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Failed to launch Outlook

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Posted on by Alexut

Hi, when trying to automate an email reply, but it seems i get the error in the title when trying to use Launch Outlook in windows 11.

Is it that Outlook is not identified as the basic "Email" app that comes with windows11 and I need to install the office suite one?

Value cannot be null.
Parameter name: type: Microsoft.Flow.RPA.Desktop.Robin.SDK.ActionException: Failed to launch Outlook ---> System.ArgumentNullException: Value cannot be null.
Parameter name: type
at System.Activator.CreateInstance(Type type, Boolean nonPublic)
at System.Activator.CreateInstance(Type type)
at Microsoft.Flow.RPA.Desktop.Modules.Outlook.Actions.OutlookActions.LaunchOutlook(Variant& outlookInstance)
--- End of inner exception stack trace ---
at Microsoft.Flow.RPA.Desktop.Modules.Outlook.Actions.LaunchOutlook.Execute(ActionContext context)
at Microsoft.Flow.RPA.Desktop.Robin.Engine.ActionRunner.RunAction(String action, Dictionary`2 inputArguments, Dictionary`2 outputArguments, IActionStatement statement)

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Power Automate Desktop

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Highboy 1,187 Super User 2024 Season 1 on at

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Running Windows 11, PAD version 2.14.
No problems with launching Outlook.
Can you start outlook manually?

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Alexut 4 on at

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Yes, both windows and power automate are updated to the latest version. Do you open the "Email" outlook app that comes to windows or the office one? I suspect that windows dosen't identify "Email" as Outlook, although the file name is still outlook.

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Highboy 1,187 Super User 2024 Season 1 on at

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Office. (Which is the one that PAD always open, as far as I know.)
If you dont have Outlook installed, you can use this (smtp server)

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Shiv_Tangentia 3 on at

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Encountered the same issue. Please help with the same. Failed to Launch Outlook as it says.

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DevHebri 2 on at

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The outlook app is already open, so this error triggers; if you close it and run the flow, it will work without an error.

Before running the outlook launch flow, we need to check whether the outlook programme is already running or not with an if statement.

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Lucas_Eduardo 62 on at

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I was facing the same problem. Before I start Outlook I just used the "End Process" PAD function to close any outlook process.

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Phil_R 4 on at

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Strange because this has been working fine for over a year but since the last update the flow fails. Will try and check but I start the flow based on an email I receive.

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Squizza 4 on at

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I had this same problem.
resetting the PC seems to of helped, but I don't know if this is a temp fix.

maybe I may look into adding a reset in, as I've been using it to do reports since winautomate.

i hope this helps in the short term

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123letii 32 on at

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I was able to work around this. You can use the "Send email" action. And then for the SMTP server, if you're using a hotmail address, the SMTP server is smtp-mail.outlook.com and port 587. I also selected enabe SSL, but not sure you need that. Then you will select server requires authentication. You will input the email address and password. That worked for me

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