Outlook stuck at the loading profile screen sure is irritating. Moreover, this issue prevents users from accessing their emails, contacts, calendars, etc. We understand your frustration and that’s why we have drafted this expert guide for you. Here, we will explain 4 manual approaches and the top-notch SysTools Outlook PST Recovery Solution. So, stay tuned and read the entire article to find out which solution is the best fit for you when your MS Outlook hangs on the loading profile screen.
Top Reasons Why Outlook Hangs Loading Profile Screen
Users must know the real cause of this technical error so that they can prevent the Outlook 2010 hangs on the splash screen loading profile issue in the future. This situation can appear in Microsoft Outlook when any of the below situations are true.
- When users have Microsoft Office 2013 SP1 installed as a Windows Installer-based (MSI) installation. It might be possible that users have the Click-to-Run version of Office installed.
- Users must have a minimum of two graphics cards integrated with the system. One card should be from NVIDIA and the other must be an Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000 card.
- It could be possible that the hardware graphics acceleration option, which is managed by the operating system, is not marked as selected for Outlook options.
- It might be possible that your Outlook data file is severely damaged, which causes this error.
Note: The same issue also happens in a Microsoft Outlook 2013 installation that does not have SP1 configuration.
Techniques to Resolve Outlook Stuck at Loading Profile Screen Issue
Generally, there are five ways through which this technical error can be repaired in the MS Outlook application. So, let’s check out each method in a detailed manner.
- Use Registry Editor
- Update Video Drivers to Fix Outlook Stuck at Loading Profile Screen
- Repair Outlook Application
- Repair Outlook Data File
- Use The Professional Solution
Further in the article, we will discuss all these solutions in detail. Read the rest of the article to find out the best fitting solution for you.
Method #1: Use Registry Editor
It is a temporary workaround that can be preferred to fix the Outlook hangs on loading profile screen issue. To do this, we add the DisableHardwareAcceleration registry subkey with the help of the following instructions.
- Close all the opened Office programs.
- After that, open Registry Editor:
- In Windows 7, click on the Windows Start button and type regedit in the search bar. Afterward, select regedit.exe from the results.
- In Windows 8, navigate the mouse to the top-right corner of the Windows screen and click Search. After that, type regedit in the text box. Then, select regedit.exe from the results.
- Find and then select the below-mentioned registry subkey.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Common\Graphics\
- Click on the Edit menu, go to New and select DWORD Value.
- Next, enter DisableHardwareAcceleration and hit the Enter key.
- Perform right-click on DisableHardwareAcceleration and select Modify under the Details pane.
- Type 1 in the Value data box and click OK.
- Close Registry Editor and launch Outlook on the system. Verify whether the issue is resolved or not.
Method #2: Update Video Drivers to Fix Outlook Stuck at Loading Profile Screen
In this workaround, we are going to update the video drivers. So, users can re-enable the hardware acceleration option for Office.
In Windows 7 Operating System
- Initially, click on the Windows Start button.
- Next, type Windows Update in the search bar.
- From the search results, navigate to the Check for updates option.
- If system updates are available, then move the cursor to a driver that you want to install and select Install.
In Windows 8 Platform
- On the home screen, click on Settings from the Charms menu bar.
- After that, you need to click on the Change PC Settings option.
- Select Windows Update from the settings application.
- Navigate to the Check for updates option.
- If the update exists, then upgrade the driver that you want to install.
Important Note: Graphic or video card manufacturers routinely release updates for the drivers. These updates help to enhance the performance of drivers or repair the compatibility factors with other applications. In such a situation, if users do not get updates for their drivers, they should contact the support team of their video card and ask them how to get the new update for the video card.
Once you have updated the drivers successfully, go back to the first method and follow the instructions. However, this time you need to uncheck the Disable Hardware Acceleration option.
Method #3: Repair Outlook Application
If you are still facing this issue with Outlook even after trying all the above methods, you can try the repair feature of the Office application. Now, to update the Outlook program, just follow these steps:
1. Click on Programs, then Programs and Features in your PC’s Control Panel (and reveal All Control Panel Items if necessary).
2. Highlight Microsoft Office 2010/2013/2016/2019 from the list. (Microsoft Office 365 is also mentioned in the selection.)
3. Right-click and select Change.
4. Choose Online Repair and Continue, then follow the on-screen instructions.
5. Please restart the PC when the repair is completed and try the sync again.
Method #4: Fix the Outlook Data File Damage
Outlook data file damage can also be a reason Outlook gets stuck at the loading profile screen. So, to fix this issue, you can try the Outlook Inbox Repair Tool, also known as ScanPST.exe. Now, to use this tool, first you have to find the location of ScanPST.exe. To make this step easier, we have listed all the locations of ScanPST.exe below.
Location of Outlook Inbox Repair Tool
Location For Outlook 2007
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12
Location For Outlook 2010
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14
Location For Outlook 2010 64-bit
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14
Location For Outlook 2013
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15\root\office15
Location For Outlook 2016 & 2019
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16
1. Once you have reached the location, double-click on the .exe file to open it.
2. Click on the Browse button to add the PST file.
3. Click on the Scan option to start the scanning process.
4. Once the scanning process is over, you will see the Repair button.
5. Click on the Repair button to fix the damage in the data file.
Outlook Still Stuck at Loading Profile Screen? Use This Professional Solution!
If the problem is not resolved by the above-mentioned ways, then it might be possible that the Outlook PST file can be damaged. The PST file is a local storage file that saves a copy of Outlook data items on the hard drive. It also has a certain storage limit depending upon the Outlook version. When it crosses its maximum limit of storage, it starts creating performance issues, and sometimes Outlook freezes and crashes.
In order to resolve this problem, users can go with the SysTools Outlook PST File Repair tool. It is a dynamic tool that can scan highly corrupted files and convert them into healthy ones. The best part about the utility is that it supports all Outlook as well as Windows OS versions.
Steps of the Tool
1. First, download and install the program.
2. Add the PST file by clicking on the Add Files.
3. Choose the scanning mode such as Quick and Advanced.
4. After that, select the PST as an export option.
5. Finally, click on the Export button to complete the task.
Get the Mac Version
If you are a Mac user and facing any hanging issue in Mac Outlook due to data file corruption, then you can try the Mac Outlook Recovery Tool to fix the issue.
Wrapping Up
Outlook hanging on the loading profile screen is a frustrating issue for users. Therefore, we shared four manual solutions and one automated solution in this article. You can choose any of the solutions according to your requirements. However, even after using the manual solutions, users report they are still having issues. To tackle it further, you can check the PST file status and see if the PST file is highly damaged. In case of severe corruption, we would highly recommend that you opt for the above-mentioned automated utility.
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