Microsoft Shares Fix for Outlook Freezing Issues Post Windows Update

Microsoft Offers Workaround for Outlook Freezes Caused by Windows Security Updates

Microsoft has shared a temporary workaround for customers experiencing Outlook freezes after installing the latest Windows security updates. The bug affects users with POP email accounts who have deployed the KB5074109 security update on Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 systems, causing the classic Outlook desktop client to hang.

Some of the symptoms reported by users include the inability to reopen Outlook without ending the process via Task Manager or restarting the device, Outlook redownloading emails, and emails not appearing in the Sent Items folder despite being sent.

In a recent update, Microsoft added on the Windows health dashboard that any app may “become unresponsive or experience unexpected errors when opening files from or saving files to cloud-backed storage, such as OneDrive or Dropbox.”

Microsoft explained that in certain configurations of Outlook that store PST files on OneDrive, the application might become unresponsive and fail to reopen unless its process is terminated in Task Manager or the system is restarted. Additionally, sent emails may not appear in the Sent Items folder, and previously downloaded emails might be downloaded again.

The issues also affect Windows 10 users and various Windows Server platforms, including Windows Server 2025, Windows Server 2022, and Windows Server 2019.

While Microsoft’s Windows and Outlook teams are investigating the problems, a timeline for a fix or workaround has not been provided. In the meantime, affected customers are advised to access their email accounts via webmail or to move their Outlook PST files out of OneDrive.

Users experiencing issues can also uninstall the KB5074109 or KB5073724 updates as a temporary workaround. This process involves navigating to the Settings app, going to Windows Update, selecting Update history, and clicking the “Uninstall” link next to the respective update entry.

However, Microsoft cautions that removing security updates may expose Windows devices to malware and other threats, as these updates typically patch security vulnerabilities targeted in cyber attacks.

Microsoft recently released emergency out-of-band updates for Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server to address credential prompt failures affecting remote connection applications and issues preventing devices with Secure Launch enabled from shutting down or entering hibernation.

On Patch Tuesday, Microsoft also resolved a known issue causing security applications to flag a core Windows component as vulnerable to memory corruption attacks.

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