User Query: I have recently started using Outlook as my job requires it. Although it’s easy to use, there’s one issue that’s resurfaced over the past few weeks. Whenever I try to reply to an email, it crashes. I have restarted Outlook and the system, but nothing worked. If someone knows the causes and the solutions for this issue, please help.

Outlook may crash, freeze, or an error message might pop up while replying to an email displaying “Outlook not responding”. This can be easily fixed by either creating a new Outlook profile or by running your Outlook application in Safe mode. We’ll be discussing the common reasons and the best ways to fix the Outlook crashes when replying to email error.

Why does Outlook crash while replying to an email?

Outlook may crash while replying to an email if the delivery location or the folder where the message is going to be delivered is corrupt or missing. This means you are trying to reply to a folder that does not exist. This issue is most common with accounts having POP3 configuration. Other possible reasons that could lead to this issue include:

  • Outdated version of Outlook.
  • Conflicting third-party add-ins.
  • Any other instances of Outlook that are running in the background.
  • Oversized OST/PST files affecting Outlook’s functionality.
  • Conflicting antivirus or firewall.
  • Corrupted user profile.
  • Any other Office program is conflicting with Outlook.
  • Corrupt, damaged, or broken Outlook data file.

Analyze what’s causing Outlook to crash when replying to an email

Before proceeding with any methods to fix the Outlook crashes when replying to email error, it’s better to pinpoint the exact error with the help of Classic Outlook Troubleshooters. Microsoft’s Get Help app has a few troubleshooters for Classic Outlook for different scenarios.

One such troubleshooter is the Classic Outlook Advanced Diagnostics Troubleshooter, which can help identify the reason for this error and generate a detailed configuration report. We’ve given the steps to run Classic Outlook Advanced Diagnostics Troubleshooter via the Get Help app:

  • Press Win + Q and enter Get Help in the search bar.
  • Open the Classic Outlook Troubleshooters in the Get Help app.
  • Choose the Outlook advanced diagnostics troubleshooter and follow the instructions given on your screen to run the diagnostics.
  • Allow the diagnostics to check for any errors in Outlook and any other system application.
  • Finally, go through the resulting diagnostics report to identify what’s causing this error and the ideal troubleshooting method for it.

Important limitation:

  • You must have Windows 10 or above OS to run the troubleshooter.
  • You need to operate from the same PC as Windows Outlook to run the troubleshooter.
  • The troubleshooter only works for Classic Outlook. It won’t work for New Outlook.
Read Also: Fix Outlook Reminder Not Working Issue

How to fix Outlook crashes while replying to an email?

Now that you’ve run the diagnostics to know the exact reason for this error, let’s look at some solutions to resolve it. But first, apply these quick fixes to see if it resolves this error or not:

  • Check your network connection.
  • Update Classic Outlook application.
  • Update Windows OS to the latest version.

Method 1. Run Outlook in safe mode

Running Outlook in safe mode may help you to know if the add-ins are causing the issue. For this, follow the steps below:

  1. Start by pressing the Win + R key.
  2. As the window opens, type outlook.exe/safe and click OK.run Outlook in safe mode
  3. Once done, you will enter safe mode. Check if you are able to compose an email in safe mode.

If you’re able to carry out all functions in Safe mode of Outlook, then the add-ins might be the cause of this issue. Follow the steps below to disable add-ins in Outlook:

  1. Open Outlook and click on File > Options.click on files
  2. Go to Add-ins tab and click Go next to the Manage COM Add-ins option and click OK.select Manage Add-ins
  3. Uncheck all the add-ins that you want to disable in the COM Add-ins window and click OK.COM Add-ins window
  4. Once done, open Outlook again and check if the problem is solved.

Method 2. Make a new user profile

As we mentioned, a corrupt user profile may also be the culprit behind this error. So, let's try creating a new user profile and see if it works. For this, follow the below mentioned steps:

  1. Go to the Control Panel and click on the Mail (Microsoft Outlook) option.launch mail setup
  2. Now, select the Show Profiles option.show profile
  3. In the new mail window, click on the Add button.add button
  4. Now type a name under the Profile Name option and click on OK.
  5. Set up the email account and check if the problem is solved now.

Method 3. Repair office programs

If your Outlook or any other Office program isn’t working properly, you can repair the Office application by the Quick Repair or Online Repair method of Microsoft. For this, follow the steps below:

  1. Open Windows Settings and select Apps from the option given there.
  2. Then select the Apps & features option from the Apps.
  3. Now, in the search tab, look for Office and select MS Office.
  4. Now, click on Modify to proceed.
  5. In the next step, check the Repair option and click Continue.
  6. Once the repair process is over, open Outlook and check if you still face the issue.

Note: These steps are for Windows 10 and above. For devices with older versions, go to Control Panel > Programs and Features and follow the rest of the given steps.

Method 4. Check for antivirus

If you're having issues with Outlook crashing when replying to emails, it could be due to antivirus software conflicts. To check if this is the case, temporarily disable your antivirus software and see if the issue persists. If it does, you'll need to add an exception for Outlook in your antivirus software's settings. Once you've done that, re-enable your antivirus software, and the issue should be resolved.

Method 5. Check for corruption in Outlook data file

One of the reasons why Outlook is crashing may be the corruption in the Outlook data file. Not just corruption, but if your data file is damaged, or there’s corruption in header of the PST file, then also you may face this issue. This may also be the case for you if your Outlook application crashes it at the moment it tries to access data stored in PST files. You can use a dedicated PST repair tool to repair your files and access your data if inbuilt tools like ScanPST.exe fails to repair the PST files.

Final note

Find out exactly what’s causing the Outlook crashes when replying to email error to apply the best suited troubleshooting method to fix this issue. The reason could be anything from a faulty add-in to a corrupt Outlook Data file. Hope the troubleshooting methods discussed in this blog help you resolve this issue quickly!

Aaruni Arora
Aaruni AroraTechnical Writer

This article is written by Aaruni Arora, a technical content writer at Kernel Data Recovery. This content has been reviewed in accordance with our editorial guidelines.

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