds from Internet Explorer to the RSS reader in Outlook. If you have a lot of RSS feeds bookmarked in IE, that syncing could easily bring Outlook to a crawl. Disable this feature (if you don't use Outlook as an RSS reader) from within Outlook 2010 by going to Options | Advanced and then unchecking both options under RSS Feeds.9: Disable add-ins
How many times have you installed some program only to find it installed something else behind your back? This can happen to Outlook as well as Internet Explorer. Sometimes those add-ins can cause major Outlook slowdowns. To find out what add-ins you have installed in Outlook 2010, go to Options | Add-ins. Select COM Add-ins from the drop-down and click the Go button. The resultant window will list all add-ins available to Outlook. Search through this list and uncheck any that might seem suspect. If you want to test how Outlook runs without any Add Ins, open it in safe mode: Start > Start Search > outlook.exe /safe (note the space between outlook.exe and /safe).10: Get rid of Antivirus integration
Configuring your antivirus to actively scan incoming and outgoing email is a great way to slow Outlook down, and it accomplishes nothing. There is no need to scan outgoing email since you're not going to detect anything malicious going out. If you can send it in an email, your antivirus is already compromised so scanning won't do you any favours. As for scanning incoming email, your real time scanner will catch everything it's updated for anyway. How you disable email scanning depends on your antivirus solution. Some are easily handled (check services for the email scanner and disable it) and some not only require an uninstall but you must download a utility off their website to complete the uninstall, then you have to reinstall but make sure you omit the email scanning portion.If you know of other ways to speed up Outlook, I am interested in hearing from you and any comments you may have, as always.
