Outlook: Cannot move the items. The operation cannot be performed because the message has been changed.

Anonymous
2022-05-20T08:11:25+00:00

This message often pops up when I try to move an email to a folder after reading and closing it.  This happens even though I have not changed the message at all other than to read it.  If I select another message and then try to move the original message again, it will work.

I have been getting this problem for years and I am sick of it! everytime I try to tidy my inbox it takes hours because I have to keep moving away and then back to the email.

I know this message pops up in relation to other scenarios but I would like to concentrate on just this one problem as otherwise there are too many off topic answers.

This has been happening for at least 6 YEARS is no-one from Microsoft able to help with this problem?

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For business

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-09-15T17:40:59+00:00

    Thank you for your description of the "workaround" which worked for me. Like others on this thread, this issue appeared for me after I switched from POP to IMAP. It appears to be related to reading a message in Outlook (which changes its status from unread to read), but the change in status hasn't been forwarded to the server version yet. It seems to be that switching to another message (or in my case, switching to a message in another folder) "frees up" the message to synchronize between Outlook and server; so that upon returning to message, the message can be moved without the notice.

    Unlike other posts suggest, this appears NOT to be related to Exchange (since I do not have any exchange accounts), but IS related to IMAP.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-01-15T13:12:39+00:00

    Exactly my same experience. I feel stuck with Outlook and wish I could find an email client that would have better spam filtering, better search and just work without all the extra work.

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  3. Anonymous
    2022-11-30T22:40:18+00:00

    I get it! I've also been frustrated by this for years. I have an IMAP with Gmail. So, I just now tried this: exit Outlook, restart Outlook. Then, I was able to move the received email (w/attachment) into a folder. Took me less than a minute. Hope this works for someone else...

    Well, all of these workarounds seem to suggest the same underlying issue: Outlook is hanging on to the message and doesn't know how to 'release it'.

    It seems that if you 'distract' Outlook it will let it go.

    It's moot that the developers will read any of these community findings and flag it as a problem to be fixed in a future release 😔

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  4. Anonymous
    2022-11-29T23:50:25+00:00

    I get it! I've also been frustrated by this for years. I have an IMAP with Gmail. So, I just now tried this: exit Outlook, restart Outlook. Then, I was able to move the received email (w/attachment) into a folder. Took me less than a minute. Hope this works for someone else...

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  5. Anonymous
    2022-11-22T17:47:14+00:00

    no problem - just wish it would get fixed. it is such a time waster.

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