Seeing “Trying to connect…” in Outlook’s status bar for hours? Here’s how to get connected.

Why Outlook Gets Stuck

• Authentication cache corrupted
• Profile corruption
• Network issues
• Server-side problems
• Add-in conflicts
• Windows Credential issues

Quick Fixes

Fix 1: Toggle Work Offline

1. Go to Send/Receive tab
2. Click Work Offline
3. Wait 5 seconds
4. Click Work Offline again
5. Check connection status

Fix 2: Force Reconnect

1. Click Send/Receive tab
2. Click Send/Receive All Folders
3. Or press F9

Fix 3: Restart Outlook

1. File > Exit (don’t just close)
2. Open Task Manager
3. End any OUTLOOK.EXE processes
4. Wait 30 seconds
5. Reopen Outlook

Clear Authentication Cache

This is the most common fix:

Method 1: Windows Credentials

1. Close Outlook
2. Control Panel > Credential Manager
3. Click Windows Credentials
4. Find entries containing “Microsoft” or “Outlook”
5. Click each > Remove
6. Reopen Outlook (will prompt for login)

Method 2: Clear OneAuth Folder

1. Close Outlook and all Office apps
2. Press Windows + R
3. Type %localappdata%\Microsoft
4. Rename or delete:
   • OneAuth folder
   • IdentityCache folder
5. Reopen Outlook

Profile Fixes

Repair Profile

1. File > Account Settings > Account Settings
2. Select your account
3. Click Repair
4. Follow prompts

Create New Profile

If repair fails:

1. Close Outlook
2. Search “Mail” in Windows
3. Open Mail (Outlook) settings
4. Click Show Profiles
5. Click Add
6. Create new profile, add account
7. Set as default
8. Delete old profile if new one works

Safe Mode Troubleshooting

Start Outlook in Safe Mode

1. Close Outlook
2. Hold Ctrl and click Outlook icon
3. Click Yes for Safe Mode
4. If it connects, add-ins are the problem

Disable Add-ins

1. File > Options > Add-ins
2. Manage: COM Add-ins > Go
3. Uncheck all
4. OK and restart normally
5. Enable add-ins one by one

Network Fixes

Check Internet

1. Open browser, visit any website
2. Try webmail (outlook.com or your provider)
3. If no internet, fix connection first

Disable VPN/Proxy

1. Disconnect any VPN
2. Settings > Network > Proxy
3. Ensure “Use proxy server” is Off
4. Try Outlook

Check Firewall

1. Temporarily disable Windows Firewall
2. Try Outlook
3. If works, add Outlook exception
4. Re-enable firewall

Server Status

Check Microsoft 365 Status

1. Visit status.office.com
2. Look for Outlook/Exchange issues
3. If outage, wait for Microsoft

Try Webmail

1. Go to outlook.office365.com
2. Sign in with your account
3. If webmail works, issue is local
4. If webmail fails, server issue

Update Fixes

Update Office

1. Open any Office app
2. File > Account
3. Update Options > Update Now
4. Restart after updating

Repair Office

1. Settings > Apps > Microsoft 365
2. Click Modify
3. Try Quick Repair first
4. If not fixed, try Online Repair

Advanced Fixes

Delete OST File (Exchange/365)

Warning: Deletes local email cache - will re-download from server.

1. Close Outlook
2. Press Windows + R
3. Type %localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook
4. Find .ost file matching your account
5. Rename or delete it
6. Reopen Outlook - will recreate

Registry Fix

1. Close Outlook
2. Open Registry Editor (regedit)
3. Navigate to:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\AutoDiscover

4. Create DWORD: ExcludeScpLookup = 1
5. Restart Outlook

Reset Internet Options

1. Search “Internet Options”
2. Advanced tab
3. Click Reset (or Restore advanced settings)
4. OK and restart Outlook

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Prevention

1. Keep Office updated
2. Don’t use many add-ins
3. Clear credentials periodically
4. Maintain good internet connection

Dallas-Fort Worth Outlook Repair

We fix Outlook issues throughout DFW including Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Irving, Arlington, Richardson, and all surrounding areas. Need help with WiFi or network issues too? We handle that.