New Outlook stopped opening PDF files 3 days ago

Paul Rose 0 Reputation points
2026-10-06T19:07:10.53+00:00

I have 3 google email accounts that I access through outlook. As of a few days ago I could open all PDF files no matter which email account I was using. Just recently I can't open PDF files on one of those accounts. I've logged into that specific email account through Google and have no issues opening the PDFs there. I've removed the email account from outlook and added it back, same issue. This is the error message. "Something went wrong while the document preview was being created. Please try again later"

How can I fix this? I don't want to have to forward emails from the one to another just so I can open the PDFs or log in through the website. Oh ya, my options when I click the down arrow button beside the PDF are only open and copy. Download is no longer an option when it use to be.

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For home
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  1. Emma1-N 13,430 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-10-06T23:55:06.9066667+00:00

    Welcome Paul Rose,

    Thank you for the detailed description. Since the PDFs open correctly when you access the same Gmail account directly through Google's website, but not from that account in New Outlook, it appears the issue may be related to how New Outlook is handling attachments for that specific account rather than the PDF files themselves.

    Before suggesting more advanced troubleshooting, could you please confirm a few details?

    • Is the affected Google account a standard Gmail account or a Google Workspace account?
    • When you click the PDF attachment, does the error appear for every PDF in that account or only certain messages?
    • If you right-click the PDF attachment, do you see any additional options besides "Open" and "Copy"?
    • Have you already tried signing out of New Outlook and signing back in with your Microsoft account?

    In the meantime, please try these quick checks:

    • Open New Outlook and select Settings > General > Privacy and data and ensure connected experiences are enabled.
    • Check for Outlook updates by selecting Settings > General > About Outlook and verify that you are running the latest version.
    • Test whether the same PDF opens when New Outlook is started in a fresh Windows user profile.

    Looking forward to your update.

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