4 Ways to Fix Microsoft Outlook Not Saving Drafts on Windows

Quick Tips

• Ensure you have configured the Outlook app to save email drafts automatically.
• Use Outlook to see if a third-party add-in prevents the app from saving drafts.
• If the issue persists, run Microsoft’s Office repair tool to fix problems with the Outlook app.

Try Basic Fixes

• Use Outlook search to locate the draft: Outlook may sometimes fail to sort your drafts correctly, making it difficult to locate them. You can try using Outlook’s search bar to locate your draft and see if it works.
• Check if the draft is available on Outlook’s web app: Temporary issues with the Outlook app on your PC can prevent it from showing your drafts after saving them. If that’s the case, your drafts should show up in Outlook for the web. If they appear on the web version, try running Outlook in safe mode.

Fix 1: Configure Outlook to Autosave Email to Drafts

You should also ensure that Outlook is set up to automatically save unsent emails to the Drafts folder. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Open the Outlook app on your PC and click the File menu at the top-left corner.

Step 2: Select Options from the left sidebar.

Step 3: In the Outlook Options window, switch to the Mail tab. Check the box for Automatically save items that have not been sent after this many minutes and enter your preferred duration in the text box.

Step 4: Use the drop-down menu to select Drafts and hit OK.

Fix 2: Disable Cached Exchange Mode in Outlook

With the Cached Exchange Mode enabled, Outlook stores a copy of your mailbox within the local data file. However, this feature can sometimes cause problems and prevent Outlook from saving your drafts. To check for this possibility, disable this feature momentarily by following the steps below.

Step 1: Open the Outlook app and click the File menu at the top-left corner.

Step 2: In the Info tab, click on Account Settings > select Account Settings from the list.

Step 3: Select your email account and click on Change.

Step 4: Uncheck the box for Use Cached Exchange Mode to download email to an Outlook data file and hit Next.

Fix 3: Open Outlook in Safe Mode

Opening the Outlook app in safe mode allows you to run the app without any add-ins. This can help determine whether Outlook cannot save drafts due to interference from a third-party add-in.

To start Outlook in safe mode, press and hold the Ctrl key and double-click the Outlook shortcut. Click Yes when the confirmation prompt appears.

If Outlook saves and displays your drafts as usual while in safe mode, you can disable all the add-ins and re-enable them one by one to find the specific add-ins causing the issue. Here’s how.

Step 1: In the Outlook app, go to File > Options.

Step 2: In the Outlook Options window, switch to the Add-ins tab. Use the drop-down menu next to Manage > select COM Add-ins > click on Go.

Step 3: Uncheck all the boxes to disable add-ins and click OK.

After completing the above steps, restart Outlook in normal mode and enable your add-ins one at a time until the issue occurs again. After you find the troublesome add-in, consider removing it.

Fix 4: Run the Office Repair Tool

If Outlook can’t save drafts after applying the above fixes, use Microsoft’s Office repair tool to repair the app. This tool can automatically find and fix common issues with all your Office apps, including Outlook. Here’s how to run it.

Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon and select Installed apps.

Step 2: Scroll down to locate the Microsoft Office product on the list. Click the three horizontal dots and select Modify.

Step 3: Select Online Repair > click Repair.