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How to Resolve “Outlook Not Showing Content or Text” Error? – [Updated 2025]

Ritu Roy | File Repair fix How to's Outlook outlook error Technology | 6 minutes read | Modified on: 29-05-2025
Outlook not Showing Content or Text

If you’re facing a situation where Outlook fails to show the content or text of your emails, you’re not alone. This common issue can disrupt communication and affect productivity. In this guide, we’ll explore the underlying causes of this problem and walk you through effective troubleshooting steps. We’ll also introduce a powerful Outlook repair tool that can help you recover from data file corruption, one of the main culprits behind this issue.

Outlook stores all incoming and outgoing emails in a local file known as a Personal Storage Table (PST), also referred to as a Personal Folder file. When new messages arrive, they are downloaded from the mailbox server to your PST file. The download time can vary depending on the size of the message and attachments, as well as the speed of your internet connection and the performance of your system.

However, if emails appear blank, images don’t load, or content is missing even after waiting for the download to complete, it could indicate a problem with the Outlook app, a corrupted PST file, or an issue with your system. While sometimes temporary, this problem can lead to delays and communication gaps.

In this article, we’ll cover:

  • Common causes of Outlook not displaying email content
  • Step-by-step solutions to fix the issue in various Outlook versions (2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021)
  • How to use a professional tool to restore access to your data if the PST file is damaged

Why Outlook May Not Display Email Content or Text

If you’re encountering blank emails or missing content in Outlook, several factors could be to blame. Below are some common reasons that might cause Outlook to stop displaying message content properly:

  • When the Outlook data file (PST) becomes corrupted, it can lead to issues like emails not loading or displaying incorrectly.
  • Certain add-ins may interfere with Outlook’s normal functioning, especially if they’re outdated or not compatible with your current version.
  • Misconfigured account or application settings can prevent Outlook from properly rendering email content.
  • Security software may sometimes block certain Outlook features or prevent messages from loading completely.
  • A damaged user profile can affect how Outlook behaves, including how emails are displayed.
  • Running an outdated version of Outlook can introduce bugs or compatibility issues that prevent emails from appearing as expected.
  • An overloaded cache can slow down performance and lead to display errors within Outlook.
  • When the data file grows too large, it can affect Outlook’s ability to retrieve and display messages smoothly.

How to Fix Outlook Not Showing Email Content or Text

If Outlook isn’t displaying the content or body of your emails, don’t worry this issue can often be resolved with some simple troubleshooting steps. Follow the solutions below in the order listed to effectively identify and fix the problem.

Solution 1: Restart Outlook and Reboot Your Computer

Before diving into more advanced fixes, start with basic troubleshooting:

  • Close and reopen Outlook to see if the issue resolves itself.
  • If that doesn’t help, restart your computer.
    Often, temporary glitches or background processes can interfere with Outlook’s performance, and a reboot might clear things up.

Solution 2: End Conflicting Background Processes

If restarting Outlook and your system doesn’t fix the issue, the next step is to check for other applications or processes that might be interfering especially those that could be locking your Outlook data file (PST), preventing email content from loading.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Close Outlook completely.
  2. Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
  3. In Task Manager, go to the Processes or Details tab (depending on your Windows version).
  4. Look for processes that may conflict with Outlook. These can include:
    • Skype for Business
    • Microsoft Lync
    • Antivirus or anti-malware tools
  5. Select any suspicious or unnecessary process, then click End Task (or End Process) to stop it.
  6. Once you’ve ended these processes, close Task Manager.
  7. Reopen Outlook and check if the email content now appears as expected.

By eliminating conflicting applications and restarting Outlook, you can often resolve the problem without needing more complex fixes.

Solution 3: Keep Outlook and Windows Up to Date

Outdated software can often lead to performance issues and compatibility problems. If Outlook isn’t displaying email content properly, installing the latest updates for both Outlook and Windows may resolve the issue by fixing known bugs and enhancing compatibility with your operating system.

How to Update Outlook:

  1. Open Outlook.
  2. Navigate to File > Office Account.
  3. Click on Update Options, then select Update Now.
  4. Outlook will check for updates and install them if available.
  5. Follow any on-screen prompts to complete the installation.

Once the updates are installed, restart Outlook and check whether the issue is resolved and the email content now appears correctly.

Note: In some instances, the Update option within Outlook may be disabled by your organization’s administrator. If that’s the case, you can still receive Microsoft Office updates by installing the latest Windows updates. These often include important Office-related fixes that may resolve the issue with Outlook not displaying email content.

To update Windows:

  1. Open Settings on your PC.
  2. Go to Update & Security > Windows Update.
  3. Click Check for updates.
  4. Download and install any available updates.

Once the updates are installed, restart your system and open Outlook again to see if the problem has been resolved.

 Solution 4: Check PST File Attributes

Sometimes, Outlook may be unable to read or write to the PST file if its attributes are changed to Read-only often as a result of malware activity or improper software installations. Even after removing malware, these changes may persist unless manually corrected.

To verify and fix PST file attributes:

  1. Press Windows + R, type:

%localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook\

and hit Enter. This will open the folder where your PST file is stored.

If you’re using an older version of Windows or Outlook, navigate to:
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

  1. Locate your PST file, right-click on it, and choose Properties.
  2. In the Properties window, uncheck the box next to Read-only (if checked).
  3. Click Apply, then OK.

Reopen Outlook and check if the email content is now displaying correctly.

Solution 5: Create a New Outlook Profile

A corrupted Outlook profile can prevent emails from loading properly. In such cases, setting up a fresh profile can often resolve the issue.

Steps to create a new Outlook profile:

  1. Close Outlook.
  2. Open Control Panel and go to:
    User Accounts > Mail > Show Profiles.
  3. Click Add, enter a name for the new profile, and click OK.
  4. Follow the prompts to set up your email account (use the same account experiencing issues).
  5. Click Next, then Finish.
  6. Back in the Mail settings window, select Prompt for a profile to be used or set the new profile as default.
  7. Click Apply, then OK.

Launch Outlook with the new profile and check if the issue is resolved.

Solution 6: Repair the Outlook Data File (PST)

If your PST file is damaged, Outlook may be unable to load messages properly, resulting in blank or partial emails. In such cases, use the built-in Inbox Repair Tool (SCANPST.EXE) to fix minor corruption.

Steps to use SCANPST.EXE:

  1. Close Outlook.
  2. Open Control Panel > User Accounts > Mail > Data Files and note the location of your PST file.
  3. Use File Explorer to navigate to that location and find the PST file.
  4. Then, locate the Outlook installation folder by right-clicking on the Outlook shortcut and selecting Open File Location twice.
  5. Locate SCANPST.EXE in the folder, right-click it, and choose Run as Administrator.
  6. In SCANPST, click Browse, select the PST file, and click Start to begin scanning.
  7. Once the scan completes, click Repair to fix detected issues.
  8. When the process finishes, relaunch Outlook and see if email content is now visible.

Advanced Option: Use a Professional Tool

If SCANPST fails by freezing, crashing, or failing to fix the corruption, you may need a more robust solution. Tools like CubexSoft Outlook Converter offer advanced capabilities for conversion of Outlook emails to PDF, MBOX, EML, MSG, OLM, DOC, ICS, Office 365, Gmail, and many more without opening Outlook.

Conclusion

The issue of Outlook not displaying email content can be frustrating and disruptive. However, by following the solutions outlined above from simple fixes like restarting Outlook to advanced PST Converter, you can usually resolve the issue and restore full functionality.

If the problem stems from a corrupted PST file that can’t be fixed with the built-in tool, a professional solution like CubexSoft Outlook Export can help import all your data safely and accurately, ensuring minimal disruption to your workflow.