Karl,
Thank you for that 'nugget' of information I have copied it to a rtf file in case I summon the courage to wipe my Laptop and reintstall everything. I am anything but confident of doing that as I don't know if using windows 10 reset and reinstall will force windows 11 (which I don't want) or that I can actually work out how to re-install Office Pro 2019 even though it would be on the same PC because WIndows installs change all the PC name etc. and there is nothing that tells old folk like me that what to do. So it risk finding that as I've installed it once before I can't install it again even on the same machine. And that would be before trying to sort out how to get the re-install to talk to Gmail..... :(
I have to say that the systems deployed these days are not at all friendly for older people and with no reliable route for support it is becoming more and more ageist and excluding more people from doing anything, even if it was intended to be 'safer'.
Thank you again. I am glad John got a solution.
Going the nuclear route (wiping your PC) would be extreme and unnecessary if the only reason is related to Outlook.
Another tidbit you should be aware of is that when you uninstall Office, the Outlook profiles are not removed so when you reinstall Office, Outlook will continue to use the same Outlook profile - hence making the whole exercise a waste of time if the objective is to start over with Outlook.
As a FYI - how to "start over" with Outlook, would be to use the Control Panel Mail app
a) - With Outlook closed open the Control Panel app
Just in case you need info regarding how to access the Control Panel Mail app, that's described in the following article by Outlook MVP Diane Poremsky
Where is the Control Panel Mail icon?
https://www.slipstick.com/how-to-outlook/where-is-the-mail-icon/
If using Windows 11
How to Open Control Panel in Windows 11
https://www.lifewire.com/open-control-panel-in-windows-11-5193187
b) - Select <Show Profile> --> <Add> ---> give the new profile a name (no need to remove the existing Outlook profile)
c) - Configure your email account(s)
d) - Set the newly created Outlook profile as the default for the next time Outlook is opened otherwise it'll use the old profile
In reference to reinstalling Office '2019 (any current version of Office - '2013 and later)
Office is associated with a Microsoft Account. To download / install Office again, that's done by
#1 - Log into the applicable Microsoft Account --> click on <Services & Subscriptions>
#2 - Download and install
This link will get you there
Microsoft account | Services & subscriptions
For perpetual (one time purchase) license (any version of Office designated as <Office 20##>, if you encounter an activation error, would need to follow the steps contained in the following article under the section
<Activate after reinstalling or moving Office>
Activate Office using the Activation wizard
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/activate-office-using-the-activation-wizard-1144e0de-e849-496e-8e33-ed6fb1b34202?ui=en-US&rs=en-001&ad=US#bkmk_phone