How to Enable or Turn Off Outlook: A Step-by-Step Guide

This guide explains how to enable or disable Microsoft Outlook on Windows and Mac, whether you want to turn off email notifications, stop the app from launching at startup, or completely disable the Outlook add-in or account. You’ll learn the exact steps to control Outlook’s behavior, along with common pitfalls and fixes.

What You’ll Need

• Access to your Windows or Mac computer with Outlook installed.
• Administrator rights (for some changes, like disabling add-ins or modifying startup settings).
• Your Microsoft account or work/school account credentials if you need to re-enable an account.

Step-by-Step

Turning Off Outlook Notifications

1. Open Outlook on your computer.
2. Click on File in the top-left corner (Windows) or Outlook in the menu bar (Mac).
3. Select Options (Windows) or Preferences (Mac).
4. In the Options window, go to Mail (Windows) or Notifications (Mac).
5. Uncheck the boxes for Display a Desktop Alert, Play a Sound, and Show an Envelope Icon in the taskbar (Windows) or adjust the notification style to None (Mac).
6. Click OK to save changes.

Disabling Outlook from Starting Automatically

1. Open Outlook and go to File > Options (Windows) or Outlook > Preferences (Mac).
2. Select General.
3. Under Startup options (Windows) or General (Mac), uncheck Start Outlook automatically when Windows starts (or Open Outlook when you log in on Mac).
4. Click OK to apply.

Disabling an Outlook Add-in

1. In Outlook, click File > Options (Windows) or Outlook > Preferences (Mac).
2. Select Add-ins (Windows) or Add-ins in the preferences window (Mac).
3. At the bottom of the window, find the Manage drop-down, choose COM Add-ins (Windows) or Add-ins (Mac), and click Go.
4. Uncheck the add-in you want to disable, then click OK.
5. Restart Outlook for the change to take effect.

Turning Off an Email Account (Without Deleting It)

1. Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings (Windows) or Outlook > Preferences > Accounts (Mac).
2. Select the email account you want to disable.
3. Click Change (Windows) or the gear icon (Mac).
4. Uncheck Use this account to send and receive mail (Windows) or set the account to Offline (Mac).
5. Click Next and then Finish (Windows) or Done (Mac).

Completely Closing Outlook (Quitting)

1. Click the X in the top-right corner of the Outlook window (Windows) or press Cmd+Q (Mac).
2. If Outlook keeps running in the background, right-click the Outlook icon in the system tray (Windows) and select Exit.
3. On Mac, right-click the Outlook icon in the Dock and choose Quit.

Common Mistakes

• Only closing the window: On Windows, clicking the X doesn’t fully quit Outlook; it still runs in the background. Use Exit from the system tray.
• Disabling the wrong add-in: Some add-ins are required for Outlook to function correctly. Only disable those you recognize.
• Turning off notifications but still seeing alerts: You may need to also disable notifications in Windows Settings (Settings > System > Notifications > Outlook).
• Unchecking “Start automatically” but Outlook still starts: Check Task Manager (Windows) or System Preferences > Users & Groups (Mac) for a separate startup entry.

Tips

• To quickly mute all sounds, use the Mute option in the notification area (Windows) or set the sound to None in Preferences (Mac).
• If you disable an add-in and later find a feature missing, re-enable it the same way.
• For a temporary break from email, use Work Offline mode (File > Work Offline) instead of disabling the account.
• Keep your Outlook version updated; the exact menu names may vary slightly between versions.

Troubleshooting

Outlook still starts automatically after disabling it

Check Windows Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) > Startup tab. Find Outlook and disable it there. On Mac, go to System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items and remove Outlook.

Notifications still appear after turning them off

Go to Windows Settings > System > Notifications & actions and turn off notifications for Outlook. On Mac, check System Preferences > Notifications and select Outlook, then set the alert style to None.

Add-in won’t disable

Some add-ins are managed by your IT department. If the checkbox is greyed out, contact your administrator. Also, try running Outlook as administrator (right-click icon > Run as administrator) and then disable the add-in.

Account still receives mail after disabling

If you unchecked “Use this account to send and receive mail” but mail still arrives, the account may be configured on another device (like your phone) or the change hasn’t synced. Wait a few minutes and restart Outlook.

Outlook won’t quit on Windows

Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager, find Outlook under Processes, right-click and select End task. This force-quits the app.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does disabling Outlook stop email delivery?

No. Disabling the app or turning off notifications only stops Outlook from showing new emails. Your email server still receives messages, and they will appear when you reopen Outlook.

What’s the difference between disabling an account and deleting it?

Disabling an account keeps its settings and data on your computer, but stops it from syncing. Deleting removes the account configuration and all locally cached emails.

Can I turn off Outlook on my phone?

Yes, on your phone you can disable notifications in the Outlook app settings, or remove the account from the app. This does not affect your desktop Outlook.

Will disabling an add-in improve performance?

Often yes. Add-ins consume memory and CPU. Disabling unused ones can speed up Outlook and reduce crashes.

How do I re-enable Outlook after turning it off?

Simply open Outlook again from the Start menu (Windows) or Applications folder (Mac). If you disabled an account, go to Account Settings and re-check the “Use this account” box.

Why does Outlook keep asking for my password after I disabled it?

This usually happens if the account is still set to sync in the background. Make sure you’ve disabled the account completely, not just turned off notifications, and restart your computer.

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