Outlook Calendar Frozen with popup

Milos, Molly 20 Reputation points
2025-08-18T20:00:58.5433333+00:00

User's image Screenshot 2025-08-18 at 2.46.28 PM

Hi! I cannot close an event I tried to make in outlook's calendar. I cannot shut down or restart the computer and I cannot even update the app as I am met with a message that says I need to close outlook first, however I cannot close the app at all due to this popup. Not sure how else I can try to exit out of the app.

Outlook | MacOS | New Outlook for Mac | For education
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  1. Nghia-P 3,165 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-08-19T03:06:55.2933333+00:00

    Hi Milos, Molly

    Welcome to Microsoft Q&A Forum!

    Have a good day and I hope you're doing well!

    Please understand that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your question to cover your organization domain name in the description. Please notice to hide these personal or organization information next time you post error or some information to protect personal data. 

    First and foremost, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you're experiencing with Microsoft Outlook on your Mac. I understand that the calendar being frozen (unable to add events), along with the "Microsoft Outlook interrupted logout" popup preventing you from quitting the app or even shutting down/restarting your machine, is a very frustrating issue that impacts your educational work (especially with an education account on New Outlook for Mac). We appreciate you sharing the details, and I'm committed to helping you resolve this as quickly and safely as possible. 

    Based on your description, this is a common issue related to cache or sync problems, and we can address it step by step without needing to restart your machine right away. I'll guide you through simple steps, starting with force quitting the app to remove the stuck popup. If the screen is completely frozen (not responding to the mouse), try using keyboard shortcuts to activate Force Quit. Please follow the steps below in order, and check if the issue improves after each one. If you need further assistance, reply to this email with details or screenshots. 

    This is a key step to "free up" the app without restarting your machine right away. 

    • Click the Apple logo () in the top-left corner of the Menu Bar. 
    • Select Force Quit... from the menu.  User's image
      • In the window that appears, select Microsoft Outlook (or "Outlook"). 
      • Click Force Quit in the bottom-right corner. 
      • Repeat for any other open Microsoft apps (like Word or Excel). 

    If the screen is completely frozen (can't click): Try using the keyboard shortcut Command + Option + Esc to open the Force Quit window directly. Then, use the arrow keys to select Outlook and press Enter to Force Quit. If it's still stuck, you can use Activity Monitor: Press Command + Space to open Spotlight, type "Activity Monitor" and press Enter; find "Outlook" in the list, click on it, then press Quit > Force Quit

    User's image

    After this step, try reopening Outlook and repeating the operations (like adding an event to the calendar, logging out, and quitting) to see if the issue is resolved. 

     

    If Force Quit helps temporarily but the issue returns, clear the cache to remove corrupted temporary data. You can follow the detailed instructions at the official link below (it will guide you through safe steps on your Mac): Clear the cache in Outlook for Mac

    • After clearing, reopen Outlook. The app will automatically sync data from the server (this may take a few minutes). 

    To ensure your data (emails, calendar, contacts) is safely synced and fully backed up on the Microsoft server (so nothing is lost after clearing the cache): 

    • Open a browser and go to: https://outlook.office.com
    • Sign in with your account. 
    • Check Calendar (try adding an event), Mail, and Contacts. If the data is complete and matches what you remember, sync is done. The desktop app will reload it when opened. If anything is missing, wait an additional 5-10 minutes for automatic sync, or contact us for further backup support. 

    According to what I've practiced on virtual platforms, when it's frozen, I often do this and wait for 5-10 minutes, and it can resolve the issue. I believe these steps will help you resolve the problem quickly. Please save this information in case a similar situation occurs; it can help you handle it. I hope this information will be helpful to you.

    If you encounter any difficulties with any step or the issue persists, feel free to let me know. Thank you for your patience, and have a great day! 


    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".User's image Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.  

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  1. Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 425.8K Reputation points
    2025-08-18T21:19:42.5066667+00:00

    Did you click the Try Again button? What happened?

    Have you tried pressing esc?

    If all else fails click the , select Force Quit then apply to Outlook.

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