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BarrySchwarz-8780 asked BarrySchwarz-8780 answered

Reminder window vanishes

Outlook version Microsoft® Outlook® for Microsoft 365 MSO (16.0.14131.20326) 64-bit.

I set the reminder for most of my appointments to 2 days. At the appropriate time, the reminder window dutifully appears. Additional reminders populate the window at their appropriate times. The reminder is basically a heads-up so I can prepare as needed. If I leave the computer idle and the screen saver activates, sometimes the reminder window is closed (not minimized) when I reactivate the screen.

If I manually restore the window with Calendar->View->Remider Window, it will come back with the correct data. Is there a way to prevent the vanishing act?

office-outlook-itpro
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BarrySchwarz-8780 avatar image
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BarrySchwarz-8780 answered

The source of the problem has been identified.

It is driven by how I wake the system up after the screen saver kicks in. I normally use one of three ways: the Enter key, the Esc key, or jiggling the mouse. When the reminder window has the focus at the time the screen saver kicks in, then:
The Enter key activates whatever item is highlighted, usually by opening an appointment card but sometimes dismissing or snoozing an item.
The Esc key closes the window.
The mouse apparently does not alter anything.

I intend to start using an arrow key instead of either Enter or Esc. Hopefully never to see the problem again.

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JeffYang-MSFT answered JeffYang-MSFT commented

Hi @BarrySchwarz-8780,

I am using the exactly same Outlook version as yours, however, I tried a lot of tests in my environment but could not reproduce your issue.

In my tests, when I reactivated the screen, the reminder window will always be minimized, not closed. And I can change this behavior by enabling the "Show reminders on top of other windows" option and restarting Outlook desktop client.
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So, I would suggest you to enable this option as well to test and see if your issue could be resolved.

If the issue still continues, please try to provide me with more information related to your issue:

  • Is this an behavior that happens after your update your Outlook version?

  • Do other users within your organization have the same issue?

  • In order to prevent the influence from other third-party software, please try to close other programs and run Outlook alone to test and see if there is any difference.

Any update, please feel free to post back.


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I have never had the Reminder Window minimize on its own. Other than "Show reminders on top ...", our settings match. Since the window disappears while the screen saver is active (or maybe just after I jiggle the mouse), I have no idea how to search for a cause.

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Hi @BarrySchwarz-8780,

Thanks for your reply.

In order to further research about your issue, would you mind offering me the information of my questions:

  • Is this a problem that has only recently occurred? If so, what specific operations did you do before this problem occurred? Right after updating your Outlook version or windows version?

  • I also noticed you mentioned that this issue happen sometimes, may I understand that this issue could work fine other-times when you reactivated the screen?

To troubleshooting your issue, you may could try some common suggestions like below and see if your issue would have any difference:

  1. There could be some add-ins in your Outlook client that cause this issue, so it is suggested to start your Outlook in safe mode (Press Win + R, type “outlook /safe”, press Enter.) and see if the issue continues.

  2. Fully repairing your Office installation and make sure your Outlook features are fine.

Any update, please feel free to post back.

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Since both Windows and Outlook updates occur automatically, I have no idea if one of those triggered the behavior. This is a new computer with a fresh install of Windows 10 Pro Version 20H2, OS build 19042.1110, Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.3530.0

Correct. Sometimes when I wake the system up the Reminder Window is still visible, other times not.

I have reopened Outlook in safe mood and will see what happens over the next few days.

I will hold the repair option in reserve.

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