4 Ways to Fix Microsoft Outlook Not Saving Drafts on Windows

Pankil is a Civil Engineer turned freelance writer. Since his arrival at Guiding Tech in 2021, he delves into the world of how-tos, and troubleshooting guides for Android, iOS, and Windows. Besides his new-found love for mechanical keyboards, he’s a disciplined footfall fan and loves international travel with his wife.

Try Basic Fixes

Fix 1: Configure Outlook to Autosave Email to Drafts

You should also ensure that Outlook is set up to automatically save unsent emails to the Drafts folder. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1:Open theOutlook appon your PC and click theFilemenu at the top-left corner.

Step 2:SelectOptionsfrom the left sidebar.

Step 3:In the Outlook Options window, switch to theMailtab. Check the box forAutomatically save items that have not been sent after this many minutesand enter your preferred duration in the text box.

Step 4:Use the drop-down menu to selectDraftsand hitOK.

Fix 2: Disable Cached Exchange Mode in Outlook

With the Cached Exchange Mode enabled, Outlook stores a copy of your mailbox within the local data file. However, this feature can sometimes cause problems and prevent Outlook from saving your drafts. To check for this possibility, disable this feature momentarily by following the steps below.

Step 1:Open the Outlook app and click theFilemenu at the top-left corner.

Step 2:In theInfotab, click onAccount Settings> selectAccount Settingsfrom the list.

Step 3:Select your email account and click onChange.

Step 4:Uncheck the box forUse Cached Exchange Mode to download email to an Outlook data fileand hitNext.

Fix 3: Open Outlook in Safe Mode

Opening the Outlook app in safe mode allows you to run the app without any add-ins. This can help determine whether Outlook cannot save drafts due to interference from a third-party add-in.

To start Outlook in safe mode, press and hold theCtrlkey and double-click theOutlook shortcut. ClickYeswhen the confirmation prompt appears.

If Outlook saves and displays your drafts as usual while in safe mode, you can disable all the add-ins and re-enable them one by one to find the specific add-ins causing the issue. Here’s how.

Step 1:In the Outlook app, go toFile > Options.

Step 2:In the Outlook Options window, switch to theAdd-instab. Use the drop-down menu next toManage> selectCOM Add-ins> click onGo.

Step 3:Uncheckall the boxes to disable add-ins and clickOK.

After completing the above steps, restart Outlook in normal mode and enable your add-ins one at a time until the issue occurs again. After you find the troublesome add-in, consider removing it.

Fix 4: Run the Office Repair Tool

If Outlook can’t save drafts after applying the above fixes, use Microsoft’s Office repair tool to repair the app. This tool can automatically find and fix common issues with all your Office apps, including Outlook. Here’s how to run it.

Step 1:Right-click on theStart iconand selectInstalled apps.

Step 2:Scroll down to locate the Microsoft Office product on the list. Click thethree horizontal dotsand selectModify.

Step 3:SelectOnline Repair> clickRepair.

Was this helpful?

Last updated on 10 June, 2024

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked*

Name*

Email*

Comment*

Δ

The article above may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. The content remains unbiased and authentic and will never affect our editorial integrity.

More in Windows

How to Create and Insert a Signature in Microsoft Word

5 Ways to Fix “A Driver Cannot Load on This Device” Error on Windows 11

JOIN THE NEWSLETTER

Get Guiding Tech articles delivered to your inbox.

© 2024 Guiding Tech Media. All Rights Reserved.