Outlook is one of the most popular Microsoft services. However, there are times when you might get an error when trying to open it. In many cases, Outlook in Safe Mode can help resolve these problems and ensure you’re logged in safely, free of any suspected malware.
What Is Safe Mode?
In general, Safe Mode is an operation mode that runs a program with the minimum add-ins and dependencies to avoid the corruptive influence these features might have.
In essence, when you run a program in safe mode, only the core parts of it are active. Safe Mode is available for Windows 10 and several of its software, such as Microsoft Outlook.
Why Run Outlook in Safe Mode?
Like most software, Outlook is prone to startup issues. Using Safe Mode helps you isolate the problem and figure out what it actually is. Safe Mode also disables all add-ins, making it especially useful when an add-in prevents Outlook from starting properly.
Sometimes when Outlook crashes or detects a problem, it offers to start it in Safe Mode. However, most other times, you have to take the initiative and start Outlook in Safe Mode by yourself.
How to Open Outlook in Safe Mode
1. The Run Command
The Run command window lets you start Outlook in Safe Mode by entering a simple command.
- Press Win + R on your keyboard to bring up the Run window. (You can also search for Run in the Start menu.)
-
In the text box, enter the following code line below and hit enter:
Outlook.exe /safe
Microsoft Outlook will now start in Safe Mode.
2. The Start Menu Search Bar
You can also type the Run command mentioned earlier directly in the Start menu and skip the Run window.
- Click the search bar in the Start menu.
-
Type the following code line below and hit enter:
Outlook.exe /safe
You can use this in Windows 7, 8, and 10. This will run the same command as the previous method and start Outlook in Safe Mode.
3. Holding Down Ctrl
In some scenarios, your admin might have disabled the Run command for your account. In this case, you can’t use the Run command window to start Outlook in Safe Mode, but don’t give up yet! There’s a handy workaround for this:
- Hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard.
- Click to open Outlook.exe as you’re holding down Ctrl.
- In the new window, select Yes.
You can click the Outlook shortcut, or search it up in the start menu. Just remember to hold down Ctrl on your keyboard!
Start Your Outlook Safely
Starting Outlook in Safe Mode is one thing that you can do now whenever Outlook has trouble starting up. Once you got it started, remember that there’s much you can do to use Outlook at its peak potential.