“Outlook Stuck at Loading Profile” Resolved in Best Way

Is your Outlook stuck, freezes, or hangs while loading a profile? If yes, then read the article thoroughly. In this guide, you learn the reasons behind the “Outlook stuck at loading profile” error. Also, find the resolutions to get rid of this issue in Outlook versions 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, 2003.

Sometimes, Outlook stuck at the loading profile screen when you try to launch it. There are numerous reasons that will cause Outlook to hang on loading the profile. Let’s have a quick glance at those factors.

Why did Outlook Stuck at Loading Profile?

1. If Outlook.exe and other processes still running in the background.
2. Programs such as add-ins, VPN software, Lync (or Skype for Business), etc. interfering with Outlook.
3. Wrong Outlook installation.
4. Outlook data file (.pst) is corrupt.

How Troubleshoot ‘Outlook Stuck on Loading Profile’ Error Manually?

These are the manual steps that you need to follow sequentially to resolve the Outlook loading profile error 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, 2003.

Method 1: End Processes in Task Manager & Disable the Presence Features

I. Ending Processes in Task Manager

First of all, you should close all the processes that are running in the background from the Task Manager. And then, disable the ‘Outlook Presence feature’ to fix the error. Here’s how you can do it:

NOTE: Outlook.exe, SearchProtocolHost.exe, Lync, and Skype for Business, Copernic, WinPcap, etc. are some processes you should kill in the Task Manager.

1. Open Task Manager.
2. Under the Processes tab, locate all Microsoft Office processes.
3. Select an Office process & then choose End task.
4. Repeat this for each Office process listed.

II. Disable Outlook Presence Feature

Follow these steps to disable the Outlook presence feature:

1. Open Outlook application, choose File > Options > People.
2. In Outlook Options window, uncheck the checkboxes with following options if they are enabled: “Display online status next to name” and “Show user photographs when available”.
3. Click OK, and then restart Outlook.

NOTE: By disabling the Outlook presence functionality will help mitigate the issue. However, if you click on your account picture in the upper right corner of an Office app or go to File >Account option, a session will be opened up and it will trigger the problem again.

Method 3: Run Outlook in Safe Mode & Disable Add-ins

Sometimes Microsoft Outlook may stuck at loading screen due to faulty add-ins. To fix the issue, start Outlook in safe mode and disable add-ins, follow these steps:

1. Type “Windows” and “R” keys together.
2. Type “Outlook /safe” in the Run window, and hit OK.
3. Choose Profile dialog box is displayed. Accept the default Outlook settings and choose OK.
4. prompted, enter the password, and then click OK.

If you can open Outlook in safe mode, try to disable the add-ins one-by-one and check if it resolves the issue. The steps to disable add-ins are listed below:

1. Open Outlook and select File.
2. Click Options > Add-ins.
3. Under Manage, select COM Add-ins.
4. Click Go.
5. Select the add-ins that you want to disable and click OK.
6. Exit Outlook and open it again.

NOTE: Try disabling programs like VPN (such as SonicWall VPN), or any suspicious program and see if it fixes the error.

If the Outlook stuck on loading profile even in safe mode then proceed to the next step.

Method 4: Create New Outlook Profile

If the above methods don’t work, then creating a new Outlook profile may help resolve the error. Look at the steps required for creating a new profile in Outlook.

1. Go to “Control Panel” > “mail” applet.
2. In the new dialog box, click “Show profile”.
3. Click the “Add” button and give a specific name to it.
4. Next, add the email account.
5. Now, change the newly created profile as the default Outlook profile.
6. Finally, restart Outlook.

NOTE: This method will resolve the “Microsoft Outlook stuck at loading profile” error in Outlook 2016 version.

How to Resolve “Outlook 2013 Getting Stuck on Loading Profile”?

The same issue also happens in Microsoft Outlook 2013, when you launch Outlook 2013, the program hangs or stops.

Resolution

1: Disable Hardware Acceleration

Sometimes disabling hardware acceleration help the user to fix the issue in Outlook 2013. To do so, follow these steps to do so:

1. Firstly, close all Office applications.
2. Start Registy Editor >>Type Regedit in the search bar.
3. Locate and then select the registry subkey HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Common\Graphics.
4. On the Edit menu>>New. Select DWORD Value.
5. Type DisableHardwareAcceleration, and then press Enter.
6. In the Details pane, right-click DisableHardwareAcceleration, and then select Modify.
7. In the Value data box, type 1, and then select OK.
8. Exit Registry Editor, and then start Outlook.

NOTE: This solution is temporary because we recommend you to take advantage of hardware graphics acceleration in Office programs.

2: Update to latest Version

The last free solution that is recommended to fix this problem is to update your video drivers to the latest version. Once you have updated your video drivers, you should be able to re-enable hardware graphics acceleration for Office.

Use the following steps to update your video card drivers.

1. On the Start Screen, select Settings on the Charms Bar.
2. Select Change PC Settings.
3. Click on the Windows Update option from the PC settings app.
4. Select Check for updates now.
5. If any updates are available, select the driver that you want to install.
6. Then select Install option.

What if Manual Methods Failed to Fix the Issue?

If none of the manual workarounds works to mitigate the issue ‘Outlook stuck on loading profile’ in Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, 2003, it is likely that your Outlook data file (.pst) is corrupt. In those situations, the only possible way is to use some trusted third-party tool to recover Outlook PST file.

Winding Things Up

This blog explained all the causes due to which “Outlook stuck at loading profile” occurs. It really annoys the users and needs some actions to be taken seriously. To resolve the issue in Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, 2003, etc, we have mentioned some manual workarounds. However, the manual approaches are only temporary solutions. So, we recommend the professional tool that helps you to permanently fix the issue without any efforts.