How to fix missing add-in in Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010 or Office 365

Follow the steps below to troubleshoot and fix a missing Outlook add-in.

If you have any questions about these instructions do not hesitate to contact us. Please include the following information:

  1. Version of Outlook you are using.
  2. Name and version of the add-in.
  3. Right after restarting Outlook, under which section of Outlook's Add-ins window is the add-in listed - Active, Inactive or Disabled (see instructions below).
  4. Any other details that you think are relevant.

Step 1 - Determine if the Add-in is Inactive or Disabled

  • Click on the File tab in the upper-left corner of the main Outlook window.

    Click Ribbon File Tab

  • Click Options.

    Click Options

  • Click Add-ins in the left column of the next window.

    Click Add-ins

  • The list of add-ins is separated into three sections - Active, Inactive and Disabled.

    The exact steps you need to take are different, based on the section in which the add-in is listed. Please carefully follow the instructions below.

Enable Inactive Add-in

  1. If the add-in is listed under Inactive, make sure "COM Add-ins" is selected in the "Manage" drop-down and click "Go...".

    Click Go

  2. Check the checkbox next to the Add-in and click "OK".

  3. Restart Outlook. Close Outlook, wait for 5 seconds, then start it again.

Enable Disabled Add-in

  1. Select Disabled Items in the drop-down at the bottom of this window, next to the Go button.

    Select Disabled Items

  2. Click Go.

    Click Go

  3. Select the Add-in which you would like to re-enable.

    Select the Add-in to re-enable

  4. Click Enable in the lower-left corner of this window.

    Click Enable

  5. Restart Outlook. Close Outlook, wait for 5 seconds, then start it again.

Why are my add-ins getting disabled so frequently?

If an add-in is getting disabled frequently, it is likely that your Outlook data file (PST or OST) is getting corrupted. It is a very common Outlook issue. Please see the first two sections of this article for a solution. IMPORTANT: you have to run scanpst repeatedly on every PST file, until it tells you that there are no more errors in the file. Running it only once does not fix all the errors.

You can also configure Outlook to prevent disabling add-ins on which you rely in your daily work.