Cannot display the folder Outlook cannot open this item the item may be damaged

Summary: In this blog, we will discuss the Microsoft Outlook error, 'Sorry, we're having trouble opening this item. This could be temporary, but if you see it again, you might want to restart Outlook' which prevents users from accessing or viewing their mail items. We have discussed a few solutions and workarounds to help you troubleshoot and fix this issue with the help of built-in Microsoft tools and Outlook options. You may also consider an OST converter tool to extract and retrieve your mail items from the Outlook data file (.OST).

Contents

• Reasons for ‘Sorry, we’re having trouble opening this item….’ Error
• Solutions to Fix ‘Sorry, we’re having trouble opening this item….’ Error
  • Solution 1: Restart Computer
  • Solution 2: Remove RoamCache Folder
  • Solution 3: Check Internet Connection
  • Solution 4: Reset Outlook View Settings
  • Solution 5: Create New Outlook Profile
  • Solution 6: Find and Remove Incompatible or Faulty Add-Ins
  • Solution 7: Rebuild Outlook Data File
• Conclusion

Microsoft Outlook may sometimes display the following error when a user tries to open a mail item or read their emails,

‘Sorry, we’re having trouble opening this item. This could be temporary, but if you see it again, you might want to restart Outlook’

In such a case, some emails and other mail items won’t show up in the viewing pane when you open them. Instead, an error message is displayed asking you to restart Outlook.

Reasons for ‘Sorry, we’re having trouble opening this item….’ Error

The error message indicates issues with your Outlook profile caused by a problem with your Outlook data file, i.e., OST or Offline Storage Table that stores all the mail items. However, the error may also occur due to the following errors,

• Corrupt Outlook profile
• Incompatible or faulty add-ins
• Outdated Outlook client
• Problem with the internet access
• Synchronization issues
• Incorrect view settings

Solutions to Fix ‘Sorry, we’re having trouble opening this item….’ Error

Sometimes the error goes away by itself once you restart Outlook. However, if you see this error again after restarting Outlook and can’t access or view your emails, follow the solutions discussed below to resolve this issue.

These solutions may help you troubleshoot and fix ‘Sorry, we’re having trouble opening this item. This could be temporary, but if you see it again, you might want to restart Outlook’ errors in MS Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, and 2010.

Solution 1: Restart Computer

If restarting Outlook doesn’t fix the error, try restarting the system and then open Outlook. 

Solution 2: Remove RoamCache Folder

RoamCache folder is an extracted cache of properties stored within the mailbox to improve Outlook performance. Clearing this folder will force Outlook to rebuild it again with a fresh cache to resolve the error. The steps are as follow,

• Press WIndows+R, type %localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook, and click ‘OK‘ or press Enter.
• Open the RoamCache folder and delete everything.

• Restart Outlook and wait for a few seconds. Then try opening the mail items that you want to view.

Solution 3: Check Internet Connection

Although Outlook allows Exchange and Office 365 users to access, view, and draft emails even when the system is offline, it still needs to download new emails before you can preview them. If the internet connection is slow or unreliable at your location, you may encounter issues while opening or viewing the mail items in Outlook.

It is recommended to ensure a stable internet connection and wait for the synchronization to finish before accessing the mail items. You can see the synchronization status at the bottom of the Outlook window. If it says all folders are up to date, it indicates synchronization is finished, and Outlook has downloaded a new mail item, which now can be previewed without any error.

Synchronization occurs automatically once your system connects to the internet or mail server. However, you may also manually synchronize and update all mail folders by clicking the ‘Update Folder‘ option under the ‘Send/Receive‘ tab in Outlook.

After updating the mail folders, click on the email you want to view. If you still encounter the error, follow the next solution.

Solution 4: Reset Outlook View Settings

Sometimes Outlook view settings may also lead to the “Sorry we’re having trouble opening this item Outlook” error. You can reset Outlook’s view settings to resolve this error. The steps are as follow,

• Press Windows + R, type Outlook.exe  /cleanviews in the Run window, and click ‘OK‘ or press the ‘Enter’ key.

• This will clean the view settings.
• Again press Windows + R, type Outlook.exe  /resetnavpane, and click OK or press the ‘Enter’ key.
• This will reset the navigation pane.
• Finally, restart the system and then open Outlook normally. Check if you can now view the email and error is resolved.

Solution 5: Create New Outlook Profile

Sometimes, a corrupt or damaged Outlook profile can prevent you from performing certain tasks and lead to such errors. In such a case, you can try repairing the profile or create a new Outlook profile by following these steps,

To repair a corrupt profile,

• Open Control Panel and click on the Mail option.
• Click on the Email Accounts option and then click the Email tab.
• Select your email account from the list and click on Repair.

• Follow the wizard and click on the Finish button.
• Finally, restart Outlook and check if the error is resolved. If not, try creating a new Outlook profile.

To create a new profile,

• Open Control Panel and click on the Mail option.
• Click ‘Add’, enter your new profile name, and click ‘OK.’

• Now set up your new profile and select this new profile as the default profiles
• Restart Outlook for changes to take effect.  

Solution 6: Find and Remove Incompatible or Faulty Add-Ins

Sometimes faulty, damaged, or incompatible add-ins that you may have installed can lead to Outlook issues and prevent it from synchronizing or accessing the mail items from the Outlook data file. To find and remove such add-ins, you can restart Outlook in Safe Mode and disable or remove all the Add-Ins.

After disabling the add-ins, restart Outlook normally and check if you can now view your mail items without encountering the error message. However, if you still encounter the same error message, follow the next solution.

Solution 7: Rebuild Outlook Data File

If the above solutions do not work for you, try recreating the OST file. It’s possible that the problem lies in your Outlook data file, i.e., OST, preventing you from accessing, reading, and viewing your mail items. To recreate or rebuild an OST file, follow these steps,

• Open Outlook and right-click on your user name (email ID) in the left pane and choose ‘Open File Location….’ This will open the File Explorer window showing the default OST file.
• Close Outlook and copy the OST file to another location for backup.
• After OST backup, delete the default OST file and open the Outlook.

• This will recreate a new OST file and synchronize all mail items. This may take a while to finish.
• After all the folders are up to date, try opening the emails you could not view earlier.

This should resolve the issue. However, you may find some missing items, which you can extract from your backup OST file using an OST Converter tool.

Conclusion

This blog outlined the reasons that may lead to the “Sorry, we’re having trouble opening this item. This could be temporary, but if you see it again, you might want to restart Outlook” error. We have discussed some solutions to help you troubleshoot and fix the error. However, if the error isn’t resolved, use Stellar Converter for OST to extract and save the mail items to an Outlook importable PST format. Once the mail items are saved in PST, you can open the PST or import it in a new Outlook profile to restore them and view them without encountering the error.

About The Author

Ravi Singh

Ravi Singh is a Senior Writer at Stellar®. He is an expert Tech Explainer, IoT enthusiast, and a passionate nerd with over 6 years of experience in technical writing. He writes about Data Recovery, File Repair, Email Migration, Linux, Windows, Mac, and DIY Tech. Ravi spends most of his weekends working with IoT devices and playing games on the Xbox. He is also a solo traveler who loves hiking and exploring new trails.

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