Old Outlook won’t update
Q
Outlook in Microsoft Office 365 has stopped working, failing to sync and requiring a forced quit. It’s still stuck on version 16.35. How can I update it so it works properly again?
A
As you’ll see from your other Microsoft Office apps, the current version should be at least 16.37, but that copy of Outlook dates back to March 2020.
Microsoft released an update to the Office AutoUpdate app in April with a bug which has caused some installations to get stuck and not update properly. Depending on how you purchased and installed the apps you may need to download individual app updates to work around this; some users have had to abandon AutoUpdate altogether as a result.
Fixed versions of Microsoft AutoUpdate are available from bit.ly/mac355msftapd. Version 4.23 or later should restore full function, although it seems to work best when you start your Mac up daily, and not so well if you only restart every couple of weeks.
You can always download the latest version of any of the Office suite, or the whole package, from bit.ly/mac355msftoffmac. They’re also available from the App Store, where they’re delivered slightly later, but many users find it a more reliable source than its AutoUpdate now.
Once you’ve updated Outlook, check through its settings against your mail service, and it should work fine.