Microsoft Outlook Users Face Crashes When Creating New Emails, Temp Fix Issued

Enterprise users of classic Microsoft Outlook are experiencing application crashes when attempting to create or open new emails, according to a technical advisory released by Microsoft today.

The issue, which primarily affects virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environments, has been escalated for investigation by Microsoft’s technical support team.

The problem is specifically affecting users of the classic Outlook client on the Monthly Enterprise Channel, beginning with Version 2504 (Build 18730.20122). When users attempt to start a new email, the application crashes unexpectedly. Microsoft has determined that the root cause relates to Outlook’s inability to access the Forms Library.

“This is creating significant workflow disruptions for enterprise customers who rely on Outlook for critical business communications,” said Alan Richardson, IT Systems Administrator at Global Financial Services. “Many of our departments are reporting lost productivity as employees struggle with this unexpected behavior.”

The timing of this issue is particularly challenging as many organizations have recently migrated to the affected version as part of regular update cycles.

Microsoft has acknowledged the severity of the issue and confirmed they have escalated it for priority investigation. The company has not yet provided an estimated timeline for a permanent fix.

“We understand the impact this is having on our enterprise customers and have dedicated engineering resources to resolving this as quickly as possible,” a Microsoft spokesperson stated. “Our team is working around the clock to identify the root cause and develop a solution.”

Temporary Workaround Available

While waiting for an official fix, Microsoft has offered a manual workaround that appears to resolve the issue for most affected users. The workaround involves creating a missing folder that Outlook expects to find when launching the email composition function.

To implement the workaround, users need to:

1. Close Outlook and all other Office applications
2. Navigate to the Microsoft folder in their local AppData directory by entering “%localappdata%Microsoft” in the Run dialog
3. Create a new folder named “FORMS2” in this location

After creating this folder, users should be able to compose new emails without experiencing crashes.

Microsoft noted that the issue is predominantly emerging in virtual desktop infrastructure implementations, suggesting that traditional desktop installations may be less susceptible to the problem.

IT administrators are advised to communicate the workaround to affected users while Microsoft continues its investigation. The company has promised to provide updates as more information becomes available.

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