{"id":2514,"date":"2026-04-01T21:37:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T16:07:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/?p=2514"},"modified":"2026-04-01T21:37:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T16:07:41","slug":"fix-msoutlook-operation-failed-object-not-found","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/help\/outlook\/fix-msoutlook-operation-failed-object-not-found.html","title":{"rendered":"Fix: Outlook \u201cOperation Failed \u2013 Object Not Found\u201d When Sending Email"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>TL;DR:<\/strong> This error usually means Outlook can\u2019t locate the item you\u2019re trying to send\u2014often due to a stuck message in the Outbox or profile corruption. Jump to Solution 1 to clear the Outbox.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019ve composed an email, clicked \u201cSend,\u201d and instead of the satisfying swoosh, Outlook throws a cryptic error:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cThe operation failed. An object could not be found.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This message can appear when sending, replying, or forwarding. It indicates that Outlook is trying to reference an item (email, attachment, or folder) that no longer exists or is inaccessible. The problem is frustrating, but it\u2019s almost always fixable with the right steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\ud83d\udccc Note:<\/strong> This error typically affects the <strong>Classic Outlook<\/strong> desktop application. If you are using the <strong>\u201cNew Outlook\u201d<\/strong> (web\u2011based) version, the architecture handles objects differently. For New Outlook, try clearing your browser cache or checking your internet connection first.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Causes \u201c<strong>Operation Failed \u2013 Object Not Found<\/strong>\u201d?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Corrupt stuck message in the Outbox<\/strong> \u2013 The most common cause.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Corrupted Outlook profile<\/strong> \u2013 Profile corruption can break message references.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Add\u2011in interference<\/strong> \u2013 Some add\u2011ins attempt to access objects that aren\u2019t available.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Corrupted PST file<\/strong> \u2013 If using a POP account, the PST may have internal errors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Missing folder or item<\/strong> \u2013 The target folder (e.g., Sent Items) may be corrupted or deleted.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Outdated Outlook or Office installation<\/strong> \u2013 Bugs in older versions can trigger this.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to Fix \u201cOperation Failed \u2013 Object Not Found\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Work through these solutions in order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Clear the Outbox<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A stuck or corrupted message in the Outbox is the leading cause of this error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In Outlook, go to the <strong>Outbox<\/strong> folder.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Look for any messages that remain unsent.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Delete<\/strong> them (or move them to Drafts if you need to keep the content).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Compose a new test email and try sending again.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\ud83d\udca1 Pro Tip:<\/strong> If the Outbox appears empty but the error persists, switch to <strong>Work Offline<\/strong> (Send\/Receive tab \u2192 Work Offline), restart Outlook, then go back online. This often forces a refresh and can dislodge hidden stuck messages.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Check Your Sent Items Folder (Online)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re using a <strong>Microsoft 365 (Exchange)<\/strong> account, the object might be missing server\u2011side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Log in to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/Outlook.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Outlook.com<\/a><\/strong> or your organization\u2019s webmail.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Check your <strong>Sent Items<\/strong> folder. If the email you tried to send is there, the problem is local to your Outlook app.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If the sent item is also missing online, it may be a server\u2011side issue\u2014contact your IT admin.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Run Outlook in Safe Mode &amp; Disable Add\u2011ins<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A faulty add\u2011in can try to reference an object that isn\u2019t available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Press <strong>Windows Key + R<\/strong>, type <code>outlook.exe \/safe<\/code>, and press <strong>Enter<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If the error stops in Safe Mode, the issue is an add\u2011in.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go to <strong>File<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Options<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Add\u2011ins<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>At the bottom, select <strong>COM Add\u2011ins<\/strong> and click <strong>Go<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Disable all add\u2011ins, restart Outlook normally, and test. Re\u2011enable them one by one to find the culprit.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Use SCANPST to Repair the PST File<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re using a POP account, corruption in the PST file can cause this error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Close Outlook.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Locate <code>SCANPST.EXE<\/code> \u2013 search your <code>C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Office\\root\\OfficeXX\\<\/code> folder (the \u201cXX\u201d varies by version).<br><em>Quick cheat code:<\/em> Search for \u201cSCANPST\u201d in Windows search and select the one that matches your Office version.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Run it and browse to your PST file (find its location in <strong>Control Panel<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Mail<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Data Files<\/strong>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click <strong>Start<\/strong>, then <strong>Repair<\/strong> if errors are found.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Run the repair multiple times until no errors remain.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u23f3 Note:<\/strong> For large PSTs, SCANPST may appear frozen. Do not cancel\u2014let it finish. Forcing a shutdown mid\u2011repair can cause more corruption.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Repair the Outlook Profile<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Profile corruption can break the link between Outlook and your data files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Close Outlook.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open <strong>Control Panel<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Mail (Microsoft Outlook)<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Show Profiles<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select your profile and click <strong>Properties<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Data Files<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ensure the correct PST is listed. If not, add it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alternatively, create a <strong>new profile<\/strong>:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Click <strong>Add<\/strong>, give it a name, and set up your email account.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Under \u201cWhen starting Microsoft Outlook,\u201d select <strong>Prompt for a profile<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open Outlook with the new profile and test sending.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Repair Office Installation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Corrupt Office files can cause unexpected object errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to <strong>Settings<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Apps<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Installed apps<\/strong> (or <strong>Programs and Features<\/strong> in Control Panel).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Find <strong>Microsoft 365<\/strong> or <strong>Microsoft Office<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click <strong>Modify<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Quick Repair<\/strong> (or <strong>Online Repair<\/strong> for a deeper fix).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Restart your computer after the repair completes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Check for Windows &amp; Office Updates<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Outdated software may contain bugs that trigger this error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Windows Update:<\/strong> <strong>Settings<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Windows Update<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Check for updates<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Office Update:<\/strong> In Outlook, go to <strong>File<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Office Account<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Update Options<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Update Now<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. Use the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SaRA can automatically diagnose and fix profile and PST issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/aka.ms\/SaRA-Outlook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Download the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant<\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Run the tool and select <strong>Outlook<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Outlook data file (PST) has issues<\/strong> or <strong>Outlook is slow or freezes<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Follow the prompts. SaRA will attempt to repair or isolate the problem.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. Create a New Email Profile (Alternative Method)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If all else fails, a fresh email account configuration can resolve deep corruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In <strong>Control Panel<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Mail<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Show Profiles<\/strong>, add a new profile.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Set up your email account from scratch.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you need to access old emails, import the PST from your old profile using <strong>File<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Open &amp; Export<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Import\/Export<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Related Reading from Mukunda Software<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Explore our other Outlook troubleshooting guides for comprehensive help:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/help\/outlook\/fix-outlook-not-sending-receiving-emails.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fix: Outlook Cannot Send\/Receive at All<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/help\/outlook\/fix-msoutlook-error-0x8004210a-pop-server-timeout.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fix: Outlook Error 0x8004210A \u2013 POP Server Timeout<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/help\/outlook\/fix-outlook-error-0x80042109-smtp-connection-failure.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fix: Outlook Error 0x80042109 \u2013 SMTP Connection Failure<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/help\/outlook\/outlook-stuck-disconnected-working-offline-fix.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fix: Outlook Stuck in Disconnected Mode<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/help\/outlook\/fix-required-authentication-broker-missing-outlook.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fix: Required Authentication Broker Missing<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TL;DR: This error usually means Outlook can\u2019t locate the item you\u2019re trying to send\u2014often due to a stuck message in the Outbox or profile corruption. Jump to Solution 1 to clear the Outbox. You\u2019ve composed an email, clicked \u201cSend,\u201d and instead of the satisfying swoosh, Outlook throws a cryptic error: \u201cThe operation failed. An object &#8230; <a title=\"Fix: Outlook \u201cOperation Failed \u2013 Object Not Found\u201d When Sending Email\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/help\/outlook\/fix-msoutlook-operation-failed-object-not-found.html\" aria-label=\"Read more about Fix: Outlook \u201cOperation Failed \u2013 Object Not Found\u201d When Sending Email\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2516,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[202,200,201,203],"class_list":["post-2514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-outlook","tag-microsoft-and-outlook","tag-microsoft-out-look","tag-ms-outlook","tag-msoutlook"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2514"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2517,"href":"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514\/revisions\/2517"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mukundasoftware.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}