Do you hate the new Outlook for Windows? An annoying bug causes the classic version to crash at launch, but Microsoft has issued a workaround

What you need to know

  • Microsoft 365 users have flagged an annoying bug causing the classic Outlook app to crash at launch.
  • The company acknowledged the issue caused by corrupted server-based rules for the M365 email account.
  • While Microsoft works on a fix, it recommends deleting email rules linked to the affected accounts as a temporary workaround.

As a tech enthusiast with over two decades of experience under my belt, I’ve seen more than my fair share of software glitches and bugs. The current issue affecting Microsoft 365 users, causing classic Outlook to crash at launch, is yet another addition to that list. However, it seems Microsoft has identified the problem – corrupted server-based rules for M365 email accounts.


For the last couple of days, multiple Microsoft 365 subscribers have reported an issue with the traditional Outlook application, which keeps crashing upon launch. Even trying to open it in Safe Mode results in the same predicament.

Microsoft has admitted to the problem and provided a temporary solution while they develop a permanent one to fully address it. This situation can be described using the following points:

To verify if this problem persists, you can check the Application Log in the Windows Event Viewer for either Crash Event 1000 or Event 1001. Pay attention to the subsequent event specifics that are provided:

1620625936954482602 Fault Report, Type 4

According to Microsoft: 

Upon upgrading to Outlook Version 2407 Build 17830.24138 or later, you might encounter an issue where the program closes unintentionally during startup. Additionally, Outlook will shut down if you test it in Safe Mode.

Microsoft has pinpointed the problem as being with corrupted server-side rules for the Microsoft 365 email account, which is causing Outlook to fail in processing them. As they are currently working on a long-term solution, they advise users to temporarily resolve this issue by manually deleting any email rules connected to the affected accounts as a stopgap measure.

How to delete Outlook’s email rules manually

  1. Close the classic Outlook app, right-click the Start button, select Run, and enter the Outlook.exe /cleanrules command line in the Run box to remove the client and server rules.
  2. Press the Shift key when launching the app to create a new profile, if necessary.
  3. If the issue persists, head to Outlook Web Access and manually remove all the email rules.

It’s worth mentioning that the widely distributed version of Outlook for Windows has been met with a range of reactions, but many users have openly expressed their dislike for it. Instead, they seem to favor the default Mail & Calendar apps found on Windows 10 and 11.

Users have pointed out various obstacles stopping them from switching to the fresh Outlook app, such as missing features, inconsistencies in design, slow performance, among other things. According to Windows Central Senior Editor Zac Bowden, the new Outlook app is not yet fit for widespread use, and Microsoft still needs to put in considerable effort.

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2024-08-19 19:39