Because the Office update has a habit of installing updates for Outlook, even if you are not using it, and then setting Outlook as the default email client, it's recommended that anyone not using Outlook uninstall it.
Outlook 2013 and newer cannot be uninstalled from the "Click to run" subscription of Office. Only volume licensees can uninstall Outlook 2013 from the Add and Remove applet in the Control Panel. You can delete shortcuts to Outlook and set a different email client as default.
To Uninstall Outlook
Go to Control Panel, Programs and Features (Vista and Windows 7/8/10) or Add/Remove Programs in using Windows XP. Tip: type Add Remove Programs in the search field in the Control Panel to find it (works in all versions of Windows).
Locate the entry for your Microsoft Office application and choose Change. Tip: Click on Name at the top of the list of programs to sort applications by name then click on an application and type M to jump down to the programs that start with M. (If you have a lot of M's, type N and scroll up.)
Reminder: Outlook 2013 and newer cannot be uninstalled from the subscription version of Office. You can delete the shortcuts to Outlook and set a different email client as default.
If using Outlook 2010 and older, follow these steps to uninstall Outlook.
- Clicking Change will open the Office installation dialog with option to add or remove features or repair. You'll want to choose Add or Remove Features.
- Click Continue. The Installation options tree displays a white box if all features are installed and gray if some features are either "not available" or are installed on first use. An X on the icon indicates not available, a 1 means it is set to install the first time you use it.
- Click the + (plus signs) to expand the directories, if Outlook is not visible.
- Click the little down arrow on the box to choose different installation options for each feature.
Video Tutorial
To uninstall Outlook, click on the button beside the name and choose Not Available, then Continue. This will remove all Outlook components. If you want to remove some features but keep Outlook, expand the directory and remove just those features.
More Information
To add features, select the feature then choose Run all from my computer.
The method for other versions of Office is similar. Some older versions use a checkbox - check or uncheck to change the installation options and grayed boxes indicate options under that feature are not installed.
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I have uninstalled outlook but after opening the system, the system tries to launch it. Please help how to remove it.
What version of Office do you have installed? You cannot uninstall just outlook when you use Office 2013 and 2016 click to run installs, which pretty much everyone is using.
When right clicking on Office 2016 I get options to uninstall or change.
When clicking on change as you said I only get the option to repair.
No list of components of the suite as your article suggests.
I don't use Outlook and get constant errors from it since it keeps trying to log in with old credentials from years ago when I used Office 2003.
Office 2013 and up don't support removing individual apps, it's all or nothing.
You shouldn't get errors, because outlook shouldn't be trying to open. Is it in the startup folder? Is Skype trying to open it? You can get rid of the outlook profile if you don't use outlook (or remove the bad account if you did).
Go to control panel, search for Mail. Open the applet and delete the profile. This will stop outlook from trying to log in. If you used outlook, you'd open the profile and delete the account.
Outlook 16 is just a bear. I want to return to Outlook 365. If I delete Outlook 16, will I lose any emails, folders, etc.'s
Outlook 2016 is Outlook 365 desktop software... if you mean Outlook on the web, you can stop using Outlook desktop and delete the profile from outlook and everything will still be on the outlook.com server.
Lately encounter missing email from outlook. Saw the message on the phone when check on my desktop the message wasn't there anymore. It happen frequent lately. Did try to delete and recreate profile. That didn't help is there anything else I can do?
Is this with the hotmail account? Are all messages affected or just some? Which version of Outlook? Is the account in Outlook as Exchange or POP3?
Is Microsoft Office 2016 Professional Plus crippled and won't work without Outlook? Is Office Libre the only Office, that is not handicapped with Outllook?
Office pro will work without outlook but you can't install some of the office programs like you could with older versions - you need to install all but can use other email clients. This change is due in part to 'click to run' model of software installation.
It has really worked :-)
There is something missing from these instructions for Windows 7. When I go to Programs in the Control Panel there is nothing like what you say in the instructions.
Programs and Features has the following: Uninstall, Turn Windows features on or off, View installed updates, Run programs..., and How to install a program. None of them list Microsoft Office. Clicking on Turn on Windows features doesn't list it either.
Please update this fix. Thanx. Tim
What version of Office do you have installed? You definitely should have Microsoft Office listed in Programs and Features > Add & Remove Programs, but can't uninstall Outlook if you use Office 2013 or 2106 subscriptions. With these two programs you'll only have the option of Uninstall or Change - and Change only offers repair options.
I have uninstalled Outlook, but every time I click on an email link, my computer tries to launch it. How can I get rid of this?
Did you set another email client as the default handler for mailto links?