If you use Outlook as your business organizer like I do, it can be quite frustrating when it starts to run slowly. Common symptoms of Outlook malaise include:

Outlook takes several minutes to start

Outlook crashes or causes error messages

Switching folders or viewing email content takes a long time

Outlook opens slowly after it has been minimized to the Windows

Outlook doesn't respond to your inputs or its responses are erratic

So, how do you make Outlook operate to your business tempo!

Over the years, Microsoft has added more features and tools to Outlook which is essentially running on the same database engine it had back in Windows 95 days. As more data and plug-ins are added, the engine starts to struggle with the load. So, we need to de-stress Outlook and remove some of its load!

I got so frustrated that I did a bit of research and came up with the following cures:

Try archiving your incoming emails; there is no need to keep thousands of emails in your inbox. You can setup Outlook so it automatically moves older emails to an archive folder. If you do this, when Outlook is started or when switching folders, the program doesn't have to load a huge list of emails. To archive a folder, simply right click on it, select its Properties then go to the Auto Archive tab to configure your archiving settings.

When Outlook starts open a default folder that is not over crowded with emails. Try to move emails away from the default starting folder to archive folders or to other sub-folders. For example, if you receive many emails from a contact, you can define a rule so all those emails are automatically moved into a specific folder (this is great system, particularly if you are doing an e-course). The less items Outlook has to display at startup, the faster it will load.

3rd party add-ons such as news feeders, spam filters can make Outlook slow to open. I use Cloudmark Desktop as my spam filter which I thoroughly recommend but it is an item that slows the Outlook loading processes. Keep plug-ins that you know are useful, ditch the rest. A list of your currently installed add-ins can be found by going to the Tools menu -> Options -> Other -> Advanced Options -> Add-in Manager.

If you have a very busy inbox (who doesnt!), Outlook has to handle lots of mailbox files (.pst files). It can help to defragment the disk partition in which your PST file is located. Since new information (emails, appointments, tasks etc.) is constantly being added by Outlook to your personal folders file, the .pst file tends to become fragmented very quickly (it can be found here: >Documents and Settings>User>Local Settings>Application Data>Microsoft>Outlook it will probably be hidden so you will need to unhide it). Therefore it is a good idea to schedule, at least weekly, a disk defragmentation for the partition where the .pst file is stored.

Outlook only deals with critical errors and doesnt always report less important errors. By running the "Detect and Repair" function (from the Outlook Help menu) on regular basis you can prevent anything bad happening in the background.

Avoid switching tasks (ALT + TAB) while the main Outlook window is maximized. If you need to switch to a different application, make sure you firstly minimize Outlook, then go to the other program. Otherwise, it may end up using so much memory that it stops responding.

The default Outlook settings work with the Windows Instant Messenger. You can disable the use of Windows Messenger for Outlook from the Tools menu, under Options -> Other -> Person Names. This stops Outlook loading new information for Messenger every time you switch folders.

Microsoft Office is delivered with speech and handwriting recognition features. Outlook also loads them and they increase the memory usage of Outlook. A Microsoft Support article explaining how to turn off these features can be found by clicking here.

If you keep Outlook up and running all the time, try closing & restarting Outlook at least daily. Outlook can require more and more memory the longer it is kept open, particularly if you have any plug-ins installed.

If Outlook is still running slowly after you have tried some of the above the only option left to you is to backup your Outlook personal files and reinstall everything not a procedure that you should undertake lightly!