Keep Getting "Outlook closed while you had items open. Reopen items from last session?" Even Though It's Not True

Outlook update of June to version 2306 removed the startup options that were there in the prior version (2305). Those startup options about opening items that were left open when Outlook last closed are Always open or Never open or Ask to open. The choice you selected was stored in the registry key above (as values 0, 1, or 2) that people are adding to the 2306 to fix these Ask boxes when Outlook starts up. Basically the registry key from the 2305 version is used to "fix" this problem in the 2306 version. I never added that Registry key, but when I reverted to the prior 2305 version that reversion added that key to my Registry as well as restored the start up options in Outlook settings which the value of that key changed as I changed the start up options in Outlook's settings. Even that registry key being added to the 2306 version doesn't seem to "fix" this problem all the time and appears that removal of the start options does not have Outlook looking for those options at all and the problem is hit and miss no matter what the key's value is set to. If you don't leave any emails in the Inbox when you close, then Outlook doesn't see any emails to say it was opened when it is closed and thus no question box.

The only sure way to get rid of these pop up boxes is to:

Stop Outlook updates

Revert back to the 2305 version

Wait until you hear that Microsoft has fixed this glitch and restart updates.

Hello Paul,

Good to hear from the UK, and thanks for your invaluable input regarding this matter.

I have not had the popup appear for a few days now, but the options on what you want the program to do under file>options>general>startup are still not available. I have turned off the cloud storage setting today as an extra step based on other feedback.

I am hoping that Diane Poremsky can get to the bottom of this in conjunction with Microsoft engineers.

As Churchill said about Russia; It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.

Regards

Pete

*** update July 18, 2023 ***
Just updating to say its still working fine.

*** update July 16, 2023 ***
Just updating to say its still working fine.

*** update on July 15, 2023 ***

I was hoping that running the once as an elevated process would resolve the issues just in case it was trying to create / save a value in a system location (outside User storage) sadly while that worked for about 5 hours it came back, BUT, I tried disabling the saving the setting to the cloud and so far its been fine for 2 days.

But will come back and update if anything changes.

*** posted on July 13, 2023 *** I tried everything said above all worked for about 2 hours up to 2 days to then once again start showing that popup message. What I did try the day before yesterday was to run Outlook elevated (i.e. as Administrator) where it popped up that message, I clicked on the No Option and then closed Outlook.

Now even today I have not seen that message pop up and I use Outlook throughout the day. I will update if it comes back.

But if this "has" fixed it then it might be due to a setting that needed to be updated required an elevated process to update it.

I have office 2016 build 2306 and I have the same problem. I don't have the "startup options" feature and I didn't mess with the registry.

Under File menu --> Options --> General --> Cloud Storage Options --> I unchecked the "Store my Outlook Settings in the Cloud" checkbox. The issue has gone away for now. ...

Unlike Kevin Emmrich, I do not have a section at File | Options | General | Cloud Storage Options where I can enable / disable a check box labeled "Store my Outlook settings in the cloud" in my MS Office Home and Business 2019 C2R Version 2306 (Build 16529.20154, rel, 26-Jun-2023). According to the image in Diane Poremsky's Outlook Is Not Saving Preferenceson slipstik.com this Cloud Storage Options section should appear at the top of the File | Options | General window (i.e., just above the User Interface Options section).

I also do not have a registry entry for EnableCloudSettings at HKEY_CURRENT_USER | SOFTWARE | Microsoft | Office | 16.0 | Outlook | Preferences.

I already posted images in CSG-08's 04-Jul-2023 My Outlook 2016 "Start Up Options menu" has no drop down submenu showing that the section at File | Options | General | Start Up Options in my Outlook 2019 settings is blank (i.e., there is a section header but no check boxes or dropdown lists) and that I have no registry entry for ReopenWindowsOption at HKEY_CURRENT_USER | SOFTWARE | Microsoft | Office | 16.0 | Outlook | Preferences.

I have not made any manual edits to my registry to see if adding REG_DWORD registry entries for ReopenWindowsOption and/or EnableCloudSettings can be used to control the “Outlook closed while you had items open. Reopen those items from your last session?” prompt that occasionally appears when I start Outlook 2019. I'll post back if anything changes after the latest Version 2306 / Build 16529.20182 (rel. 11-Jul-2023) is installed, but the release notes <here> don't list any changes for Outlook in the latest build.

Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.3208 * Firefox v115.0.2 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.23050.5-1.1.23060.1005 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.32.271-1.0.2051 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * MS Office Home and Business 2019 C2R Version 2306 / Build 16529.20154