Microsoft Outlook Classic Is Causing Significant CPU Spikes — Here’s How to Resolve It

If you’re utilizing Microsoft Outlook Classic on Windows and experiencing your computer becoming sluggish or unresponsive, you’re not alone. Microsoft has recognized a critical problem with the current version of the application that can lead to CPU usage surging by as much as 50% — merely from composing an email.

The tech corporation confirmed the issue on its official support site, noting that users might face considerable performance challenges when drafting messages. You can verify if this is impacting you by accessing Task Manager while running Outlook, though it’s likely you’ll already sense the slowdown.

What’s Behind the Issue?

The problem seems to be connected to the most recent build of Outlook Classic for Windows. When users input text within the application, it activates abnormally high CPU usage, which can hinder or even freeze the entire machine.

Is There a Solution?

Regrettably, there isn’t an official patch available yet — however, Microsoft has provided a temporary solution. While IT experts in corporate settings can follow comprehensive instructions online, regular users will need to adopt a more direct approach via the Command Prompt.

Here’s how to proceed:

1. Launch the Command Prompt: Look for “Command Prompt” in your Start menu and open it.
2. Type the following command and hit Enter:
reg add HKLMSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftoffice16.0commonofficeupdate /v updatebranch /t REG_SZ /d SemiAnnual
3. Open Outlook.
4. Navigate to File > Office Account > Update Options > Update Now.

This method shifts Outlook to an alternative update channel — the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel — which does not suffer from the same CPU problem.

What’s Coming Up?

While this workaround should alleviate the issue for the time being, users are eager for Microsoft to deliver a permanent solution soon. In the meantime, this approach is your best option to keep Outlook functioning efficiently without burdening your entire system.

For further updates on Microsoft and other technology news, stay tuned.