If you are getting the error message “Cannot Start Outlook” do the following:

Solution #1

Go to the start menu, click run (or for windows vista + 7 users, just type the following into the search and type “scanpst.exe“.

If you cannot find this file using the search function, or if you are using an older version of Windows, the file is located here: c:\program files\common files\system\msmapi\1033\. After running this file, try to run Outlook again.

This solution has worked for many people, and it is worth a shot. If this doesn’t help, proceed to the next step.

Solution #2

Find outlook.exe, which is in the outlook installation directory.

Click properties, and then under the tab “compatibility” take away the checkmark next to “run this program in compatibility mode”. Try running the program again. If this doesn’t work, proceed to the next step.

Solution #3

Head over to the control panel, goto mail, show profiles. Remove the profile that is listen. Add %username% instead, and then try running the program again.

Solution #4

Once again head over to start-> run, or to the search, and type: outlook.exe /resetnavpane. This solution has worked for the majority of people who cannot start Outlook, or are receiving this error. If you are unable to fix the problem using one of these solutions, I suggest contacting a microsoft support company or a local technician who will further troubleshoot and diagnose your problem. Sometimes the issue is too complicated to apply one of these quick band aid solutions, and it will require some advanced troubleshooting to figure out why you cannot start outlook.