When trying to open emails using Outlook, you may receive a message, Repair Outlook: This will clear local settings and any unsaved Outlook data. Do you want to continue? Yes/No. This is likely a message from the new Outlook app and not classic Outlook software. This post will help you understand what this means and what you need to do.
This message means that resetting Outlook will delete all the emails from local storage. However, the emails will be synced back from the server. If you press Yes, it will do exactly that, but you can always press No. However, if the message keeps on appearing, here is what you can do.
Repair Outlook: This will clear local settings and any unsaved Outlook data
This dialog box keeps popping up for some. If you hit NO, nothing will happen, and you can forget about it. If you press YES the box will go away but reappear again after a few days. If you are using Outlook with an email server that doesn’t redownload emails or syncs with the server, then this can be problematic. Here are a few things you can try to address the issue.
- Terminate it from Task Manager
- Repair, Reset or Uninstall Outlook (new)
- Create a new Outlook profile.
Before you begin, make sure you have the latest updates for your Windows OS, Office software, and all the Microsoft Store apps installed.
1] Terminate it from Task Manager
Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to open the Task Manager. Select Outlook (new) and click End Task. This will remove the box, but it may reappear in some time. It comes in handy if you need to check an email in your Outlook and you don’t want anything to come in between.
2] Repair, Reset or Uninstall Outlook (new)
Press Win+I to open Windows Settings and go to Apps > Installed apps. Locate Outlook (new). See if using Repair helps. If not, use Reset and see.
If both don’t help, Uninstall the new Outlook app if you don’t plan to use it.
If you want to use it, you can download it from the Microsoft Store.
3] Create a new Outlook profile (New Outlook) or account
Unlike the classic version, the New Outlook doesn’t use the traditional “Mail (Microsoft Outlook)” control panel for managing profiles. Instead, it relies on Microsoft 365 cloud profiles, and you can manage accounts within the app i.e. In the new Outlook, Microsoft has removed profile-based email management in favor of multiple accounts in a single interface.
- Open the New Outlook.
- Click on the Settings icon on the top right.
- Go to Accounts, and then use Add account.
- Once done, you can choose to remove the old account.
Check if you still face the issue, and add the old account again.
Read: Fix Outlook crashes when creating a new profile
Resetting Outlook by clearing local settings can effectively resolve various issues but should be cautiously approached due to the risk of data loss. Always back up essential data before proceeding, and consider consulting official Microsoft support resources for guidance.
Will resetting Outlook affect my email rules, signatures, or add-ins?
Resetting Outlook clears local settings, which means any custom email rules, signatures, and installed add-ins may be lost. You may need to reconfigure them manually after the reset. Make sure to backup emails before proceeding with a reset.
Will I lose my emails if I reset Outlook?
Resetting Outlook clears local settings and removes unsaved data, but your emails are not permanently lost if they are stored on a mail server (such as Microsoft Exchange, IMAP, or Office 365). Once you restart Outlook, it will sync and redownload emails from the server.
