Windows 11’s latest update crashes classic Outlook and loses emails

Microsoft appears to have once again botched its latest Windows 11 update, which removes the classic Outlook app. Earlier this month, classic Outlook had trouble opening encrypted emails.

Now, Neowin reports that several users are claiming that the latest Windows 11 update (KB5074109) has made Outlook classic completely unusable. According to users in this Microsoft thread, Outlook classic started crashing randomly after the update and no longer saves emails.

However, uninstalling update KB5074109 appears to resolve the issues, as IT company Suncoast Information Systems confirmed in the same Microsoft support thread.

The problem does not appear to be with Outlook itself, but rather with the way Windows currently interacts with cloud data on OneDrive and other sources, such as Dropbox, according to Microsoft.

“For example, in some configurations of Outlook that store PST files on OneDrive, Outlook may become unresponsive and not reopen unless its process is terminated in Task Manager or the system is restarted,” Microsoft explains. “Also, sent emails may not appear in the Sent Items folder and previous downloads may be re-downloaded.”

If you’re still using classic Outlook and experiencing issues after the January Update for Windows 11, consider rolling back the Windows Update or switching to the new Outlook app. Otherwise, Microsoft is working on a fix.

Additional reporting by Mark Hachman