Fixes for Common Mapi32.dll Errors

The mapi32.dll file belongs to the Windows Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) program. In this article, we will take a look at common mapi32.dll errors and their solutions.

Error 1

You may receive the following error message when you try to open Outlook:

“Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook. MAPI32.DLL is corrupt or the wrong version. This could have been caused by installing other messaging software. Please reinstall Outlook.”

Solution

To fix the above mapi32.dll error, use either of the methods discussed here:

Method 1 – Run the Fixmapi32.exe program to fix mapi32.dll error

  1. Click Start and select Search.
  2. Next, click All files and folders.
  3. Next, type fixmapi32.exe in the All or part of the file name box and click the Search button.
  4. In the right pane, double-click fixmapi32.exe to run this program.

Method 2 – Rename the mapi32.dll to Fix mapi32.dll error

  1. Locate the mapi32.dll file, using the Search Utility.
  2. Right-click mapi32.dll and click Rename.
  3. Next, rename the mapi32.dll file to mapi32.old.
  4. Restart Outlook.

Error 2

When you try to do a mail merge or send an attachment from within Microsoft Word on a Windows 2003 server that has Microsoft Exchange installed, you may receive the following errors:

  • “mapi32.dll is an invalid Extended MAPI Library”
  • “Mail is not installed on your system”

Cause of the Error

The above errors occur because different versions of mapi32.dll are used by Exchange 2003 and Office 2003 and the Exchange 2003 version of mapi32.dll overwrites the Office 2003 version of mapi32.dl.

Solution

To fix the above errors, copy the mapi32.dll file from another Office 2003 installation and paste the file in the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office 11 folder.

Error 3

The following error is reported when you start Outlook 97 on a Windows 95 or Windows NT computer:

“Outllib.dll is linked to a missing export Mapi32.dll:239”

Cause of the Error

The above error occurs if either of the following conditions is true:

  • The mapi32.dll file is not properly updated by Outlook Setup.
  • An incorrect version of the mapi32.dll is present in a location different than its default location. By default, mapi32.dll is located in %system% folder.

Note: %system% is a variable that refers to your system folder. By default, for Windows 95 it is C:\Windows\System and for Windows NT it is C:\Winnt\System32.

Solution

To resolve the above issue, perform the steps mentioned below:

  1. Close all programs currently running on your system.
  2. Locate the mapi32.dll files using the Find utility.
  3. Rename all the mapi32.dll files that are not located in the default location (Windows\System or Winnt\System32). To achieve this, right-click the file name and click Rename.
  4. Finally, restart Outlook.

Note: If you still continue to get the above error, copy the mapi32.dll file from your Outlook Medium to your system folder (Windows\System for Windows 95 and Windows\System32 for Windows NT)

Mapi32.dll errors also occur if the DLL file becomes corrupt. One of the major causes of corrupt DLLs is malware infection. Malware, such as virus and trojans are notorious for corrupting DLLs by injecting invalid codes into them. To prevent mapi32.dll and other DLLs from becoming corrupt, install reliable and advanced anti-malware tools, such as STOPzilla Antivirus and Spyware Cease and schedule regular malware scans on your PC.