Microsoft has fixed a bug that caused Outlook (classic) to crash when opening emails or starting a new message. The solution to the problem is available in several ways, although users of older versions of classic Outlook will have to wait a little longer.
Microsoft has now fixed the problem. Fixes have already been rolled out for Current Channel Preview, Monthly Enterprise Channel, Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel, Outlook 2021, and Outlook 2024. For users of Outlook 2016 and 2019, non-security updates are scheduled for July 1 and 8, respectively.
The bug affected users who installed the latest update to Outlook from Microsoft 365 earlier this month. The problem arose because Outlook was unable to open the Forms Library. “Opening or starting a new email causes classic Outlook to crash,” the Outlook team acknowledged last week when the bug was explained. Virtual desktop infrastructure proved to be a common environment for the problem.
Temporary solution available
Users who are unable to install a fix can implement a temporary workaround themselves. This involves manually creating the missing FORMS2 folder at the location C:Users\AppDataLocalMicrosoftFORMS2.
The steps are as follows: close Outlook and other Office applications, then start Start > Run, type %localappdata%Microsoft, and accept the pop-up notification. In File Explorer, create a new folder called FORMS2. After restarting the app, everything should work properly again.
More recent fixes
The fixes come after a series of other Outlook issues that Microsoft has resolved in recent weeks. A service update was rolled out to prevent Outlook LTSC 2019 from crashing when opening emails from Viva Engage, Yammer, and Power Automate.
Microsoft regularly has to tinker with its own email client due to new problems. For example, there was a notable problem for users in Current and Beta channels at the end of last year. This involved mailbox folders flickering and moving when items were moved to the folders after updating to Outlook version 2505. The fix seemed to solve this problem at the time, but that was not the case for all users.
In addition, there was one instance where the classic Outlook client was completely inaccessible. Microsoft will eventually force this change, just as Windows 10 is on its way out. However, Microsoft is currently being lenient with a free year of extra updates until October 2026 if a backup is made. This means that the switch to both Outlook (new) and Windows 11 can still be prevented.