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GaryGoGoGo's avatar
GaryGoGoGo
Copper Contributor
Jul 17, 2026

Outlook icon in taskbar can start two outlook.exe processes

When the startup icon for Outlook Classic is pinned to the taskbar (laptop, Windows 11), a double-click can start two Outlook processes. I have been unable to convince my lovely wife that a taskbar icon should be clicked only once, but her trigger finger is too itchy. So we unpinned the icon from her taskbar and now she starts Outlook from a desktop shortcut (which is double-clicked).

The problem:

When Outlook is not running and the taskbar icon is clicked, it begins to start Outlook. But if the user double-clicks very quickly, the first process is not yet exposed and a second process starts. The window opens for the first process, and no window opens for the second process. Then, when the Outlook window is closed, it only exits the first process, and the second process is still active with no window. Later, the user clicks the taskbar icon to start Outlook again (because no window is visible), but no window will open (because a process is already active). The workaround is to open task manager and kill the bogus process (or logout or reboot), but my lovely wife doesn't know what the task manager is, so she asks me. Which is fine, I am happy to be my wife's workaround, but the real problem is that Windows is starting two Outlook processes.

In some cases this causes problems with IMAP synchronization, and then my wife doesn't realize that a sent email is stuck in the outbox forever, waiting for a sync that never happens. In fact, my wife is a pretty capable Outlook user, but not when Windows can't manage M365 applications that should not be running twice.

1 Reply

  • lyverasolen's avatar
    lyverasolen
    Iron Contributor

    This sounds like Outlook is launching a second background process before the first one actually finishes opening. You could try clicking the icon in the taskbar once or launch Outlook from the desktop icon. I would also check is a new patch available from Office as this sounds like a bug.