Outlook 2011 - Cannot cancel large synch operation, cannot remove and start anew

Question

I have installed the native Microsoft Outlook for Mac 2011 client on my MBP and it's been running fine for 6 months.

Two weeks ago, I moved all emails to a subfolder I created with the name "archive."

Since then, Microsoft Outlook is stuck in a perpetual synch state. (Synching with Exchange Server)

I want to undo this but cannot.

I tried removing the app and the data directories, but upon reinstalling the old data was still intact.

If there is no way to cancel, I would like to at least (a) fully uninstall following the steps outlined on the Microsoft support site, and (b) put up with the large first time download (synchronization) of messages.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Have you tried to rebuild the database and/or setup a new identity to 'try again'?

The first, rebuilding the database, is quite easy:

1. Make sure Outlook is not running
2. Hold the option (alt) key
3. Open Outlook 2011
4. Select your default profile, presumably Main Identity and select the [Rebuild] option
5. Wait... This could take a while.

The second option, creating a new identity is done in nearly the same way as the previous steps. Instead of selecting [Rebuild], select the plus sign [+]. This will allow you to create a new, second identity. Once configured, it'll get the state as known and persisted by the Exchange server itself.

As a second note: Normally, even with very large quantities of 'changes' in an Exchange account the sync should still be pretty reliable. Before trying again, have you looked into updating all latest servicepacks and updates through Help > Check for updates? There are lots of changes in the last month and several patches to improve sync as well as stability have been released by Microsoft to prevent problems you're experiencing.