Microsoft shares temp fix for Outlook Desktop slow saving bug

Microsoft is investigating a known issue causing Microsoft 365 customers to experience significant delays when saving attachments in Outlook Desktop to a network share.

This bug is known to affect Outlook Desktop when it is configured to save attachments to a network path.

Users experiencing this problem will see a "Trying to connect" dialog box displayed multiple minutes before the "Save As" dialog eventually loads.

The problem is confirmed in M365 Apps, specifically from Current Channel Version 2304 (Build 16327.20214) and Monthly Enterprise Channel Version 2304 (Build 16327.20324).

Microsoft addressed a similar bug affecting apps in the Office Suite (i.e., Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) in February when the company acknowledged that the issue also impacted saving email attachments to a network share.

​While Outlook, Office, and Windows Teams are still investigating the issue and working on a fix, Redmond provided a temporary solution for impacted users.

To workaround this known issue, you must revert to an earlier M365 Apps build and set the WebClient Windows service to no longer start at login.

To do that, you will have to go through the following steps:

• Rollback the M365 Apps for a previous build: How to revert to an earlier version of Office.
• Set the WebClient service Startup type to Disabled through Windows Services:

1. 1. Open services.msc from Run (Win+R).
   2. Find the WebClient service and open its properties.
   3. Stop the service and change the Startup type to Disabled.

On Friday, Microsoft also provided a workaround for a bug causing Outlook Desktop to block opening FQDN (fully qualified domain name) or IP address hyperlinks after installing the July 2023 security updates.

However, the company warns that applying the workaround might increase the attack surface on affected systems, exposing the users and their data to attacks.

In June, Redmond shared another temporary fix for an issue affecting Outlook for Microsoft 365 customers, triggering slow starts and freezes.