Why can't I open attachments in the new version of Outlook?

Anonymous
2024-10-03T13:37:44+00:00

I get this error message when trying to open any type of attachment from the desktop version of the new Outlook.

"Error occurred while opening the file. Please try again".

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For home

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Anonymous
2024-12-05T08:18:35+00:00

Hello,

I also had the problem and digged in a bit deeper using sysinternals Process Monitor to see what exactly fails, when the system tries to download the file in the temporary outlook folder. There I figured out that my problem was a somehow missing Attachments folder!

Please press WIN-R and type %userprofile%\appdata\local\microsoft\olk and press Enter.
Then an explorer windows opens. Check if you can see an Attachments folder. If not create one and problem might be solved for you.

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-11-13T10:44:07+00:00

    I'm having the same issue, and tried all of the suggestions here. This new version of Outlook is VERY buggy.

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-01-22T23:06:50+00:00

    I had a client with the same issue and I found a solution that worked for us.

    The Attachments folder was already there. I deleted it and re-added it, and no fix.

    I renamed the EBWebView, and no fix.

    What did work was reset the app in the Installed Apps settings.

    Right click Start Menu > Installed apps > Outlook (new) > Advanced options > Reset

    I then tried opening the Word attachment three times and it said to restart Outlook each time. I restarted each time. The fourth time, I double clicked the attachment and it opened in the Desktop app. The next time, the Open button from the preview window worked.

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-01-21T18:24:50+00:00

    Hello,

    I also had the problem and digged in a bit deeper using sysinternals Process Monitor to see what exactly fails, when the system tries to download the file in the temporary outlook folder. There I figured out that my problem was a somehow missing Attachments folder!

    Please press WIN-R and type %userprofile%\appdata\local\microsoft\olk and press Enter.
    Then an explorer windows opens. Check if you can see an Attachments folder. If not create one and problem might be solved for you.

    Unfortunateley this fix no longer works as of January 21st, 2025.

    The "Attachments" folder already exists. I can delete it and Outlook will recreate it, along with an empty sub-folder with a long object ID of sorts for each attachment I try to open. But the error "Error occurred while opening the file. Please try again." happens with every attachment.

    I also attempted to rename the EWebView folder in the same directory but that does not work either.

    I also tried to re-Import the Sync and Account Settings from the old Outlook per one Redditors suggestion, but it did not work either.

    Office has been repaired, account setup from scratch, rebooted several times, and nothing so far has fixed this issue.

    This is a Microsoft bug and we need a fix now that all my users are experiencing this problem.

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-10-24T00:29:58+00:00

    As usual, MS support forums are absolutely useless. I wish they never appeared in google results because THERE IS NEVER AN ANSWER.

    An absolute waste of time even thinking a resolution might be possible here!!!

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