Clearing the cache fixes Outlook's 'Your message can't be displayed right now' error, Engadget guide says

Outlook's cache keeps temporary files so that mail loads faster, Engadget reported. When those files become corrupted or overloaded, they can cause a range of problems, including the display error. Deleting the cache does not remove emails, calendar events or contacts; it forces Outlook to create new copies of the messages and to re-sync the inbox.

On Windows, the guide tells users to close Outlook completely, press Win+R to open the Run dialog, paste the path %localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook\RoamCache, and delete every file in the RoamCache folder. On macOS, users open Outlook, click Tools and then Accounts in the upper toolbar, select their account in the left panel, click the three dots, choose Reset Account and confirm. If the desktop fix does not work, Engadget suggests uninstalling and reinstalling the Outlook app.

Web users should clear cookies and site data for the Outlook site rather than erasing all browsing data, which would sign them out of every other website. In Microsoft Edge, the guide first advises turning off syncing under Settings, Profiles and Sync so that the change affects only the current device, then opening Outlook, clicking the lock icon in the address bar, choosing Cookies and site data and then Cookies, removing each Outlook entry listed under Allowed, and refreshing the page to sign back in. As a fallback, Edge users can press F12, open the Application panel, select Storage, tick the boxes under Clear site data and choose Clear selected.

In Chrome, the guide points to F12 and a right-click on the refresh button, followed by Empty Cache and Hard Reload. If that fails, users can click the site information icon next to the address bar, open Cookies and site data and then Manage on-device site data, delete each Outlook entry and sign in again. In Firefox, the equivalent is the shield icon, Clear cookies and site data and a second confirmation; in Safari, users go to Safari, then Settings, then the Privacy section and Manage Website Data, search for Outlook, select its entries and remove them.

If none of these steps resolves the problem, Engadget says to check browser extensions, since ad blockers and privacy tools can interfere with how Outlook works. Trying the mailbox in another browser can identify the cause: if it loads normally elsewhere, the fault lies with the original browser.

The error is one of several Outlook problems reported in 2026. Engadget noted that Microsoft issued multiple emergency Outlook patches earlier in the year after the service became unusable for many people, and that the Artemis II crew had to seek technical support for Outlook issues.