What to Do If Outlook Crashes On Send/Receive?

outlook crash

If you have been using Outlook from many years, then you must have surely experienced the times when Outlook must have crashed. There are several scenarios when MS Outlook crashes, Send/Receive process being the most common one.

This blog will give an overview of the reasons due to which Outlook crashes amidst the Send/Receive process. In addition, the associate workarounds to avoid this have also been discussed.

Note: Make sure that you do not get confused Send/Receive errors with Outlook crashes.

Reasons & Workarounds for Outlook Crash While Send/Receive

In this section, we will enlist all the reasons due to which Outlook crashes at the time of Send/Receive. Moreover, we will discuss about the solution along with the reasons. Have a look.

  • Corrupt SRS File
  • Location of SRS File
  • Anti-Virus Integration with Outlook
  • Corrupted PST Files
  • Corrupt or Spam Message
  • Issues in the Profile

1. Corrupt SRS File

SRS file in Outlook, stores the entire Sens/Receive settings. Any corruption or issue in this SRS file leads to disruption in the normal Send/Receive functioning of Outlook.

Therefore, a corrupt SRS file is the major reason behind Outlook crash at the time of Send/Receive process.

Resolution:

In order to fix this issue, it is advised to rename the SRS file. This will change the Send/Receive settings. All you need to do is to rename the SRS file from 'profile-name'.srs to profile-name.old

Location of SRS File

The location of SRS file varies according to the Windows versions. The location of the file is:

  • In Windows XP
    • C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
  • In Windows Vista & Windows 7
    • C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook

For instance, if your profile name is Aria, the name of the SRS file will be aria.srs. You just need to rename it to aria.old. Renaming the SRS file will not make any changes to the existing data in your Outlook. It only resets the information that is used by Outlook while Send/Receive process.

2. Anti-Virus Integration With Outlook

Anti-virus software installed in the user machine integrates with Outlook and at times lead to Outlook crash during Send/Receive.

Resolution:

The only solution for avoiding Outlook crash is by disabling the integration of Outlook with the anti-virus. Simply, turning off the anti-virus will not disable its integration with Outlook.

It is advised to properly go through the documentation of the anti-virus and then disable its integration with Outlook.

3. Corrupted PST Files

A corrupt PST file is yet another reason for Outlook crash during Send/Receive operation is in process. If the PST file is somehow corrupted, then writing any new data in it can lead to Outlook crash.

If you are using Outlook 2002 or earlier version, then you are working in ANSI PST file, which has a size of 2 GB. If you are close to 1.8 GB, your Outlook will somehow crash.

Resolution:

In case your PST file is corrupted, run scanpst.exe utility on the PST file and repair it. The utility will remove all the damaged sections of the PST file and you will get a healthy PST file. If you are using ANSI PST file, upgrade to Outlook 2007 or above version.

4. Corrupt Or Spam Message

A corrupt or spam message often leads to Outlook crash at the time of downloading. In case the message residing on the server is corrupt, Outlook will immediately crash.

Resolution:

For avoiding this, login to your mailbox via web interface and see the messages that have to be downloaded. Usually the spam messages are corrupted and hence ultimately lead to Outlook crash.

Delete the message from the server and then click on Send/Receive. If the message was corrupted, Outlook will not crash.

5. Issues in the Profile

If your Outlook is still crashing, then it means that your profile has some issues.

Resolution:

If this is the reason, it is advised to recreate your Outlook profile.

Upshot

The resolutions discussed in the above section, will enable the users to save Outlook from crashing at the time of Send/Receive.