Many users and organizations use Outlook in Office 365 to access mailboxes on their systems, read, compose, and send email. However, sometimes if your Outlook profile becomes corrupted, Outlook repeatedly asks for your password, isn't syncing properly, or simply feels slow, creating a new profile can often fix the problem. This step is a little tricky, but once done, it becomes easy.
The new profile removes the corrupt settings without affecting your email stored in Office 365, allowing you to access your data again.
Step 1: Delete the old Outlook profile
Before following below, make sure Outlook is completely closed. Also, check the taskbar to make sure it's not running in the background.
- Now, open the Control Panel from the Windows Start menu.
- In the search bar at the top right, type "Mail" and click Mail (Microsoft Outlook).
- When the Mail Setup window opens, click "Show Profiles". You'll see your existing Outlook profiles listed there.
- Select the profile you want to delete and click "Remove".
- Confirm by clicking "Yes". It only deletes local cached data on your computer. Your emails and data stored in Office 365 remain completely safe.
- Click OK to close the window.
Step 2: Clear Outlook Cache Files
Sometimes Outlook issues are caused by cached authentication files. Clearing them allows you to start completely fresh.
- Press Windows Key + R to open the Run box.
- Type: %localappdata%\Microsoft\
- Press Enter.
- Find and delete the folder named OneAuth and IdentityCache.
- Open Run again and type: %localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook
- Press Enter.
- Delete the folder named RoamCache.
Once you have complete above steps, restart your computer. This step is important to restart your pc/ system so that it refreshes system processes and clears any remaining memory cache.
Step 3: Create a new Outlook profile
- After your PC restarts, go back to Control Panel > Mail.
- Click Show Profiles, then click Add.
- Enter a name for the new profile. You can give it a simple name like NewProfile.
- Click OK.
- At this stage, don't add the email account yet. Just create the profile and close the window.
- Now open Outlook.
- It will launch using the new profile.
- Enter your Office 365 email address and click Connect.
- If you encounter any errors, close Outlook and reopen it.
- This time, select Let me set up my account manually, then click Next.
- Select Office 365 and log in with your credentials.
- Follow the on-screen instructions until setup is complete.
That's it. If you followed all the steps correctly, your new Outlook profile will be in front of you.
Final Word
One of the most effective ways to fix login errors, sync issues, or performance problems in Office 365 is to create a new Outlook profile. This doesn't delete your online mailbox, and in most cases, it quickly fixes the issue. If Outlook is giving you trouble, it's a good idea to try this method before moving on to more advanced troubleshooting steps.
