How to Fix “The Operation cannot be Performed because the Message has been Changed” in Outlook?

You may encounter the error – “The operation cannot be performed because the message has been changed,” when Outlook cannot complete the action you were trying to perform, such as sending an email, deleting a mail item, moving an email from Inbox to another folder, or updating a mail item.

This issue can disrupt your day-to-day email communication and workflow. For resolving the issue, you should identify and understand the root cause behind it. In this guide, we will discuss the causes of this error and see how to fix it.

Causes behind the “Operation cannot be Performed because the Message has been Changed” Error in Outlook

There can be several reasons that can cause Outlook to display this error. Some of them are listed below:

1. Outlook AutoSave Feature Updates the Item: Outlook’s AutoSave feature periodically saves changes to emails and meeting requests. If AutoSave feature is updating the item while you are still editing it, Outlook may detect a version conflict and display the error.

2. Mailbox Synchronization Issues: When Outlook synchronizes the mailbox data with the mail server, changes made on the server can overwrite or update the local copy. If synchronization occurs while the mail item you are working on is open, a conflict may arise, causing the error.

3. Multiple Devices Accessing the Same Mailbox: If the same email account is open on multiple devices, such as Outlook on a desktop, laptop, or mobile phone, changes made on one device can conflict with another device.

4. Shared Mailbox or Delegate Access: In shared mailboxes or delegate scenarios, another user may update the same email or calendar item while you are editing it, resulting in a version mismatch.

5. Corrupted Outlook Data File: Damaged or corrupted data file (PST) may cause Outlook to incorrectly detect changes or fail to read the data, generating the error message.

6. Conversation Clean Up Feature: Outlook’s Conversation Clean Up feature can move or remove redundant messages from a conversation. If a message is modified during this process, Outlook may be unable to complete the requested operation.

7. Corrupted Outlook Profile: If your profile is corrupted, Outlook may have trouble synchronizing mailbox items, updating messages, or performing certain actions correctly.

8. Damaged Outlook/MS Office Installation Files: Damaged or corrupted installation files of the Outlook/MS Office program can also prevent the application from performing certain functions properly.

9. Incompatible Add-ins: Faulty or incompatible add-ins in Outlook can interfere with normal functioning of application, resulting in the error.

10. Conflicting Antivirus Software: Sometimes, antivirus software can interfere with normal functionality of Outlook, causing errors when performing actions.

Quick Workarounds to Fix the “Operation cannot be Performed because the Message has been Changed” Error in Outlook

You can first try the following simple workarounds to fix the issue.

1. Close and Reopen the Message

Sometimes, Outlook displays the error because the message or meeting you are working on is not the recent copy. You can close the mail item and open it again. This can refresh the item and resolve temporary version conflicts.

2. Save the Changes and Retry

If you have made changes to an email or meeting request, save your work before attempting the operation again. This creates an updated version of the item that Outlook can synchronize, avoiding conflicts between the open and stored copies.

3. Wait for Mailbox Synchronization to Complete

If mailbox synchronization is in progress while you are editing an item, Outlook may detect a mismatch and trigger the error. In such a case, you can wait for the sync process to complete.

4. Restart Outlook

Sometimes, temporary glitches, synchronization delays, or caching issues can cause Outlook to incorrectly detect changes. Restart the application to refresh it, reload mailbox data, and clear temporary issues.

Methods to Resolve “Operation cannot be Performed because the Message has been Changed” Error in Outlook

If the workarounds mentioned above didn’t work for you, follow the methods mentioned below to fix the issue.

Method 1: Close Multiple Instances of the Email

The error may occur if the same email is opened in multiple Outlook windows or views at the same time. For example, the email is opened in a separate window, displayed in the Reading Pane, or opened as a draft, reply, or forwarded message. When Outlook detects multiple versions of the same email, it may be unable to determine which version contains the latest changes. This can create conflict, preventing the application from completing the requested action.

You can check if the email is opened in any additional windows and close them. Then, try moving, replying to, deleting, or sending the message again.

Method 2: Temporarily Disable Security Applications

At times, security applications, such as antivirus, can interfere with Outlook’s normal functionality, which may cause delays in updating messages or create conflicts when Outlook tries to modify, move, send, or synchronize an item.

To check whether your security application is causing the issue, you can temporarily disable it and then perform the action again. If the error no longer appears, then configure the application to exclude Outlook processes from scanning.   

Note: Disable the security application temporarily and for testing only. Enable it once the issue is resolved.

Method 3: Remove Faulty Add-ins

A faulty or incompatible add-in can interfere with normal functioning of Outlook, resulting in the error. To identify the faulty add-in and remove it, follow the steps below:

• Close Outlook and press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Enter Outlook /safe in the Open field and click OK.

If you are able to perform the action without encountering the error while Outlook is running in Safe Mode, it means one or more add-ins are likely causing the problem. In that case, follow these steps to identify and remove the problematic add-in:

• Go to File > Options. This opens the Outlook Options window.
• Select Add–Ins. In the Manage option at the bottom-left side of the window, choose COM Add-ins.

• Now, click Go. This will open a list of all the add-ins currently installed in your Outlook.
• Uncheck all the add-ins in the list and click OK to disable them.

• Now, check one add-in at a time and restart Outlook. This enables you to identify the add-in(s) that’s causing the error. Once you have identified, remove the add-in permanently.

Method 4: Change the Conversation Clean Up Settings

The Conversation Clean Up feature automatically removes duplicate, redundant messages from a conversation (email thread). In some cases, this process may conflict with messages that Outlook is currently updating or syncing. To check whether this feature is causing the issue, try changing the Conversation Clean Up settings. Follow the steps below:

• Start Outlook, navigate to File > Options, and choose the Mail option.
• In the Mail window, find Conversation Clean Up and uncheck the When a reply modifies a message, don’t move the original checkbox.

Now, close and start Outlook again. If you still encounter the error, uncheck all the options in the Conversation Clean Up section.

Method 5: Change the Save Messages Settings

You can also try to disable the “Automatically save items” option in the Save message section. Here are the step-by-step instructions:

• In Outlook, go to File > Options.

• In the Outlook Options window, select Mail and find the Save Messages option.
• In the Save Messages section, uncheck Automatically save items that have not been sent and click OK.

• Now, restart Outlook and see if the error is fixed.

Note: Disabling this setting prevents Outlook from automatically saving draft messages. If the application closes unexpectedly, unsaved changes to emails or meeting requests may be lost. Once the issue is resolved, re-enable the option.

Method 6: Repair Outlook/MS Office Program

You might face this error if there is damage or corruption in the installation files of the Outlook/MS Office program. In this scenario, you can repair the MS Office program. Follow these steps:

• Close Outlook and all other Office applications.
• Open Settings in Windows.
• Go to Apps > Installed Apps (or Apps & Features in older Windows versions).

• Locate Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office in the list of installed applications.
• Click the three-dot (or select the application) and choose Modify.

• Select one of the following repair options:
  • Quick Repair: Performs a fast repair using files already available on your device.
  • Online Repair: Performs a more thorough repair by downloading fresh Office files from Microsoft website.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the repair process.
• Restart your computer and then launch Outlook.

Note: Start with Quick Repair. If the issue persists, then run Online Repair as it can fix more extensive installation problems.

Method 7: Create a New Outlook Profile

An Outlook profile contains the settings that Outlook uses to connect to and manage your email account. If your profile becomes damaged, the email client may have trouble synchronizing mailbox data, updating messages, or performing certain actions correctly. These issues can lead to errors and issues. To fix the problem, you can create a new profile in Outlook. If it works normally with the new profile, then you can remove the previous corrupted one.

Method 8: Repair the Outlook Data File (PST)

If your PST file is corrupted, it can lead to various issues, including message synchronization problems, folder access errors, and others. In such cases, you can repair your PST file to resolve the problem.

Microsoft provides a built-in utility called Inbox Repair Tool (SCANPST.exe) that scans PST files for inconsistencies and repair them. You can go to the SCANPST location and use it to repair the PST file. While it works well for minor corruption, it may be unable to repair severely damaged or large files.

If SCANPST cannot resolve the issue, you can consider using a specialized PST repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for Outlook. The tool is designed to scan damaged PST files and restore emails, contacts, calendars, notes, attachments, and other items. It can also handle large PST files and recover data from files that cannot be repaired using the built-in Inbox Repair Tool.

After the repair process, the recovered mailbox data is saved in a new PST file, which can then be imported into Outlook. This helps ensure that the repaired data is stored in a clean and usable data file.

Watch this video to know how Stellar Repair for Outlook works:

Conclusion

The error “The operation cannot be performed because the message has been changed” usually occurs when Outlook detects a conflict between the version of an email or calendar item you are working on and the version stored in the mailbox. This can happen due to synchronization issues, Outlook add-ins, AutoSave settings, Conversation Clean Up feature, profile corruption, or problems with Outlook data file. Above, we have mentioned the fixes to resolve this error. These approaches will help you to restore normal Outlook functionality and prevent the error from recurring.