Speeding Up Microsoft Outlook

If you've been using Microsoft Outlook for any length of time, you know that it has the potential to slow down... *WAY* down. Outlook can become pretty much useless if you don't perform some maintenance and upkeep.

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 Updates

2: 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.

 

Did You Delete Your PST File?

Say you decide to clean out files on your hard drive to make space, and you accidentally not only delete the PST (personal folders) file, but you empty your Recycle Bin! What do you do?

Optimally you have a recent backup. Backups of your important data (anything you can't afford to lose is important) is critical. So are restore points so if the computer prompts you to create a restore point, you should do it.

Failing that:

To create a new Outlook Data file, click on File > New > Outlook Data file and follow the steps. The data file will be empty however.

If you deleted your PST file and emptied the recycle bin, chances may be slim to none for recovery.

Did you create a recent restore point on your PC?

Try these steps, but there's no guarantee:

To restore a deleted file or folder

1. Open Computer by clicking the Start button , and then clickingComputer.
2. Navigate to the folder that used to contain the file or folder, right-click it, and then clickRestore previous versions. If the folder was at the top level of a drive, for example C:\, right-click the drive, and then clickRestore previous versions.
   You'll see a list of available previous versions of the file or folder. The list will include files saved on a backup (if you are usingWindows Backup to back up your files) as well as restore points, if both types are available.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-CA/windows7/Recover-lost-or-deleted-files

Backing Up Outlook Data

It's important to back up your data, all data - any data. It's no different with Outlook.

Reasons to back up Outlook data:

• Computer hard drive crash
• Corruption that can't be repaired
• Accidental deletion
• Damage to your storage medium (USB, CD, partition on your HDD, etc.)
• Save a tree, you won't have to print everything.
• Clean up and organise.
• Play it safe.
• Keep your sanity.

Data loss can happen to anyone, even a seasoned professional.

Before you can back up your data, you need to know where to locate it. The first thing you need to do is unhide system files, and hidden files and folders using Windows Explorer.

Microsoft covers this in their knowledge base (they cover most everything and are a good resource):

HTTP://support.Microsoft.com/KB/141276

Now you can search for your Outlook data file, also called Personal Folders, and known as a PST for short.

For Outlook 2007 and previous on Windows XP the default location is;
C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\

For Outlook 2007 and previous on Windows Vista and Windows 7 the default location is;
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\

For Outlook 2010 on Windows XP the default location is;
C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\My Documents\Outlook Files\

For Outlook 2010 on Windows Vista or Windows 7 the default location is;
C:\Users\%username%\Documents\Outlook Files\

You can also locate the file this way:

Right click the root folder (probably Outlook Today)-> Properties-> button Advanced-> field Filename

If you have multiple PST aka Data Files you can get an overview by clicking
  File-> Data File Management if you use Outlook 2007 or anything older
  File-> Account Settings-> Account Settings-> tab Data Files if you use Outlook 2010

NOTE: While making a copy of the PST-file will effectively backup your Outlook data, it will not include any mail account configuration settings (mail profile), templates or signatures.

Backing up the PST-file is quite easy; you just copy the PST-file to your safe location *while Outlook is closed.* A safe location can be one of the following;

• another physical hard drive in your machine
• another physical hard drive in another machine
• an external hard drive
• a USB memory stick
• a Flash memory card
• a CD-R(W)
• a DVD+/-R(W)
• a backup tape

I recommend running a backup whenever you make a significant change to the contents of your Outlook data file, or even daily.

For myself, I have written a small batch file that runs every evening after I close Outlook that copies my PST file to another drive on another computer.

The batch file reads like this: COPY %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Outlook\*.PST u:data\outlook /y

u:data\outlook is the location that my PST file is copied to. You can change it to suit your particular location.

It's written in Notepad, saved as a batch file. Then I use the Windows Scheduler to set it to run at my specified time. I have a copy of the batch file backed up in case I ever break it, delete it, do something stupid. I can wait for the scheduler to run at the appointed time but any time I close Outlook I can trigger a back up by simply double-clicking the batch file.

And as always, backing up Outlook will not work unless Outlook is CLOSED.

As always you can post questions on my blog if you want clarification or even help.    

  

Outlook's Command Line Switches

Outlook's command line switches are manually typed commands that help you to troubleshoot or even repair Outlook when it has problems. Some of them will allow you to automate Outlook's behaviour to a certain degree.

For example, you may have a reminder that just won't dismiss or maybe you find that you're sending multiple copies of an email you sent only once. Perhaps Outlook's behaviour and funtion has suddenly changed. The active window opens in the background instead of the foreground. For these behaviors and more, there are command line switches to either fix or help you troubleshoot the problem.

How you get to the command line to type in a switch depends on your Operating System. If you are using Vista or later, you can click on Start > Start Search and enter the command there. If you're using Windows XP or earlier, you can click on Start > Run > and then enter the desired command there.

For example, you have a reminder that won't go away and it annoys the heck out of you. There's a simple fix:

Windows XP and earlier: Start > Run > outlook.exe /cleanreminders (or click the Windows Logo + R)
(note that there is a space between outlook.exe and /cleanreminders)

Windows Vista and newer: Start > Start Search > outlook.exe /cleanreminders
(note that there is still the same space between outlook.exe and /cleanreminders

Above is a problem solving command.

A troubleshooting command would be to open Outlook in safe mode. A good reason for opening Outlook in safe mode is to disable all third party Add Ons to Outlook that might interfere with its normal function. Some operating systems will allow you to open Outlook in safe mode by simply holding down the Ctrl key while you open Outlook. Outlook then prompts you and asks if you want to continue opening Outlook in safe mode. Otherwise, you can type the command as follows:

Windows XP and earlier: Start > Run > outlook.exe /safe (or click the Windows Logo + R)
(note that there is a space between outlook.exe and /safe)

Windows Vista and newer: Start > Start Search > outlook.exe /safe
(note that there is still the same space between outlook.exe and /safe)

There are all kinds of things that can interfere with Outlook's normal function; antivirus that actively scans incoming/outgoing email, anti-spam, FAX software, synch software that works with your handheld, etc.

There are even command line switches that you can use for (limited) automation, such as always opening with Outlook displaying your calendar.

Here is a list of Outlook switches and what they can do for you:

Outlook Command Line Switches

And a great tutorial is found here: Outlook Command Line Switches Tutorial

As always, feel free to comment on my blog and even ask questions.

  

Easy Outlook Workarounds

Outlook errors with Hotmail too many devices synching

After configuring Outlook to use a Hotmail account on multiple devices or an account with a large number of folders an error occurs when you try to synch:

There are too many devices syncing with this account. To synch using Outlook, try removing another device that is connected with this account such as a phone or another computer.

There is a limit placed on the total number of folders, including subfolders that can sync with Hotmail including use of multiple devices. The more devices you use to sync a large number of folders, the more likely you are to reach this limit.

Workaround: Sync only the folders you absolutely need.

Empty Deleted Items can cause full Exchange Mailbox deletion

When you try to empty your Deleted Items folder, the entire contents of your Exchange mailbox (all content and folders) can be deleted. This issue can occur for the following reasons:

1. Outlook 2010 is installed with an Exchange account in Online Mode, but with an .OST file associated with the profile that could be created after switching from Cached Mode at some point in the past. Or you installed Outlook 2013 (upgrade or side-by-side) and use the Online Mode profile.

• The Exchange account must be in Online Mode (not Cached Exchange Mode) and the Cached Exchange Mode Sync Settings administrative template policy setting is configured.

Workaround Download and install the MSI-based Setup update to Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013 Preview to fix this issue.

Important This download is only for people who installed the MSI-based Setup version of Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013. Anyone who installed using Office Click-to-Run automatically receives this update.

Search isn’t returning results

When you do a search in Outlook, no results are returned. Instead search returns the following message.

We couldn’t find what you're looking for.

Workaround Office Setup isn’t setting the registry keys correctly or not all keys are configured. You can do a repair to reconfigure the registry keys by doing the following:

2. Go to Control Panel > Programs and Features.
3. Click Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013 > Change > Quick Repair.
4. Restart your computer.
5. Give some time to make sure indexing has time to work, and then test search.

Error when connecting to Exchange 2003

When you configure Outlook 2013 for an Exchange 2003 account, you can get the following error message:
The resource that you are trying to use is located on an unsupported version of Microsoft Exchange. Contact your e-mail administrator for assistance.
Workaround Outlook 2013 isn’t supported on Exchange 2003 and connectivity is blocked. Please connect Outlook 2013 to Exchange 2007, 2010, or 2013.
This is no different than Outlook 2000 being unable to connect to Exchange 2010. You have to upgrade.

Adding a new Hotmail account times out

When adding a new Hotmail account to Outlook the operation never completes or times out with an error "An encrypted connection to your mail server is not available
Workaround Manually add the Hotmail account by doing the following:

1. Open Outlook.
2. Click File > Account Settings > Account Settings > New > E-Mail account.
3. Select Manual setup or additional server types, and click Next.
4. Select Exchange ActiveSync, and click Next.
5. In the Server Settings dialog box, enter your account information.
6. In the Mail Server field, enter m.hotmail.com and click Finish.

Vertical scrollbar is missing

The vertical scrollbar is missing.
Workaround Edit the registry and delete the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Word\Options\WordMail\VerticalScrollbar registry key, and then restart Outlook.
NOTE: This edits the registry, proceed with caution and always make a backup.

Where I Look For Outlook Help

As a Microsoft Outlook MVP, you'd think I'd know everything there is to know about Outlook right? WRONG!  I just know how to search really well, and I do my research. I also pay attention to those people I think are very intelligent and knowledgeable when it comes to Microsoft Outlook!

So here are my fave places to research the most accurate Outlook info:

http://www.slipstick.com/
http://www.howto-outlook.com/
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/outlook
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/outlook-users/
http://support.microsoft.com/ph/8753#tab0

And of course
https://www.google.ca/

I listen closely when other MVP's talk about Outlook and I read their answers on the Outlook forum and Yahoo Group mailing list. They are bright people and well worth my time and effort to hear their advice. 

I am an Outlook sponge!

Customise your Tasks View

In Outlook Tasks, you can find your tasks and view their status with a quick glance. If you choose the appropriate view for your needs, you can save a surprising amount of time. As a quick example, you can prioritise the items that are most critical on your list without scrolling through all the other tasks that are still marked as incomplete. If you prefer to deal with a priority task or if you want to sort your tasks by project, name, or who you assigned it to, the options in Tasks can help you organise your tasks the way that works best for you and the project at hand.

To discover the task view that works best for you in Outlook 2010, in the Navigation pane on the left side of the window click Tasks. On the Ribbon, click the View tab, and then, in the Current View group, click Change View.

For a basic view of your tasks and main details, click Simple List. In this view, you see columns for Task Subject, Due Date, Categories, In Folder, and Sort by: Flag Status.

The Advanced View Settings dialogue box is available for each view. You can use it to add or remove categories, set various filtering parameters, and even adjust type size and font.

To reset a Tasks view that you’ve customised back to its original settings, click the View tab, click Reset View, and then, when the dialogue box asks you if you’re sure you want to reset the view, click Yes.

Try experimenting with different views, options, settings, fonts. If you don’t like the way your tasks appear, you can always reset the view to the default settings or choose a new one. The purpose here is to choose which view helps you sort your tasks so that you aren't digging for information. Create unique views that provide the information you need. This is your chance to customise Outlook to meet your needs.

Outlook 2007 users: The processes for changing or customising your tasks views vary slightly. To find out more about customising views in Outlook 2007, go to Customise Your View.

Things I Love About Outlook

 

• You may choose to use Microsoft Outlook to be in sync with all your personal and business mail accounts. You can configure Exchange, IMAP, POP3 accounts as well as use the Hotmail Connector for Hotmail and now Outlook.com ALL at the same time! You may also opt to use Microsoft Outlook for your personal email account alone or along with your corporate or business needs. To be precise, it is highly customisable to your needs, preferences and requirements. It's a one stop email client.
• It's been around since the 1990's and it integrates with the rest of Microsoft Office.
• It integrates with Windows Desktop Search.
• It has sticky notes you can use as reminders or for lists. You can even drag and drop them onto your desktop. They're very handy! 
• I love the calendar! I can schedule reminders, either one time or with a recurrence so I don't forget to do things like change the back up tapes or take a vitamin pill. I can even invite others to participate, like when it's time to give our dog Dazzle her regular Revolution dose for flea, tick, and heartworm control!



Dazzle

 

• I just invite my husband and when he accepts the request it goes into his calendar and reminds him when the medication is due. I love it's reminder function! I can snooze something I don't need to do right this moment. I also use the calendar to help set goals and time lines for myself.
• If you have a handheld PDA or Smart Phone, you can sync the device with Outlook. Skype talks to Outlook. ACT! talks to Outlook.  
• While it's not quite foolproof (reading some of the questions on the Microsoft Outlook Forum will show anyone that nothing is foolproof), it's mostly pretty straightforward.
• For you Network Administrators/System Administrators, Outlook plays well with Microsoft Exchange and Active Directory plus you get OWA (Outlook Web Access) so you can check your work email from any browser.
• Outlook's superior rules raise the bar. You can sort email, automatically send them into particular folders, and even set automatic responses for some. With newer versions of Outlook with Exchange as the mail server, you can even customise your Out of Office for internal and external users with different messages for each.
• Outlook's improved security features are great. You have to now make a conscious decision to bypass them. It has great junk mail filtering and, as long as you keep Outlook up to date, it will block web bugs, downloaded images, disallows executable attachments, and even prevents ActiveX applets from executing. 
• You can share mailboxes or even assign tasks to others. When you assign a task, you'll even get status updates, too.   
• Voting buttons! You can use them to help facilitate work flow, choose a restaurant, or even with training. Example: we send a link via email monthly to employees to a training presentation. Once they read it, they can use the voting button to say that yes, they have read and understood the training.
• When entering dates, you never have to type in the entire date. Outlook will offer a date for you. You can simply hit enter to accept it. If a date is in the current month, just enter the day and Outlook will enter the rest of the date for you. For instance, if the current month is March and you enter 14, Outlook assumes you mean March 14 of the current year and fills in that date.
• If you use Outlook 2010, you have access to Information Rights Management. Information Rights Management (IRM) allows individuals and administrators to specify access permissions to documents, workbooks, and presentations. This helps prevent sensitive information from being printed, forwarded, or copied by unauthorised people. After permission for a file has been restricted by using IRM, the access and usage restrictions are enforced regardless of where the information is, because the permission to a file is stored in the document, workbook, or presentation file itself. In other words, you can prevent someone from forwarding, pasting, or even printing your email.  

Which Outlook is which?

There is obvious confusion these days between Microsoft Outlook, Outlook.com (the new Hotmail), and Outlook 365. What are they?

Microsoft Outlook is part of Microsoft Office that you install on your PC or laptop. You set it up as a client to receive your email be it Exchange, POP3, IMAP, or you use the Hotmail Connector to get your Hotmail into Outlook. It is a suite of applications that work together that are installed locally on your PC. You can read more here: Microsoft Office Information

Outlook.com is the new Hotmail. Hotmail started out years ago as HoTMaiL - web-based HTML email. It evolved into Hotmail, became Windows Live, and has now been renamed to Outlook.com. This is confusing, but Outlook.com is simply just the new Hotmail. You can access it online or still use the Hotmail Connector to pull it into Microsoft Outlook.

If you currently have a Hotmail email address, you can go through the steps to convert it to an Outlook.com email address. It's very easy to do and the steps are presented to you one at a time. You can read more here: Outlook.com Information

Outlook 365 is essentially Outlook in the cloud. It is secure, anywhere access to Outlook, calendars, mail, etc. It's part of Office 365 and even includes file sharing. Here is a breakdown of Office 365:

 Cloud-based professional email

 Video conferencing and IM

 Share files inside and outside your organization

 Easy and secure administration

 Financially backed reliability

 Predictable monthly costs with no up-front infrastructure costs 

To find out more about Office 365, you can go here: Office 365 Information

As always, feel free to post and ask questions.

Where Can I Find Microsoft Outlook Help?

Where do you find understandable online help for Microsoft Outlook? Easy! There are people all over the place who are knowledgeable. They've created websites to help you troubleshoot Outlook, and there are forums too.

Here are some excellent resources for you:

http://www.howto-outlook.com/ - This website is excellent for someone who knows a little, but not a lot though I still find it extremely helpful for anyone of any skill level. It's well-written and easy to understand. It has a FAQ and How To sections, explains quite a bit about Outlook, and will cover most of your basic questions as a new Outlook user.

http://www.slipstick.com/ - This website is excellent for people of all skill levels in Outlook. It's more sophisticated, covers more complicated issues,

http://www.msoutlook.info/ - TONS of helpful information here. It's organized into neat categories that makes it easy to look up your particular problem.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/support/?CTT=97 - as always, Microsoft has excellent support for their products.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/outlook?tab=unanswered - this is the Micrcosoft Outlook forum. Log in (you can use your Hotmail, Windows Live, or Outlook.com credentials), ask a question. Knowledgeable users or even Microsoft MVP's will answer you (maybe even me!).  Be sure to provide as many details as possible: version of Office, version of Operating System, antivirus (what type, do you have it actively scanning incoming/outgoing email), errors (include the entire error message and any numbers). Don't ever post your email publicly. It's an unwise practice and the moderators will remove it. No one needs to have it or any of your passwords in order to work to resolve your issue.

Backing up Outlook Data

Most people don't think of it until they learn it the hard way. They have not backed up their Outlook data! Fortunately, this task is relatively easy and can be done on a regular basis.

I have a great go-to website for teaching Outlook back up step by step, and making it pretty painless.

The data you want to back up includes everything from your Deleted Items folder to your Sent Items folder, and everything inbetween. The folders are kept alphabetically. This will include any folders that you create to make your mail more organized, and used for filing purposes.

Note that the Deleted Items folder is not recommended as a filing folder or a holding folder. These items are "trash" and this folder should be emptied regularly.

My favourite links for Outlook back ups are as follows:

Outlook Back Up and Restore

Back Up Your Outlook Account Settings

Outlook Files and Settings Guide

You can even recover items you've deleted if you're using Outlook Personal Folders:

Recover Deleted Items

So you see there are many options for ensuring that your important Outlook data is kept up to date and always available, even if you have a hard drive crash.

Out of Office

If you are going to be out of the office for a period of time, say for an afternoon or longer, it is customary to create an Out of Office message (OOF) so that your senders know that you are currently not available.

If you are in an Exchange environment (connect to a Microsoft Exchange mail server):

• In the Inbox, click the Tools Menu, and then click Out of Office Assistant.
• Click I am Currently Out of the Office.
• Type the message you want to send to others while you are out, in the text box.
• Click OK when finished.

If you are a home user, you can use Out of Office but you need to leave Outlook turned on and running in your absence.

If this is not feasible, log onto your webmail and create the away message. Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) should also have this feature available and almost all of them have a webmail feature on their website.