Fix: The Time Limit for Logging on was Reached in Outlook

The time limit for logging on was reached in Outlook error occurs because of Outlook running in compatibility mode, connection issues in cached mode, corrupted/conflicting temp folder contents, wrongly configured proxy settings, conflicting ISPs’ restrictions, wrongly configured network settings, conflict with 2-factor verification, and other internal Outlook related problems.

This is a very frequent issue which users face in both cases; when they are logged in Outlook and when they trying to login using their credentials. Here in this article, we will discuss all the different causes and then go through the solutions on how to fix the problem.

What causes the Time Limit for Logging on Was Reached Outlook Error?

Things to Consider Before Trying the Solutions:

Before trying any of the solutions,

1. Make sure that the user has local administrator access to his computer.
2. Create a system restore point before trying any solution.
3. Run SFC command to rule out any corruption of system files.
4. Update Windows to its latest build.
5. Update device drivers especially video drivers
6. Remove any external monitors.
7. Make sure that your system’s Date and Time are accurate.
8. Make sure that you are using DHCP IP Configuration
9. Log out the user from all email interfaces (Outlook, SWA, IMAP, POP3, SMTP, OWA, etc) and then log back in.
10. Make sure that you are using the updated version of Dotnet Framework
11. If you are using a 64-bit version of Windows, make sure that the MAPI version in the following folders is same

    c:\windows\system32

    and

    c:\windows\sysWow64

    and if not then delete the MAPI files as mentioned in Solution 9 of fix MAPI and use Solution 16 to repair office.

12. Make sure there is no other Microsoft applications like Skype For Business is having sign-in problem or is stuck in operation.

How to Fix the Time Limit for Logging on Was Reached?

1. Launching Outlook in Normal Mode (Non-Compatibility Mode)

Applications are used in compatibility mode when these applications are not compatible with the current OS. If Outlook is launched in compatibility mode then you can suffer from the time limit error in Outlook (even though these two mechanisms have no direct link). Launching Outlook in normal mode (non- compatibility mode) may solve the problem.

1. Exit Outlook.
2. On your Desktop, right-click an Outlook icon and select Properties.
3. Click on the Compatibility tab.
4. Find the Option Run this program in compatibility mode and uncheck it if selected.

   

5. Click Apply and then OK.
6. Open Outlook and check if it is operating normally.

2. Use Online Mode of Outlook

Outlook uses either Online Mode or Cached Mode to connect with a Microsoft Exchange Server. In the cached mode, Outlook keeps a local copy of the user’s data. So, if Outlook is having connection problems in the cached mode then it can cause timeout problems in the application. In that case, changing the connection mode from Cached to Online may solve the problem.

1. Open Outlook and then click on the File tab.
2. Now in the right pane of the window, click on the Account Settings and in the drop-down list, click on Account Settings.

   

3. Now in the Email tab of Account Settings, select the user account and then click on Change.

   

4. Now click on More Settings.

   

5. Now in the Microsoft Exchange setting window, go to the Advanced tab and then Uncheck the checkbox of “Use Cached Exchange Mode”.

   

6. Click Apply and then click Ok.
7. Now restart Outlook and check if it is functioning without any issue.

3. Delete Temp Windows Folder Contents

Temp files are stored in the Temp Windows folder and are used by Windows applications. Outlook also uses a temp Windows folder. If there are conflicting or corrupted files in the Windows Temp folder then it can cause the  timeout error under discussion. In that case, deleting the contents of the Windows Temp folder may solve the problem.

1. Exit Outlook.
2. Press Windows+E to open File Explorer.
3. Navigate to the following path

   c:\windows\temp

   

4. Press Ctrl+A to select all the items of the folder and press Shift+Delete to delete all the items (do not worry! You will not be able to delete some of the items, ignore them).
5. Restart the system and then launch Outlook and check if it is operating fine.

4. Turn Off Proxy

If you are using Proxy on your system to connect to the server, then the wrong configuration of proxy can cause  connection issues which can in turn cause timeout problems with Outlook. In that case, turning off the proxy may solve the problem.

1. Exit Outlook.
2. Press Windows key and type “proxy” and in the resulting list click on “Change Proxy Settings”.

   

3. In the proxy settings, toggle the “Automatically detect settings” to off.

   

4. Now in the Manual Proxy section, toggle the switch “Use a proxy server” to off.

   

5. If you are using proxy settings just in your browser, even turn that off.
6. Now restart the system and launch Outlook and check if it has started to function normally.

5. Switch to Another Network

ISPs deploy different protocols and technologies to keep things under control and check, and this deployment may sometimes restrict the access of Outlook to connect to its servers. Using another Network may solve the problem.

1. Connect to another network. You can use your mobile hotspot. You may use a VPN.
2. Now launch Outlook and check if it has started to function normally.

6. Reset Network Settings (Reset Winsock)

Outlook works best with the default TCP/IP settings of your network. So, if the settings of your system are different than the default settings, Outlook may show the time limit for logging on was reached error. In that case, resetting Winsock to default which will reset TCP/IP settings to their default may solve the problem.

1. Press the Windows key and type “command prompt” and in the resulting list Right-click on the “command prompt” and click on “Run as Administrator”.

   

2. Enter the following command in the elevated command prompt:

netsh winsock reset

and press Enter

3. After Winsock is reset, Restart the system.
4. Launch Outlook and check if it has started to function properly.

7. Turn Microsoft Multi-factor Authentication Off

Two Factor Authentication is a great layer of security for your Microsoft Account. But sometimes this added layer of security creates issues with Outlook. In that case, temporarily disabling Multi-factor authentication may solve the problem.

1. Exit Outlook.
2. Open your web browser and then visit the Security section of your Microsoft Account.
3. Under Two-step verification, click on Manage.

   

4. Click Turn off two-step verification.

   

5. Now close the browser.
6. Launch Outlook and check if it has started to function properly.

8. Tweaks with the Antivirus Application

Anti-virus applications are known to have issues with Microsoft Outlook by detecting it or any of its add-ins as a malware (false positive). In that case, disabling anti-virus temporarily may solve the problem.

Warning: Use this solution at your own risk as changing your antivirus settings makes your system more vulnerable to fraudulent, viral or malicious attacks. This step is not recommended by us.

1. Turn off your Anti-virus.
2. Launch Microsoft Outlook and check if it has started to work properly.
3. If it is working fine then you have to create an exception for the Outlook or otherwise replace your antivirus with a non-conflicting antivirus application.
4. Moreover, excluding the local user’s temp directory from the antivirus client can also solve the problem. The temp directory is usually located at :

   C:\Windows\Temp

9. Delete and Fix the MAPI32.dll File

Mapi32.dll is a Windows Messaging (API) which Windows uses to perform many email-based functions & launch messaging programs like Microsoft Outlook. If the MAPI32.dll file is corrupt or has compatibility issues, then it may cause the current Outlook error message. In that case, using the Built-in Windows utility FixMAPI.exe may solve the problem.

1. Exit Outlook.
2. Press Windows+E to open File Explorer.
3. In File Explorer, navigate to

   C:\Windows\System32\

4. Find MAPI32.dll and Right-click on it and click on Rename.

   

5. Now Enter the name MAPI32.old.
6. Now restart your system and launch Outlook.
7. Check if Outlook has started to operate normally.
8. If not, then exit Outlook.
9. Press Windows+E to open File Explorer.
10. In File Explorer, navigate to

    C:\Windows\System32\

11. Now locate FixMAPI.exe and right-click on it and then click on Run as Administrator.

    

12. Click yes if UAC prompts.
13. Now restart the system and launch Outlook and check if it has started to function normally.

10. Reset the Outlook Navigation Pane

The Navigation Pane in Outlook lets you access various helpful shortcut icons for easy access to the emails, calendar, tasks, etc. And if the Navigation Pane settings file is corrupt, it can cause problems with the launching of account module in Outlook. In that case, we can use Outlook’s built-in command to remove the customization of the Navigation Pane and see if this solves the problem.

1. Exit Outlook.
2. Press Windows key and then type Run and in the resulting list click on Run.

   

3. Now in the run box, type

   Outlook.exe /resetnavpane
   

   and press enter.

   

4. Launch Outlook and check if Outlook has started to function properly.
5. If not, then Exit the Outlook.
6. Navigate to  the following location as per your Windows version
   
   • Windows 10

   C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook\

   • Older versions of Windows

   drive:\Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\

7. In the folder find file Outlook.xml and press Shift+Delete to delete the file.

   

8. Launch Outlook and check if it has started to operate normally.

11. Remove Non-Exchange Data Files

Outlook uses different data files for different user accounts. It also uses different files for SharePoint Lists, Internet Calendars, Published Calendars and Address Books. There is a known bug where if these files are corrupt, Outlook may start throwing the time out error message. In that case, just keeping the Exchange Account and removing all others may solve the problem.

1. Exit Outlook.
2. Press Windows key and type Control Panel and in the results click on Control Panel.

   

3. Now near the top right of the control panel windows, change View by from Category to Large Icons.

   

4. Now click on Mail.

   

5. In the Mail window, click on E-Mail accounts.

   

6. Now click on Data Files and select all other files one by one except your Exchange Account file and then click on Remove to remove these files one by one.
7. Now repeat the same process on the tabs of RSS Feeds, SharePoint Lists, Internet Calendars, Published Calendars and Address Books.

   

8. Restart the system.
9. Launch Outlook and check if Outlook has started to function normally.

12. Clean Boot Windows or Use Windows Safe Mode with Networking

The timeout error in Outlook can also be caused due to conflicting applications like Skype For Business etc. To check this you can either clean boot Windows or use Windows Safe Mode, which can solve the problem.

1. Clean Boot Windows or Boot Windows in Safe Mode with Networking.
2. Launch Outlook and check if it has started to function properly, and if so, then try to identify the problematic application and sort out the issue between that application and Outlook.

To find the problematic applications keep in mind the following steps.

1. Boot Windows in normal mode.
2. Press Windows and type Task Manager and in the resulting list, click on Task Manager.
   

   

3. Now find if there is more than one Outlook process then right click on that process and click on “End Process”.
4. Also, look for Skype For Business or Lync running. If they are running then right-click on each one of them and click on “End Process”.
5. Moreover, look for UCMapi.exe and if it is running then also end process it.

13. Open Outlook in Safe Mode and Disable Outlook Add-ins

Add-ins help you to get things done right from your inbox. But sometimes these Add-ins start to conflict with the legitimate operation of Outlook. Salesforce (Standard Salesforce plug-in is discontinued for new users in the winter of 2019, therefore, ensure that you have succeeding tools installed), Skype For Business and iTunes add-ins are known to create the current issue for Outlook. Outlook has a built-in Safe Mode, in which Outlook Runs without these add-ins. Running Outlook in Safe Mode may solve the problem.

1. Exit Outlook.
2. Press Windows+R buttons simultaneously to open Run command.
3. Type Outlook.exe /safe (There is a space after Outlook and the /) and then click OK.

If Windows can’t find Outlook.exe /safe, try using the full path to Outlook.exe.

Now check if Outlook is operating fine. If it is working fine then disable Outlook Add-ins one by one by using the following steps

1. Open Outlook in normal mode and then click on the File tab and in the left pane of the window click on Options.
   

   

2. Now click on Add-Ins.
   

   

3. Locate the “Manage” dropdown list and select which type of add-ins you would like to enable/disable e.g. COM Add-ins and then click on “Go”.
   

   

4. Now uncheck all the Add-in and restart the Outlook and check if outlook has started to work normally. If so, then enable add-ins one by one to find out the problematic one and then keep it disabled. Now search for an updated version of that problematic add-in and install that updated version to see if it solves the problem.

14. Repair the PST File

When you perform Send/Receive operation in Outlook, then Outlook uses the user’s folders to fetch out the required data. A PST file is used for this purpose but if the PST file is corrupt, then this corruption can cause the timeout error message. SCANPST.EXE is a built-in utility by Microsoft to fix the corruption of PST and using this utility to repair the PST file may solve the problem.

1. Exit Outlook.
2. Click on the Windows button and then in the search box type Outlook and in the resulting list, Right-click on Outlook and then click on “Open File Location”.

   

3. You will be directed to the following folder of shortcuts of startup programs.

   C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

   In the folder, Right-click on the shortcut icon of Outlook and then again click on the “Open File Location”.

   

4. You will be directed to the following Office folder.

   C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16

   Now in this Office folder, find and right-click the SCANPST.EXE and then click on “Run as Administrator”.

   

5. Now in the Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair windows click on the Browse button.T hen select the PST file to be repaired. (Location of the PST file is explained at the end of solution’s steps).

   

6. Then click on the Start button to start scanning the PST file.
7. After completion of the scan, check the option Make a backup of scanned file before repairing.
8. Then click Repair. A Repair complete message will be displayed if the repairing was successful. If the Inbox Repair Tool was unable to repair the file, you will need to use the backup of your file.
9. After the repair is complete, Launch Outlook and check if Outlook has started to operate without any issue.

The location of the PST file varies for different users depending upon different factors like Outlook version, Windows version, and how the user’s account is configured. Following locations are the default locations of the PST file for the Windows version:

drive:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

drive:\Users\<username>\Roaming\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

drive:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

15. Delete the Old Outlook Profile and Create a New Outlook Profile

‘The time limit for logging on was reached Outlook’ error could occur due to the wrong configuration of a user profile or a corrupted user profile. In that case, deleting the current user profile and creating a new one may solve the problem. Keep in mind that this step completely deletes your Outlook profile, and you have to create a new one and reconfigure your connection.

1. Exit Outlook.
2. Press the Windows key and type Control Panel, in the resulting list click on Control Panel.
   

   

3. Near the top right corner, change View by from Category to Large.
   

   

4. Now click on Mail.

   

5. Then in the Mail Setup, click on Show Profiles.
   

   

6. Now select the current Outlook profile and then click on Remove to delete the current profile.

   

7. Now click on the Windows button and type “Registry Editor” and in the results, right-click on Registry Editor and then click on “Run as Administrator”.

   

8. In the registry editor, navigate to the following registry key which depends upon your version of Outlook
   

• Outlook 2019, 2016 & 365:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Profiles

• Outlook 2013:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook\Profiles

• Outlook 2010 and older:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem