Classic Outlook · Profile rebuild
Recreate your Outlook profile without losing your emails
A corrupted profile is behind a huge share of Outlook faults, and a fresh one usually fixes them. The reassuring bit: for Microsoft 365, Exchange and IMAP accounts your email lives on the server, so a new profile simply re-downloads everything - nothing is lost. Here's the safe way to do it, with the one exception (POP) to watch out for. Rated 4.9 on Google.
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The short answer
Will I lose email if I recreate my Outlook profile?
For the accounts most people have - Microsoft 365, Exchange, or IMAP (including Gmail and Outlook.com) - the answer is no. Your messages, folders, contacts and calendar all live on the mail server. A profile is just Outlook's local settings for connecting to it, so when you create a fresh profile and add your account back, Outlook re-downloads everything from the server. You end up with the same mailbox, minus the corruption that was causing trouble.
There is one important exception: POP accounts. A POP account often pulls mail down and removes it from the server, which means the copy on your PC - the .pst file - can be the only copy in existence. If you have a POP account, you must back up that .pst file first. If you're not sure which type you have, check under File > Account Settings, or let us look before anything changes.
Two things don't always carry across a new profile: your email signatures and any local rules. Note them down first so you can pop them back afterwards.
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Do these in order
How to create a new Outlook profile the safe way
You'll do this from the Windows Control Panel, not from inside Outlook. Close Outlook first.
- Check your account type and back up if POP. In Outlook open File > Account Settings > Account Settings and note whether each account is IMAP, Exchange/Microsoft 365 or POP. If any is POP, copy its .pst file (find its location on the Data Files tab) to a safe folder before going further.
- Note your signatures and rules. Open File > Options > Mail > Signatures and copy the text somewhere safe, and glance at your rules under File > Manage Rules & Alerts - these don't always transfer.
- Open Mail in Control Panel. Close Outlook. Open the Windows Control Panel (search for it in Start - not the Settings app), set view to large icons, and click Mail (Microsoft Outlook). Then click Show Profiles. If you don't see a Mail icon, open Outlook once and close it, then try again.
- Add a new profile. Click Add, give it a name like "Outlook2", and click OK.
- Add your account. Enter your name and email address. For a Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com account, a Microsoft sign-in window appears - sign in there (with your password and any two-factor prompt) rather than typing a password into the old box, because these accounts now use modern sign-in. For IMAP or POP you may need Manual setup to enter the server details. Outlook then connects and prepares to sync from the server.
- Set it as the default profile. Back on the Show Profiles screen, choose Always use this profile and pick your new one from the drop-down, then click OK.
- Open Outlook. Launch Outlook - it opens the new profile and downloads your mail from the server. If it asks you to finish signing in on first launch, do so. Once you're happy it's all there, re-add your signatures and rules.
Leave the old profile in place until you've confirmed everything is present in the new one - there's no rush to delete it.
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// GOOD QUESTIONS
Frequently asked
Does a new Outlook profile delete my emails?
For Microsoft 365, Exchange and IMAP accounts, no. Your mail lives on the server and a fresh profile simply re-downloads it. The only account type at risk is POP, where the .pst on your PC can be the only copy - so back that up first. When in doubt, check File > Account Settings for your account type.
How do I know if I have a POP account?
In Outlook go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings and look at the Type column for each account. If it says POP, treat the local .pst file as precious and copy it somewhere safe before making a new profile. IMAP, Exchange and Microsoft 365 accounts keep their mail on the server, so they're safe.
Why can't I just type my password when adding a Microsoft 365 account?
Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com now use modern authentication, so instead of a plain password box you get a Microsoft sign-in window - the same one you'd see on the web - where you enter your password and any two-factor code. The old Control Panel Mail applet can't set up these accounts with a typed password alone, so let the sign-in window appear and complete it there. IMAP and POP accounts still use the traditional server settings.
Will my signatures and rules come across to the new profile?
Not reliably. Email signatures and locally-stored rules are tied to the old profile and often don't carry over. Before you switch, copy your signature text from File > Options > Mail > Signatures and note your rules under Manage Rules & Alerts, so you can recreate them in the new profile in a couple of minutes.
Should I delete the old profile straight away?
No - keep it until you've confirmed everything is present in the new profile. Once your mail, folders, contacts and calendar have all synced down and you've re-added signatures and rules, you can remove the old profile from Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles if you wish.
Can you rebuild my Outlook profile for me?
Yes. Call 365 Techies on 01202 775566 and we'll do it remotely, safely, usually within minutes - and we'll check your account type first so nothing is ever at risk. You watch every step with Splashtop, we phone you first, and access ends as soon as it's done. We're Windows specialists in Bournemouth.
Rather not risk it yourself?
Call 365 Techies on 01202 775566 and we'll rebuild your Outlook profile remotely, safely, usually in minutes. You watch the whole time, we phone first, access ends when it's done.
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