Many Outlook users have reported problems setting up their Exchange mailboxes on their domain. Sometimes the problem does not appear at first, however, the Outlook email account gets corrupted automatically and the email account cannot be configured. This usually happens when there are problems with your Autodiscover record. Also, the problem mainly occurs with Outlook 2016.
The error message displayed is as follows:
Microsoft Outlook cannot be started. Outlook window cannot be opened. The fileset cannot be accessed.
In this article, we look at different ways to fix Autodiscover related issues
Fix 1: Run SARA tool to fix the problem
SARA is a tool from Microsoft that can be used to troubleshoot Office and Outlook related issues. Follow the steps below to run the tool:
Step 1: Visit the SARA tool download link
Step 2: Scroll down and click Download button
Step 3: Once the application has downloaded, double click on it
Step 4: When you get a security warning, click Run
Step 5: In the window that appears, click Install
Step 6: The installation process would begin. Please be patient as this will take some time.
Step 7: Agree to the license agreement.
Step 8: You will see a window Which app are you having trouble with?
Step 9: Select Outlook from the available options.
Step 10: Click on the Next button
Step 11: Select the problem you are facing. In this case, Outlook will not start and click on the Next button .
Step 12: You will be asked a few questions based on the problem you have selected. Answer them immediately.
Step 13: You will be asked to provide your account details (email id of the account causing the problem).
Step 14: The tool will run, identify the problem and also suggest fixes.
Step 15: Follow the on-screen instructions and complete the process.
Check if this helps. If not, try the next fix.
Fix 2: Change entries in registry editor
Step 1: Open the Run window by pressing Windows+r keys on your keyboard at the same time
Step 2: Type regedit and press OK
Step 3: Click Yes on the UAC window asking for permission
NOTE: Editing the registry, even the smallest mistake, can adversely affect the system. It is recommended to back up the registry before proceeding. To create a backup, go to Registry Editor > File > Export > Save Backup File .
Step 4: In the editor window, go to the following location:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook
Note: In the path above, 16.0 folder corresponds to Office 2016. If you are using different versions, use the appropriate folder name. For example, if you are using Office 2015, use 15.0
Step 5: Locate the Autodiscover folder in Outlook . If there is no AutoDiscover folder, create one.
Right click on Outlook folder > New > Key. Name the key Autodiscover
Step 6: Double-click the Autodiscover folder, Right-click anywhere in the right side pane > New > DWORD(32-bit) Value. Name the newly created DWORD as PreferLocalXML.
Step 7: Double click on PreferLocalXML to change its value.
Step 8: In the Edit DWORD window, set the Value to 1 and press OK.
Step 7: Create the following DWORDs and set the given values (See Steps 6 and 7)
- ExcludeHttpRedirect - set it up
- ExcludeHttpsAutodiscoverDomain - set it to 1
- ExcludeHttpsRootDomain - set it to 1
- ExcludeScpLookup - set it to 1
- ExcludeSrvLookup - set it to 1
- ExcludeSrvRecord - set it to 1
Step 8: Now restart your system and check if Outlook starts.
In case you are still facing the problems,
Step 9: Open Windows Explorer with Windows+E
Step 10: Type the following address in the address bar and press Enter
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Step 11: Locate the Outlook folder and rename it. To rename, one can simply click on the folder and press the F2 key on the keyboard.
Step 12: Reboot your system
Step 13: Now create a new Outlook profile. To do this, follow the steps below.
Step 14: Open the Run dialog.
Step 15: Type control and press Enter.
Step 16: In the search bar at the top right corner of the Control Panel window , type Mail. Click on the email option that appears.
Step 17: In the Email Setup window that opens, click the View Profiles button .
Step 18: Click Add
Step 19: A window will open, type the name you want and press Enter.
Step 20: Make sure the newly created profile is selected.
Step 21: Now add your account in MS Outlook.
Fix 3: Repair the navigation pane configuration file
Step 1: Open the Run dialog with Windows+R keys.
Step 2: Type the following command and press OK.
outlook.exe /resetnavpaneThis should fix the navigation pane configuration file. If the error persists,
Step 3: Press Windows+E together to open Windows Explorer.
Step 4: In the address bar at the top, type the following address and press Enter.
%appdata%\Microsoft\OutlookStep 5: Locate the .XML file in the Outlook folder and delete the file.
Try opening Outlook and see if the problem has been resolved.
Fix 4: Repair .pst or .ost file
The .pst file for Pop3 accounts and the .ost file for IMAP accounts contain all data related to an account in the system. When MS Outlook connects to the Internet, this file will be updated with the new content. This file is responsible for showing the existing mails in MS Outlook when the system is offline. Now, if this file gets corrupted, then the sync issues will inevitably appear.
Step 1: Find out the location of the PST or OST file. Follow the steps below,
1. Open MS Outlook application.
2. Click File from the top menu options .
3. In the window that appears, switch to the About tab .
4. Click Account Settings.
5. Then click Account Settings again .
6. In the Account Settings window that opens, switch to the "Data Files " tab. Note the location of the required account file.
Step 2: Open SCANPST.EXE and run the application.
The application location is different for different versions of Outlook.
- Outlook 2019: C:\Programme (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16
- Outlook 2016: C:\Programme (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16
- Outlook 2013: C:\Programme (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15
- Outlook 2010: C:\Programme (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14
- Outlook 2007: C:\Programme (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office12
Depending on the Outlook version on your system, go to the appropriate location and double-click SCANPST.EXE
Step 3: When the SCANPST application opens, paste the file name in the Enter the name of the file to scan section . The location we noted in step 1, point 6
Step 4: Click on the Start button .
NOTE: The OST files can also be repaired using SCANPST application.
Step 5: Once the scan is completed, it will be notified if there are any errors. Repair the file using the instructions provided.
Step 6: Reboot the system and open the Outlook application and check if that solves the problem.
If this doesn't help, try the next fix listed below.
Fix 5: Run Outlook without add-ins
Sometimes ceratin add-ins can cause this problem. To troubleshoot issues, run Outlook without add-ins
Step 1: Open the Run dialog by pressing the Windows+r keys on the keyboard at the same time.
Step 2: In the Run dialog box that opens, type outlook.exe /safe and press OK
Step 3: Now Outlook will open in Safe Mode where all add-ins have been disabled. If you don't see the error, it means that an add-on is responsible for the problem.
Step 4: Click on the File menu option as shown below
Step 5: In the window that appears, choose Options
Step 6: In the Outlook Options window, choose Add-Ins from the left side menu
Step 7: Choose COM Add-ins from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the window and click Go button
Step 8: Disable all plugins as shown below and click OK
Step 9: Now enable one add-in at a time and check which add-in is causing the problem.
Step 10: Once the add-in has been identified, take the necessary action.
If this fix doesn't help and the problem persists, try the next fix.
Fix 7: Quick Repair of MS Office Application
Step 1: Press and hold Windows+r keys at the same time.
Step 2: In the Run window , type appwiz.cpl and press Enter
Step 3: In the Programs and Features window that opens, search for Microsoft Office Suite or Microsoft 365. Right-click on it and choose Change . strong>
Step 4: When the UAC asks for permissions, click Yes
Step 5: In the window that appears, enable Quick Repair.
Step 6: Click on the Repair button
Step 7: Follow the on-screen instructions and repair Office programs.
Step 8: If the problem occurs due to corrupted Outlook application then this fix will solve the problem.
Step 9: Restart the application and check if the problem has been solved.
Step 10: If you still get the error, choose Online Repair and click Repair. Make sure you have a working internet connection.
Step 10: In the Ready to Start an Online Repair dialog box , click Repair
Check if that helps.
We hope this article was informative.
Please comment and let us know which fix helped you solve the problem.
Thank you for reading.
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