Microsoft Outlook Stuck on Loading Profile…

This may seem to be an unusual topic for Better Blogs but I fixed this a number of times. Normally, Outlook will load its data appropriately and load successfully. Sometimes, however, it gets stuck on the “Loading Profile…” step:

outlook_2013_hangs_loading_profile

Many different solutions can be found online. So why write a post about it? Because I have not found a fix for Outlook 16 (2016) on Windows 10. The internet will take you to Add/Remove Programs, opening Outlook in safe mode, or to the PC’s registry! The fix is more straightforward:

Step 1

Go to: C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

Step 2

Delete the Outlook Data Files (.nst).

Skype for Business may be using these as well. Don’t worry if this causes issues. Simply close all Skype instances (Task Manager helps) and continue to delete these files. The files will be created again the next time Outlook opens.

I’ve used these steps for a couple of previous versions of Outlook as well. It tends to fix it for me so I thought I’d store the steps before I forget again. I hope this helps you as well!

If the above solution doesn’t work for you, perhaps the wonderful collection of solutions here: https://www.pallareviews.com/3466/outlook-hangs-on-loading-profile/ may help?