What to Do When Office 365 is Running Slow on Windows 10/11

Read time: 5 minutes

“After upgrading to Windows 10, I experienced sluggish performance in my Office 365 applications. Switching between apps was noticeably slow, severely impacting my productivity.”

If you’re encountering similar problems, explore this blog to uncover the reasons behind Office 365’s sluggish performance on Windows. Additionally, we will delve into effective solutions to address these issues.

Office 365 offers an array of efficient applications vital for businesses seeking streamlined workflows. With tools like Word, Excel, SharePoint, Exchange, Teams, and more, Microsoft’s Office 365 facilitates productivity. As a cloud-based service, it enables data and application access from anywhere, making it indispensable for businesses, particularly in the post-pandemic era. Additionally, users can consider Office 365 backup to safeguard their data against potential mishaps.

Factors affecting the performance of Office 365

There are different factors that affect the performance of Office 365. We will see them one by one.

Slow internet is often attributed to Office 365’s reduced performance. Public internet, while cost-effective, can impede Office 365’s speed. The platform requires robust bandwidth and low latency for smooth application updates and synchronization. Inadequate resources can negatively impact performance and user experience. Ensuring sufficient bandwidth and latency around 40-60 milliseconds or lower is crucial.

Additionally, verify the compatibility of IP addresses, protocols, and system configurations with Office 365. It’s advisable to opt for a wired network over a wireless connection due to its greater stability and improved latency.

Frequently, users start using software without considering its hardware prerequisites during installation, resulting in hardware-related issues. Therefore, it’s highly recommended to review the hardware requirements before installing Office 365 applications and strive to meet the minimum specifications. Additionally, assess available RAM as insufficient memory can lead to performance degradation. Evaluate the condition of your disk drive, as poor performance may be caused by bad sectors. You can utilize the SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) test to identify and report hardware failures. Furthermore, ensure sufficient free disk space.

Once you’ve addressed hardware concerns, turn your attention to software-related issues. Occasionally, third-party tools can consume valuable resources, leading to performance problems. To mitigate this, uninstall unnecessary applications. Prioritize reliable antivirus software with correct configurations. Cultivate the practice of closing unused applications. Evaluate the impact of add-ons and plugins on Office 365 performance by disabling them. Consider implementing the Office 365 Telemetry Dashboard in accordance with Microsoft’s recommendations.

If you’re utilizing the standalone version of Office 365 Outlook, you might encounter delays when opening items like Inbox, Sent, and Junk emails. This could be due to mailbox synchronization issues, erratic calendar performance, or a lack of updates in the desktop application.

Let’s check some actions to improve the performance of Outlook-

• Install the updated version of Outlook to improve the performance
• Use retention policies while deleting items (using specific parameters) to save important messages.
• Enable the Online Archive Mailbox and Archive emails to save space.
• Using Sync Windows Setting, set the months for which data is synchronized in calendars.
• Try to uninstall and install it again.

When working with SharePoint, we’ve noticed that uploading high-resolution images can impact performance. Consider compressing these images to alleviate the issue. Additionally, users can explore a page diagnostic add-on to identify performance-related issues. Upgrading to the modern interface, tailored for advanced requirements, is also recommended. Also, keep a backup of SharePoint data to avoid data loss.

Here are some quick fixes that everybody can try to improve the performance of Office applications.

1. Firstly, open any Office app. E.g., Word.
2. Now go to the File menu.
3. In File, go to the Account tab.
4. In the Account window, click on the Office Updates option, and a drop-down menu will appear.
5. Click on Update Now.

1. 1. Go to the Search icon and type “Run,” and press Enter key
   2. Now the Run application will appear.
   3. And here, type one of these commands:

After entering and running the command, check the app’s title bar to ensure the application is in Safe mode.

1. Go to the Start button.
2. Go to the Settings tab.
3. In Settings, click on Update & security.
4. In the Update window, click on Windows Update.
5. Here select Check for updates.
6. If updates are available, they will automatically get installed.

End Note

I trust you’ve found this blog informative and valuable. Nowadays, Office 365 serves as an exceptional platform for businesses, whether they’re small or large-scale operations. To safeguard your mailboxes, we strongly recommend maintaining a backup of your Office 365 data. You can effortlessly backup of the mailboxes of office 365 using professional tools like Kernel Office 365 Backup & Restore.