How to Fix Cannot Start Microsoft Outlook Invalid XML Error?

Can’t open your Microsoft Outlook account? Lost access to important Outlook emails, contacts and events? Are you facing ‘Invalid XML error in Outlook’? Getting Outlook error messages pop-ups like: ‘Cannot start Microsoft Outlook invalid XML, the view cannot be loaded in Office’. And this error message appears in almost all MS Office versions like Outlook.

There’s nothing to panic about! You must be aware of the fact that the trouble is caused by some XML file associated with your Outlook profile. Through this article, you will find a solution to resolve the problem. Here we will examine the issue, its causes and resolutions to fix “Cannot start Microsoft Outlook invalid XML” error. We will help you run your Microsoft Outlook account again and access your email messages without encountering any errors.

Invalid XML Error in Outlook – Cause & Indication

Cause: The XML file that contains the Navigation pane settings is damaged or corrupted. This is the real reason behind the “Cannot start Microsoft Outlook invalid XML” error.

The main symptom of this MS Outlook XML file corruption is very easily recognizable. When you try to open the application by clicking on the icon, it will hang for a while and a pop-up will appear with the error message: “Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook window. Invalid XML, the view cannot be loaded”.

Depending on the version of your Microsoft Outlook account, the error message for the Invalid XML issue in Outlook can vary.

• Outlook 2010: Microsoft Outlook has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
• Outlook 2013: Cannot open your default e-mail folders. The information store could not be opened.
• Outlook 2016: Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook. Unable to open the Outlook window. Invalid XML, the view cannot be loaded.

Solution for Cannot Start Microsoft Outlook Invalid XML Error

Once you start MS Outlook account, you can see the Navigation Pane on the left side with an active profile, Top folder and other items like Contacts, Calendar, etc.

The settings and arrangements that you made here is stored somewhere as an XML file named profilename.xml, where the “profilename” will be the name of your respective Outlook profile. Depending on the Windows version, the default location of the XML file will be different.

• Windows XP :

C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

• Windows Vista / 7 / 8 / 10:

C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook

Solve: Invalid XML Error in Outlook:- Regenerate Navigation Pane Settings XML File

Follow the steps given below to clear and regenerate the navigation pane settings file when you get the Invalid XML error message.

• Click on the Windows Start menu.
• Open the Run window and enter the command “Outlook.exe /resetnavpane”

After performing the above method, now open your Microsoft Outlook account to see whether the error message: Cannot start Microsoft Outlook invalid XML, the view cannot be loaded is appearing again. If not, you have successfully resolved the issue. Great!!

Is There any Quick Fix for Invalid XML Error?

Yes, we have. Inaccessibility of an email account causes major problems. Invalid XML error is an internal issue that cannot be fixed easily by a non-technical person. Microsoft Outlook stores its data items in a local file called Personal Storage Table (PST). This PST file contains all your Outlook items like emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, notes, journals, etc. To get access to your Outlook emails, you only need to retrieve and restore your PST file.

So, if you are having trouble with Outlook invalid XML error and unable to access your email messages, then you can make use of SysTools Outlook PST File Repair Tool. The software helps to fix and extract data from an Outlook PST file easily in a simple procedure. All you need to know is the location of your stored Outlook PST data. The storage location of an Outlook PST depends on your Outlook version.

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Simple way to Access Data While Invalid XML Outlook Error

1. Add your inaccessible Outlook PST file in the software
2. Choose Advanced scan mode to scan and repair your PST file without ScanPST.exe
3. Software previews Outlook mailbox data items
4. Export Outlook PST mailbox data into a PST file safely

Now, you can remove your Outlook account and configure the account once again. This way, you can easily resolve this: “Cannot open the Outlook window, Invalid .xml error”. And now you can import the resultant PST file data in the Outlook account and access your email messages.

Now, see the further sections of the blog to know more in detail about the issue: Cannot start Microsoft Outlook invalid XML, the view cannot be loaded issue in Windows.

Final words

Getting error message pop-ups and error code is quite common in Microsoft Outlook. However, finding a solution for all those issues is not that easy. In this blog, we have clearly mentioned the reason behind the error “Cannot start Microsoft Outlook invalid XML“. The above-mentioned steps will help you to regenerate Navigation pane and run again without the occurrence of invalid XML error in Outlook. Sometimes, this error may end up in data inaccessibility in MS Outlook and the users can’t access their emails & other mailbox items. So, to access your Outlook data in PST file, you can use a reliable application as suggested in the above section.