Salesforce for Outlook Side Panel Fails to Load

The Salesforce for Outlook (SFO) side panel may fail to load for a number of reasons. Review each section below in order before opening a Support Case. After completing each step, restart Outlook and SFO to verify whether the side panel loads.

Common Causes

• Issues Downloading Salesforce for Outlook
• Office/Outlook 2010 - Common Issues
• Office/Outlook 2013/2016/O365 .NET Programmability Support
• SFO Side Panel and Outlook Configuration
• Windows 8 or 10 User Issues
• Outlook Integration and Salesforce for Outlook are both enabled
• Outlook Integration User Mapping
• Upgrading from an older version of SFO
• Outlook Add-in is Not Running
• Outlook Add-in is Hidden
• Outlook Add-in in an Inactive Status
• Not Running SFO as Administrator
• Incorrect Windows Registry SFO key entries
• Side Panel is Hidden in Outlook
• Installation Failed or Corrupted
• Missing Microsoft .NET components
• Microsoft .NET 4.5.x Issues
• Connectivity Issues
• Hidden Errors when Loading Outlook

Issues Downloading Salesforce for Outlook

When downloading the Salesforce for Outlook installer, pay attention to the way the file gets downloaded. The installer is about 30MB and it should take a few seconds to download, no matter how fast the internet speed.
When you click on the Save button, you may notice that the download starts from 30%–40% and then completes at 100% very quickly. You need to make sure the download starts at a lower number and takes about 10–15 seconds to finish. Otherwise, the downloaded file may be corrupt and must be downloaded again.

Office/Outlook 2010 - Common Issues

If you have Outlook 2010, verify that Service Pack 2 is installed. Click HERE for more information on how to determine the version of the Service Pack installed on your computer.

Office/Outlook 2013/2016/O365 .NET Programmability Support

If you have Office 2013/2016/O365 installed, verify that Microsoft Office .NET Programmability Support is installed as part of your Office installation package.

1. On the list of installed programs
2. For Microsoft Office 2013 or 2016: a. Click on Change | Add Remove Features. b. Expand Microsoft Outlook. c. The first option is .NET Programmability Support. d. Verify Run from My Computer option is selected. e. Click Run from My Computer.
3. For Office 365, you do not have the Add Remove Features option. Do an Online Repair; do not perform a Quick Repair.

SFO Side Panel and Outlook Configuration

No Outlook Configuration is needed for the user to load and use the side panel unless the user is assigned to another Outlook Configuration with the side panel disabled. Have your Salesforce administrator check your Outlook Configuration to make sure the side panel is enabled for your username.

Windows 8 or 10 User Issues

If you are running Windows 8.x or 10, review Salesforce for Outlook - Side Panel fails to load in Windows 8 or 10.

Outlook Integration and Salesforce for Outlook are Both Enabled

Review 'Salesforce For Outlook' side panel fails to load when you also use 'Outlook Integration' for expected behavior and known issues when both Outlook Integration and Salesforce for Outlook are enabled.

Outlook Integration User Mapping

1. In Salesforce, navigate to User Mapping.
   1. In Salesforce Classic: Setup | Outlook Integration and Sync | Settings | Outlook Integration | Let users access Salesforce records from Outlook | User Mapping
   2. In Lightning Experience: Setup | Email | Outlook Integration and Sync | Outlook Integration | Let users access Salesforce records from Outlook | User Mapping
2. Check the entry under the User Mapping section.
3. Disconnect the user if needed by clicking on the Delete action.
4. Restart Salesforce for Outlook and Outlook to display the side panel again for the user.

Upgrading from an Older Version of SFO

Previous versions of SFO (Version 2.4.2 and earlier) should be uninstalled and installed by a local administrator along with all the prerequisites. You can also refer to Salesforce For Outlook - Full Uninstall and Manual Clean Up.
Have your IT or local administrator log in to the affected computer, uninstall SFO 2.4.2, and log off. Next, have the end user log in and install SFO 2.5.x or any version of SFO with the ME ONLY option. If you have already uninstalled version 2.4.2 or older, have your IT reinstall it and then uninstall it to clean up all leftover files.

Outlook Add-in is Not Running

Make sure the Salesforce for Outlook (SFO) icon is present in the system tray. If the SFO icon is not present, try running it by double-clicking the icon from the Desktop and wait a few seconds to see if it shows up in the System Tray. If nothing happens, restart your computer and check again. If the icon still does not appear, you may need to uninstall and re-install the application.

Outlook Add-in is Hidden

After confirming the SFO icon is in the system tray, verify the side panel is not hidden in Outlook. Refer to How to Show/Hide Salesforce for Outlook Side Panel in Outlook for more information.

Outlook Add-in in an Inactive Status

Check that the add-in is active in Outlook. An Outlook add-in can be in one of three states: Active, Inactive, or Disabled. The add-in must be in Active Application Add-Ins status.
Check the following 2 add-ins are not listed under Outlook Inactive Application Add-Ins or in Disabled Items:

• Salesforce for Outlook Add to Salesforce Toolbar
• Salesforce for Outlook Side Panel

If the add-ins are active and the side panel still fails to load, skip to Not Running SFO as Administrator. Otherwise, follow the steps below:
In Microsoft Outlook 2010/2013/2016: Click on File | Options | Add-Ins.

1. If any Salesforce add-ins are listed under Disabled Items, enable them: a. Click the Manage drop-down menu, select Disabled Items, and click Go. b. If the Salesforce add-in is listed, select it and click Enable. c. Restart Outlook and SFO for changes to take effect.
2. If any Salesforce add-ins are listed under Inactive Items, activate them:
   1. Click the Manage drop-down menu, select COM Add-ins, and click Go.
   2. Check the box for Salesforce add-in(s) and click OK.

Note: The Location field in the COM Add-in dialog shows the DLL path. If SFO was installed with the "Me Only" option but the path points to the Program Files folder, this indicates a bad installation — manually clean up and reinstall.

Not Running SFO as Administrator

1. Right-click on the SFO icon on your desktop and click on Properties.
2. Click on the Compatibility tab.
3. Under Compatibility mode, make sure Run this program in compatibility mode for: is UNCHECKED, as well as the box for Run this program as an administrator under the Settings section.
4. Click OK, then relaunch Outlook and SFO and verify the side panel loads.

Incorrect Windows Registry SFO Key Entries

If none of the above steps resolved the issue, the installation may have failed or the add-in may be disabled in the Windows Registry.

1. Open the Registry Editor (press Windows + R, type regedit, and click OK).
2. Click Edit | Find and search for: Resiliency (check Match whole string only).
3. If found, right-click the result and click Export. Save it to a folder.
4. After exporting, right-click the Resiliency folder and click Delete.
5. Press F3 to continue the search and repeat steps 3–4 until you see "Finished searching through the registry."
6. Next, locate the following registry keys and delete them (right-click each and select Delete):
   1. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Redemption
   2. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Redemption (with asterisk)
   3. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Redemption
   4. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Redemption
7. Verify that the LoadBehavior value for the following key is set to 3. If it is set to 2 or any other value, double-click LoadBehavior and change it to 3:
   1. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\AddIns\SalesforceForOutlook
8. Verify the following 2 keys exist in the Registry:
   1. AddinSidePanel.AddinModule (verify LoadBehavior is set to 3)
   2. ADXForm If these do not exist, proceed to Side Panel is Hidden in Outlook.

Side Panel is Hidden in Outlook

Sometimes the Show/Hide button in Outlook gets stuck in the Hidden state and sets the value for the SidePanelShow registry key to False, causing the side panel to never load.

1. Open the Registry Editor.
2. Find: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins\Salesforce for Outlook Side Panel
3. On the right side, double-click on SidePanelShow and change the value to True.
4. Close and reopen Outlook and verify the side panel loads.

Also refer to: Show or Hide Salesforce for Outlook Side Panel

Installation Failed or Corrupted

If the AddinSidePanel.AddinModule entry is missing from the keys below, turn off User Access Controls and disable any security software before reinstalling:

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins\
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins\

Missing Microsoft .NET Components

Install Windows Communication Foundation Non-HTTP Activation Components for .NET 3.5 or 4.5, then restart your computer:

1. Open Control Panel (or press Windows + R and type appwiz.cpl).
2. Click Programs, then click Programs and Features.
3. On the Tasks menu on the left, click Turn Windows features on or off.
4. Find the .NET Framework 3.5 node, select it, and expand it by clicking the + sign.
5. Select Windows Communication Foundation Non-HTTP Activation Component and save the setting.
6. Close your applications, restart your computer, then relaunch Outlook and verify the side panel loads.

Microsoft .NET 4.5.x Issues

If a version of Microsoft .NET 4.5.x was recently installed, follow these steps:

1. Uninstall Salesforce for Outlook.
2. Uninstall that version of .NET.
3. Restart the computer.
4. Download and install the latest version of Salesforce for Outlook. The installer will prompt you to install .NET — follow the on-screen prompt and finish the .NET installation. SFO will then install automatically.
5. Restart your machine and try to reproduce the issue.

Connectivity Issues

• Confirm you have stable internet connectivity.
• For additional SFO connectivity troubleshooting steps, see Error 'You are not connected to Salesforce' on 'Salesforce for Outlook' side panel.

Hidden Errors when Loading Outlook

Note: This step is for debugging the error and will not fix anything. It will allow you to see any hidden errors related to missing or corrupted VSTO (Visual Studio Tools for Office).
Before you begin, make sure the LoadBehavior registry key for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins\SalesforceForOutlook is set to 3. If it is not, double-click on LoadBehavior and change it.

1. Close Outlook and wait until SFO in the system tray turns grey.
2. Open the Command Prompt as Administrator (you may need to contact your IT Department). Type CMD in Cortana, right-click the Command Prompt window, and click Run as Administrator.
3. In the Command Prompt, type the following command and press Enter: set VSTO_SUPPRESSDISPLAYALERTS=0
4. Nothing will show up or pop up — this is normal.
5. Next, run Outlook.
6. Look for any pop-ups or errors that may show up on the screen. Take a screenshot of any errors and check the Event Viewer logs for more information. If opening a support case, provide screenshots of the errors and Event Viewer logs.