Fix Outlook Error – The operation failed. An object could not be found

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Written By Andrew Jackson
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh
Published On September 12th, 2022
Reading Time 7 Minutes Reading

Explore the Best top 6 ways to fix “The operation failed. An object could not be found” error

“The attempted operation failed. An object could not be found” error is the common error encountered by the Outlook users while clicking on Send / Receive option. This error is basically known as Outlook reported an error (0×8004010f). Moreover, this error is commonly faced by the Microsoft Outlook 2013 and Microsoft Outlook 2010 versions users.

However, it may occur in other versions of the MS Outlook like Outlook 2019, 2016 also when a user has configured MS Outlook profile with the Exchange Server. For every error, there is some reason. Same is the case with this 0x8004010f error in Outlook. The root causes that bring out: ‘The operation failed. An object could not be found’ error is corruption in Outlook data file and mis-configuration of Outlook Profile with the Exchange Server. Therefore, various troubleshooting methods to fix this Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007 error are covered in this post.

The operation failed. An object could not be found

Troubleshoot Error: The operation failed. An object could not be found Outlook 2013 & 2010

In order to fix this reported Outlook error (0x8004010f) there are various possible solutions available that a user can try and all of them are listed below:

So choose manual solutions from the above list to follow the respective steps to resolve this Microsoft Outlook error regardless of your Outlook account version. This blog also introduces an efficient software named SysTools Outlook PST File Repair tool to fix PST file problems related to corruption that occurred during send and receive process in Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, and other early versions. In fact, the tool also comes for the Mac Outlook, so if you are facing any compatibility issue in Mac Outlook, then you can check out the mac version.

Windows Version

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Manual 1: Make Sure that Outlook Is Not in Compatibility Mode

To start with, a user needs to make sure that MS Outlook is not working in the compatibility mode. If it is working, then a user need to straight away correct it by following the steps mentioned below:

1. Go to the Start button and in the search box type outlook.exe. It will display the corresponding program
2. Then, right-click on the program and select the Properties option from the displayed menu
3. A new dialog box will appear. Go directly to the Compatibility tab
4. Here, you need to check if the Run this program in compatibility mode for: option is checked or not. Verify if Outlook is in Compatibility Mode.

5. Now, if the option is checked, please unchecked it for once. After that, restart the MS Outlook application to send emails again. However, if the option is already unchecked, then there may be some other cause behind this error: The operation failed. An object could not be found in Outlook 2019 / 2016 / 2013 / 2010 / 2007.

Manual 2: Create a New Outlook Profile

Another possible cause behind this issue is the corrupted Outlook profile. Therefore, try to create a new profile to resolve the error.

1. First of navigate to Start >> Settings >> Control Panel option
2. After that, double-click on the Mail icon
3. Now, in the Mail Setup dialog box, click on the Show Profiles option.

Note: If a user wants to choose a specific profile every time he starts MS Outlook, then click on the General tab >> Prompt for a profile to be used >> Add option

4. Then, a New Profile dialog box will appear. Enter a descriptive type of a name for the new profile under the Profile Name and click OK.

5. Next, in the E-mail Accounts dialog box, choose Add a new e-mail account in the e-mail options, and after that click on Next to continue.

6. Now, click on the type of server on which the e-mail account works, and then click Next to proceed further
7. Enter all the required details, including the fields that appear after clicking on More Settings option
8. As you done with entering all the required information, click on Finish button

Manual 3: Turn Off Antivirus Scanner Integrated with MS Outlook

The antivirus application plays an important role in protecting the MS Outlook from viruses. However, its integration with Microsoft Outlook has several hidden problems also. Every time when a user sends/receive emails, the antivirus application will first scan all of them. This will slow down the process of sending or receiving emails and sometimes leads to an error. Hence, a user needs to turn off it. After doing this, one can try to send emails again. If a user still faces an error look forward to the next solution.

Manual 4: Repair Microsoft Outlook Application

Repairing MS Outlook main purpose is to fix all incorrect configuration done in Outlook. To do the same, follow the steps given below:

1. Exit Outlook and go to Start menu
2. After that, type appwiz.cpl or Run in the search box, then hit Enter key
3. In the new window, click on Microsoft Office option and click on Change button
4. Now, a new screen appear, select Repair option and click on the Continue to begin the repair process

5. After repairing, a user needs to restart Outlook and try to send email again

Manual 5: Use Scanpst.exe to Scan Outlook Data File for Errors

If any of the above 4 manuals does not work perfectly, then there are high chances that the error: The operation failed. An object could not be found in Outlook 2016/2013/2010/2007 is due to corruption in Outlook data file (.pst). Therefore, to resolve this problem, one can use the Outlook Inbox Repair Tool or scanpst.exe, to scan the PST file for errors. To use ScanPST first you have to find  Find where Scanpst.exe is located in the system. After running this tool, just choose the corrupted or inaccessible Outlook PST file and begin the repair process.

Alternative Solution to Fix Outlook PST File Corruption Which occurred by  (0×8004010f) error

The Inbox Repair Tool does not work well when it comes to fix file corruption came due to Outlook error 0×8004010f. To overcome the limitations of the manual solutions, one is advised to switch to a tool i.e. Outlook Data File Repair tool. The tool is designed to repair corrupt Outlook PST file in bulk also without any file size limitation. Moreover, the tool is compatible with all versions of MS Outlook and MS Windows OS.

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Therefore, if the cause of the error is corruption in the PST file, one can simply use this tool without any doubt in mind.

outlook repair product

Conclusion

The attempted operation failed. An object could not be found” is the common error faced by Outlook users while sending and receiving error. After understanding the reason behind this error The operation failed. An object could not be found in Outlook 2019 / 2016 / 2013 / 2010 / 2007, different methods to resolve this error are discussed. A user can try any of them based on the reason of the error. However, if there is a corruption in the PST file then, one is advised to use a professional solution as discussed above. This tool will help users to repair Outlook PST files without Sacnpst.exe and without any limitation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I fix this pop-up error message appeared while archiving PST file ?

When a user tries to archive Outlook data file: File > Info > Cleanup Tools > Archive >> suddenly this ‘The attempted operation failed!!’ error message pop up. This can be resolved if PST file corruption is resolved.

How to resolve Operation Failed error while opening an attachment ?

This issue can be resolved if you are not using Outlook in Compatibility Mode. One should make sure that Outlook is not in Compatibility Mode.

How to solve Outlook reported an error 0x8004010f ?

This Outlook error ‘0x8004010F: The Operation failed. An object cannot be found’ appears when Outlook PST is damaged or corrupted. The best fix for this is to repair inaccessible PST files.

When does ‘The Operation failed. An object cannot be found’ appears ?

This Microsoft Outlook error appears when there is corruption in Outlook data file or some mis-configuration issues in Outlook Profile with the Exchange Server.

  author

By Andrew Jackson

I am SQL DBA and SQL Server blogger too. I like to share about SQL Server and the problems related to it as well as their solution and also I do handle database related user queries, server or database maintenance, database management, etc. I love to share my knowledge with SQL Geeks.