How to fix "Operation cannot be performed because message has been changed" message. when using Outlook and Gmail.

Anonymous
2020-04-21T11:53:43+00:00

Over the last two years, I have been using Outlook 2013, now Office 365. I've been experiencing an ongoing issue where I receive this message "Operation cannot be performed because message has been changed" message.  Typical scenarios: 1) A new email arrives in my Outlook inbox. I preview, or read the email. I attempt to delete the email. Operation cannot... message appears.  I either type a new email, or reply to an email, go on to another task leaving the draft until later. When I return to the draft email, complete the email, and attempt to send the email, Operation cannot... message appears. I also cannot even save the draft, same error message. This is the worst part of this bug, as I've wasted/lost the time effort spent on the draft email.

I have run the Office repair utilities. I have tried unchecking the email cleanup boxes, and a variety of fixes recommended on these Microsoft answers communities. I've noticed sometimes when I come back to a message, it does allow me to move/delete the message. It's like there's a sync issue that needs time to resolve. However, nothing appears to work when a draft message gets hung in this loop. I have to start over with a new reply email.

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For home

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-03-19T15:37:15+00:00

    I found another interesting article on this topic or related topic at Gmail IMAP - Solving the [Gmail] separation - HowTo-Outlook (howto-outlook.com)

    I'm wondering if the issue is caused by the two sets of folder/label structures?  Has anyone tried aligning with [GMAIL] as the root folder and did that solve the problem?  (Unfortunately, it takes additional work to be able to see the gmail folders if one does this - this might also help those who have switched to [INBOX] and back and "lost" folders in the process.

    If this is part of the issue, I can better understand part of the issue of correcting it - it could take a great deal of work, and then a minor change in GMAIL could cause that work to need to be redone.

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-03-17T07:08:07+00:00

    !!!!! I searched for a solution for this.  On page 6 ....  it seems we are Still waiting for a fix.

    Well said Bruce.

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  3. Anonymous
    2021-03-11T19:01:17+00:00

    Your work around and several others mentioned above are appreciated so we can use Outlook for the purpose of its subscription. However, Microsoft needs to accept reality that its product is not working for its subscribers. Waiting for users to solve the problem is unconscionable. If one of the lights on the dashboard of my car lights up, I would not accept the dealer/manufacturer giving me a list of potential solutions that other owners have had some success. MICROSOFT HOPEFULLY YOU MONITOR THIS FORUM AND REALIZE IT'S TIME TO LIVE UP TO THE PROMISE OF THE PRODUCT I PAID FOR; THAT IT WOULD WORK WHEN I NEED IT TO. I never promised to Help Microsoft solve their product shortcomings.

    reno-attorney

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  4. Anonymous
    2021-03-08T15:02:48+00:00

    While waiting for Microsoft to accept this problem as a real one and to come up with a fix, I do a "Save" of the offending email. I then get a message telling me "it cannot be saved because it was changed by another user or in another window. Do you want to make a copy in the default folder for the item?"

    I click YES. A copy is now available for me to move to another folder or to do whatever else I needed to do with it. Then I can go back and delete the original email.

    We shouldn't have to do workarounds.

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  5. Anonymous
    2021-02-22T04:29:19+00:00

    jacques-c

    I must disagree with you. I don't agree with Michael's irritation with Mr. Gates. I totally agree he's been out of the picture for a long time. However, I've been in IT management 30 years with the third largest company in the world at the time I was there, and you're correct Outlook and MS in general has been the chosen product everywhere I know of in big business. I've used Outlook since it was launched. I totally disagree with the "most powerful and full-featured product available of its type". It may have been "back in the day" but it is riddled with bugs, it hasn't changed appreciably since it was launched, it is out-of-date and can't compare with new email software offerings, it is essentially "old news" and belongs back in the 80's where it didn't have any competition and we didn't know what an email product could do if you have even an ounce of imagination and are technically up-to-date with the leaps and bounds IT has gone in the last 10 years. I never thought I would abandon Outlook but based on the trouble I have had searching for "fixes" on any forum available to solve or "get around" Outlook bugs I am now actually going to search out a better idea from a company that has moved out of the 20th century where Microsoft seems to be stuck and refuses to acknowledge IT and the entire computer industry has changed and they need to change with them.

    Susan (an ex-outlook user)

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