You’re presenting in 90 seconds. Outlook freezes when you click ‘Send’. The ribbon flickers. A pop-up says ‘Add-in is not responding’. You don’t have time to reboot — and restarting won’t fix it if the add-in reloads automatically.
Quick Answer
To disable Outlook plugins: open File > Options > Add-ins, select COM Add-ins from the Manage dropdown, click Go…, then uncheck the ones you want off. That’s it for most users — but this only disables them for your profile, not globally, and won’t touch web-based add-ins or those loaded via Group Policy.
All the Methods
| Method | Steps | Best For | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| COM Add-ins dialog (GUI) | File > Options > Add-ins > Manage: COM Add-ins > Go… > uncheck items | Most users; immediate effect; no admin rights needed | Doesn’t affect Exchange-deployed add-ins or Outlook on the web |
| Safe Mode startup | Hold Ctrl while launching Outlook > click Yes to start in Safe Mode | Troubleshooting crashes; isolating problematic add-ins | Temporary only; all add-ins disabled; no ribbon customizations load |
| Registry edit (Windows only) | Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Addins\[AddinName], set LoadBehavior to 2 |
IT admins; persistent per-user disable; works even if GUI is broken | Requires regedit access; version-specific key path (16.0 = Outlook 365/2021, 15.0 = 2013/2016); dangerous if misapplied |
| Outlook on the web (OWA) settings | Settings gear > View all Outlook settings > General > Manage add-ins > toggle off | People using OWA full-time or on Mac/Linux | Only affects web interface; some add-ins (e.g., Microsoft Teams) can’t be toggled here |
| Group Policy (Enterprise) | Configure Outlook > Security > Disable COM Add-ins or use Add-in Management policy | Companies managing hundreds of Outlook installs | Requires domain admin access; doesn’t override user-level enable/disable unless enforced |
| Exchange Admin Center (EAC) | Recipients > Mailboxes > [User] > Mailbox features > Manage add-ins | Disabling add-ins across an entire org or for specific users | Only applies to Exchange-deployed add-ins (not local COM); requires EAC permissions |
Method Details
COM Add-ins dialog — the standard way
This is what most people mean when they ask how to disable plugins in Outlook. It’s simple, but has quirks. First: make sure you’re in the right Outlook version. In Outlook 365 (build 2308+), the Add-ins tab appears under File > Options — but in Outlook 2019, it’s still under File > Options > Add-ins. No difference in steps once you’re there.
Click Go… next to COM Add-ins. You’ll see a list like:
- Adobe PDFMaker Office COM Add-in
- Zoom for Outlook
- Grammarly for Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Teams Meeting Add-in
- Salesforce for Outlook
Uncheck any you don’t need. Click OK. Outlook will prompt you to restart — but it’s not always required. Some add-ins reload only on new mail composition or calendar event creation. Try sending a test email first before closing Outlook.
Here’s what most people miss: disabling an add-in here does not uninstall it. It just stops loading at startup. And if that add-in is deployed via Group Policy or Exchange, it may reappear after your next sync or reboot. I’ve seen this trip up even experienced users who thought they’d “fixed” the problem — only to find Grammarly back two days later.
Safe Mode — your emergency brake
Press and hold Ctrl while double-clicking the Outlook icon. Keep holding until you see the prompt: “Do you want to start Outlook in Safe Mode?” Click Yes. You’ll get a stripped-down Outlook: no ribbon customizations, no third-party tabs, no add-ins. Everything loads faster. If Outlook behaves normally here, you’ve confirmed an add-in is the culprit.
This isn’t a permanent fix — but it’s the fastest diagnostic. Once you’re in Safe Mode, go to File > Options > Add-ins and disable items one by one, restarting normally each time, until the issue disappears. (This took me three days to figure out originally — I kept disabling things in normal mode, assuming the change was instant.)
Pro tip: Safe Mode also bypasses startup scripts and auto-loading rules. So if Outlook hangs on launch, Safe Mode tells you whether the problem is add-in related or something deeper — like a corrupted PST or bad send/receive setting.
Registry method — for stubborn cases
This works when the GUI is frozen, Outlook won’t open, or the add-in keeps re-enabling itself. Open regedit.exe. Navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Addins\Zoom.OutlookAddin
The 16.0 means Outlook 365 or Outlook 2021. For Outlook 2019, use 15.0. For Outlook 2016, also 15.0. Look for the LoadBehavior DWORD value. Set it to 2 to disable, 3 to enable, 0 to prohibit loading entirely (even if enabled elsewhere).
Important: Don’t delete the key. Just change LoadBehavior. Deleting it may cause Outlook to recreate it with default settings — and re-enable the add-in. Also, this only affects your Windows profile. If someone else logs into the same machine, their add-ins remain untouched.
One counterintuitive thing: some add-ins (like Salesforce) write their own registry entries outside this path — often under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. Those require admin rights to modify and are usually managed centrally. Don’t touch those unless you’re certain — or have IT approval.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut | Alt Sequence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Outlook Options | Alt+F+T | Alt > F > T | Works in all versions since Outlook 2010 |
| Jump to Add-ins page | — | Alt > F > T > Alt+A | After Alt+F+T, press Alt+A to focus Add-ins section |
| Start Outlook in Safe Mode | Ctrl + launch | — | Hold Ctrl *before* Outlook process starts — not after |
| Open Trust Center | Alt+F+T+T | Alt > F > T > T | Useful for checking macro or add-in security settings |
Cheat Sheet
| Scenario | What to Do | Where to Find It | Time Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outlook is slow or crashing | Start in Safe Mode (Ctrl + launch), then disable one by one | Windows Start menu / desktop shortcut | 2 minutes |
| You want to disable Zoom or Grammarly permanently | File > Options > Add-ins > Manage: COM Add-ins > Go… > uncheck | Outlook desktop app | 45 seconds |
| Add-in reappears after reboot | Check Exchange Admin Center > Recipients > Mailbox > Manage add-ins | outlook.office.com/ecp | 3 minutes (requires admin access) |
| Using Outlook on the web only | Settings gear > View all Outlook settings > General > Manage add-ins | outlook.office.com | 1 minute |
| Outlook won’t open at all | Edit registry: set LoadBehavior=2 for suspect add-in |
regedit.exe → HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Addins | 5 minutes (backup registry first) |
| Managing 50+ users | Deploy Group Policy: Computer Config > Admin Templates > Microsoft Outlook > Security > Disable COM Add-ins | Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) | 10–15 minutes setup, then automatic |
