I have a brand new Dell XPS 8700 Intel i7 3.9 GHz 4th Generation with 24 GB ram, solid state C: drive, 6 TB of additional drives and Windows 8.1 64-bit.  That should bring any geek real joy. And it does, but for one of the most needed programs in my life: a machine based email client. I am cloud everything, but I really want a local machine-based client.

The ONE PROGRAM that can drag this computer to its knees is, unfortunately, Microsoft Outlook 2013 (subscribed to via an Office 365 Premium account).

What in the world is the problem!?  Email for goodness sake. Email clients have had 2 decades of time to be super-refined. I read up on why we are still using 32-bit MS Office software on 64-bit operating systems --but maybe the Outlook program should be the exemption to that if it is not cross-pollinating with other applications?  It should run more efficiently - if nothing else - right? We public drooled for years for 64 bit OS, and the company that now gives us 64-bit has a default installation necessity to install 32-bit software.  Must we wait for 128-bit Windows 16.1 OS before we get 64-bit Office as the default install? Some stand-up comedian type should run down this thread in the bars around Redmond. :-)

Back to reality. I've had MS Office since 1995 (remember the stack of diskettes?). This sort of issue should not come up so often that there are posts all over the web just like mine. Suggests a bug, some incompatibility issue or the need to educate users.

This is completely frustrating.  I can open a stereotyped "known memory and resources-hog" called Photoshop CS6 and open numerous HUGE files and the powerful CPU takes all that in stride, but leaving Outlook 2013 running all day so I can be "in touch" and about twice per day the software will get into some sort of "distress" or loop, or ??? and will start to consume 80% - 85% of CPU resources. 

The computer slows to a jerking, sluggish condition!  If a video is on, or YouTube streaming, those start going jerky, stopping and starting as if this is a 5 year-old Pentium with 2 hot and sweaty overworked GIGS of memory.  Other applications are negatively affected when Outlook 2013 gets into its predictable vacuuming up of the CPU cycles.  

I've read about shutting the client down and restarting it. But, really, is this a solution for CURRENT consumer and business software that must be celebrating 20-years of refinement?  

My daily experience is about 4 or 5 hours where Outlook behaves fine --using marginal resources-- and then off the charts! I now leave Task Manager running just to check up on it periodically.  I don't think that Microsoft customers should have to monitor their email client. I have no extra modules installed, no add-ins, yet twice a day I have to terminate the program and restart it. Any suggestions would be appreciated as would be any update/FIX solutions coming out of Redmond. Thanks.

• Edited by Lawsites Wednesday, March 05, 2014 6:02 AM

Hi Lawsites,

There can be several reasons due to which Outlook is consuming more CPU space such as antivirus, third party add-in or indexing process.

First run Microsoft Outlook in safe mode by using Outlook.exe command in run option and using safe mode disable the suspicious Add-Ins. You can also start window in clean boot to check the real cause of high CPU usage.
Disable the Antivirus/Firewall program because most of times it causes more problems with its scanning module.

Thanks

Clark Kent

• Marked as answer by Steve FanMicrosoft contingent staff, Moderator Wednesday, March 19, 2014 2:50 AM

Try upgrade Office 2013 sp1.

KR

There were large files stuck in an outbox of a non-primary folder which were causing this for me.