There are a few reasons why you may want to reset your sidebar. Over time, you may realize that you have added so many folders to your favourites on your sidebar that you don't even know where to begin cleaning them up, if this is the case it might be easier just to reset your sidebar. Also, sometimes your sidebar stops working correctly, resetting it will almost certainly fix the issue. Resetting your sidebar is a two part process. In the first part you will need to add Outlook to your Desktop (it must be done using the method provided in this document) and the second part will be the actual process of resetting the sidebar.

Note: Part I can be used to add any programs to your Desktop.

***Before you start, check to see if Outlook is already on your desktop, if it is proceed to Part II.

Part I:

1. Right click anywhere on your desktop, select "New" and then select "Shortcut."

2. Select "Computer," more options will drop down, you want to find your "C" drive, which will say something and then "(C:)," in this example the C drive is circled in red.

3. Scroll down to "Program Files" and select it. On a 32-bit machine select "Program Files," on a 64-bit machine with 32-bit Windows select "Program Files (x86)," if you have a 64-bit Machine with 64-bit Office it will be in "Program Files." This example was done on a 64-bit machine with a 32 bit version of office.

4. Scroll down and select "Office14" (the number might be different depending on your version on office).

5. The "Office14" dropdown will be quite long, scroll down until you find "OUTLOOK."

6. It should look like this, (circled in red) double click.

7. A "Create Shortcut" dialogue box will appear, select "Next."

8. Here you may choose any name that you would like to say under your shortcut. We chose "OUTLOOK" but you may want something more unique such as "Reset Outlook sidebar." Now select "Finish."

9. Now OUTLOOK will appear on your Desktop.

Part II

10. Right click on the "Outlook" icon and navigate to "Properties."

11. The dialogue box beside "Target" needs to be altered; without deleting anything, move your cursor to the end of the text. Note: This is the part of the process that requires Outlook to be put on the Desktop using the method in Part I of this document. If the dialogue box  shown below is unalterable you must delete this shortcut off of your desktop (Simply right click and select "delete") and readd it by following steps 1 through 9 in Part I.

12. After the existing text, type " /resetnavpane," Be sure not to forget the space before the forward slash. Select "OK."

13. If this process was done correctly your sidebar should have been reset, this means that your favourites will be cleared and any stranded mailboxes will no longer be visible.

desktop

BES

WAN

MAC