Microsoft Outlook supports COM and VSTO add-ins that allow third-party applications to integrate additional functionality directly into Outlook. One such integration is Seclore Email Protector, which may be installed as part of the Seclore Desktop Client/FileSecure environment.

Normally, an Outlook COM add-in can be disabled from:

Outlook → File → Options → Add-ins → Manage: COM Add-ins → Go

However, in some situations, Outlook may freeze or enter a "Not Responding" state when Seclore Email Protector is unchecked and the OK button is clicked.

This article explains how to diagnose this problem, alternative methods for disabling the add-in, and when completely uninstalling the Seclore Desktop Client may be the appropriate solution.

Real-world resolution: In the case that prompted this article, Outlook repeatedly hung when attempting to disable Seclore Email Protector from COM Add-ins. Uninstalling Seclore from the computer ultimately resolved the Outlook issue.

1. What Is Seclore Email Protector?

Seclore provides information-rights-management and data-security technologies designed to control access to protected information.

When the Seclore Desktop Client is installed, components can integrate with applications such as Microsoft Outlook.

In Outlook, the integration may appear under:

File → Options → Add-ins → COM Add-ins

with a name similar to:

Seclore Email Protector

The add-in can provide functionality associated with protecting emails and attachments according to an organization's Seclore policies.

Because it integrates directly into Outlook, a malfunction, incompatibility, communication problem, damaged installation or conflict with another add-in can potentially affect Outlook's operation.

2. Symptoms of the Problem

Users experiencing a Seclore/Outlook problem may notice one or more of the following symptoms:

• Microsoft Outlook freezes.
• Outlook shows Not Responding.
• Outlook takes excessive time to open.
• Outlook becomes slow when composing emails.
• Outlook freezes while opening certain emails.
• New Email takes a long time to open.
• Outlook crashes unexpectedly.
• Outlook freezes when COM Add-ins are changed.
• Outlook hangs after unchecking Seclore Email Protector.
• Clicking OK in the COM Add-ins window causes Outlook to stop responding.
• Outlook operates normally after Seclore is removed.

Seclore's own troubleshooting documentation acknowledges several Outlook-related symptoms, including Outlook crashes, "Not Responding" conditions, delayed email previews and Outlook freezing after clicking New Email. Seclore recommends add-in isolation as one of its troubleshooting procedures.

3. Why Can Seclore Email Protector Cause Outlook to Hang?

There isn't one universal cause. Several possibilities should be investigated.

Add-in conflict

Outlook may contain multiple COM add-ins, such as:

• Microsoft Exchange Add-in
• Microsoft Teams Meeting Add-in
• Antivirus email scanners
• Document-management plugins
• Encryption applications
• DLP/security software
• Adobe integrations
• CRM integrations
• Seclore Email Protector

Two add-ins may interact badly even when each works correctly on its own.

Seclore itself recommends disabling other Outlook plugins while retaining Seclore during diagnostic testing to determine whether another plugin is conflicting with it.

Damaged Seclore installation

The installed Desktop Client or one of its Outlook components could be damaged or incorrectly registered.

Outdated Seclore Desktop Client

Seclore recommends testing with the latest Desktop Client because various Outlook-related issues have been addressed in newer releases.

Connectivity or certificate problems

Seclore documentation also indicates that Outlook can become unresponsive when the Policy Server URL cannot be accessed properly or when SSL certificate handling is affected by a proxy.

Other security software

Antivirus, endpoint security, DLP, encryption and email-security software can integrate deeply with Outlook.

A conflict between these products and Seclore can therefore cause Outlook instability.

4. First Test: Start Outlook in Safe Mode

Before making major changes, test Outlook without its normal add-in environment.

Close Outlook completely.

Press:

Windows + R

Enter:

outlook.exe /safe

Press Enter.

If Outlook behaves correctly in Safe Mode but freezes during normal startup, an Outlook customization or add-in becomes a strong suspect.

Safe Mode alone does not prove Seclore is responsible, but it is useful for narrowing down the cause.

5. Check Seclore Email Protector in COM Add-ins

Open Outlook and navigate to:

File → Options → Add-ins

At the bottom select:

Manage: COM Add-ins

and click:

Go

Locate:

Seclore Email Protector

If you can safely uncheck it, do so and restart Outlook.

What if Outlook freezes when you click OK?

This is the important scenario covered by this article.

If Outlook hangs every time you:

1. Uncheck Seclore Email Protector
2. Click OK
3. Outlook enters Not Responding

do not repeatedly force the same operation.

Instead, completely close Outlook and investigate the add-in outside Outlook.

6. Check Task Manager Before Making Changes

Press:

Ctrl + Shift + Esc

Open Task Manager.

Look for:

OUTLOOK.EXE

Make sure Outlook has completely terminated.

If Outlook remains running after closing the application, end the process before modifying the add-in configuration.

Seclore's troubleshooting documentation also recommends checking Task Manager for multiple Outlook instances in certain Outlook-related problem scenarios.

7. Understand Outlook COM Add-in LoadBehavior

Outlook COM add-ins are registered through Windows Registry entries.

Microsoft documents that COM add-in registration includes information describing the add-in and its loading/connection behavior.

A common registry location is:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins

or:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins

Depending on Outlook, Windows architecture and installation method, additional locations may be involved.

Microsoft's current add-in inventory guidance describes these commonly encountered LoadBehavior settings:

0 = Disabled
2 = Load on demand
3 = Load at startup

 

Therefore, if Seclore cannot safely be disabled through Outlook itself, the registry can be investigated by an experienced administrator.

8. Disable Seclore Add-in Through Registry

Warning: Incorrect registry changes can cause Windows or applications to malfunction. Back up the relevant registry key before modifying anything.

Close Outlook completely.

Press:

Windows + R

Enter:

regedit

Press Enter.

Check:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins

Look for a Seclore-related subkey.

Depending on the installed version, the exact name may vary.

Also inspect, where applicable:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins

and on some 64-bit Windows/32-bit Office configurations:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins

Do not randomly delete Outlook add-in registry keys.

Back up the key first

Right-click the relevant Seclore key and choose:

Export

Save the .reg backup.

Locate:

LoadBehavior

If it is configured as:

3

the add-in is normally configured to load at startup. Microsoft's documentation identifies 3 as a common startup configuration and 0 as disabled/not loaded.

An administrator troubleshooting the problem can therefore test:

LoadBehavior = 0

Restart Windows or Outlook and verify the result.

9. Do Not Immediately Delete Seclore Files Manually

Avoid troubleshooting by simply deleting folders such as:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Seclore\

or Seclore folders under Program Files.

Deleting program files without properly uninstalling the application can leave behind:

• COM registrations
• DLL registrations
• services
• registry entries
• Outlook integration
• shell extensions
• configuration files
• Windows Installer information

This can make subsequent troubleshooting or reinstallation more difficult.

10. Check Whether Seclore Is Installed Per User

An important clue is the installation path.

Seclore documentation distinguishes between Admin and Adminless Desktop Client installations.

For example, Seclore identifies an Admin Client location similar to:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Seclore\FileSecure\Desktop Client

while an Adminless Client may be installed under:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Seclore\FileSecure\Desktop Client

 

Therefore, if the Outlook COM Add-ins window displays a Seclore location under:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Seclore\

it may indicate a user-level/Adminless Seclore installation.

This becomes particularly important on multi-user systems.

11. Check Windows Event Viewer

When Outlook hangs, Windows Event Viewer can provide useful diagnostic information.

Press:

Windows + R

Enter:

eventvwr.msc

Navigate to:

Windows Logs → Application

Look for events corresponding to the exact time Outlook froze.

Search for:

• Application Hang
• Application Error
• Outlook
• OUTLOOK.EXE
• Seclore components
• third-party DLL names

Seclore specifically recommends reproducing the Outlook hang and checking the Application log for the faulting module.

Microsoft also documents Outlook add-in loading information being recorded in the Windows Application event log.

This can help determine whether the actual conflict involves Seclore, antivirus software or another Outlook component.

12. Update Seclore Before Removing It

If your organization actively requires Seclore, complete removal may not be the first choice.

Check whether a newer supported Seclore Desktop Client is available.

Seclore states that various Outlook-related problems have been fixed in newer client versions and recommends testing the latest client when diagnosing Outlook issues.

If Seclore is business-critical, coordinate the upgrade with your:

• IT administrator
• Seclore administrator
• information-security department
• Seclore support provider

13. When Uninstalling Seclore Is Appropriate

If Seclore is no longer required on the computer, or troubleshooting confirms that Outlook works correctly without it, uninstalling the Desktop Client can be considered.

This becomes especially relevant when:

• Outlook continuously freezes.
• Seclore Email Protector cannot be disabled normally.
• Outlook hangs when the add-in is unchecked.
• Registry disabling does not solve the issue.
• Seclore is no longer needed.
• The organization has migrated away from Seclore.
• Testing indicates that Seclore is causing or contributing to Outlook instability.

14. How to Uninstall Seclore Desktop Client Properly

Close Microsoft Outlook and other Microsoft Office applications.

Open:

Control Panel → Programs → Programs and Features

or:

Windows Settings → Apps → Installed apps

Locate the applicable Seclore Desktop Client installation.

Choose:

Uninstall

Follow the uninstall procedure.

After uninstallation, restart Windows.

Seclore's deployment documentation specifically advises using the normal uninstall process and warns against using third-party uninstall utilities because they can cause problems during subsequent reinstallation. It also recommends restarting the system after uninstalling when performing a reinstall.

15. Real-World Case: Uninstalling Seclore Solved the Outlook Problem

In the actual case behind this troubleshooting article, Outlook displayed Seclore Email Protector under:

File → Options → Add-ins → COM Add-ins

The add-in was configured to load with Outlook.

When the user attempted to:

Uncheck Seclore Email Protector → Click OK

Microsoft Outlook became unresponsive and the system appeared to hang.

Normal disabling from Outlook was therefore unsuccessful.

Final action taken

The Seclore software was completely uninstalled from Windows.

After removing Seclore and restarting the system, the Outlook problem was resolved.

This result strongly indicated that the Seclore installation or its Outlook integration was involved in that particular machine's Outlook problem.

However, this should not be interpreted to mean that every Outlook freezing problem is caused by Seclore. The cause should be established through troubleshooting before removing software that an organization requires for information protection.

16. Important Warning for Corporate Computers

Do not uninstall Seclore from a corporate computer without authorization if your organization uses it for:

• Information Rights Management
• document protection
• email protection
• data-loss prevention
• confidential-document access
• compliance requirements
• controlled file sharing

Removing the Desktop Client may prevent you from opening or working with Seclore-protected information.

Contact your organization's IT or information-security administrator before removal when Seclore is part of a centrally managed security environment.

17. Recommended Troubleshooting Sequence

For an Outlook computer experiencing this exact problem, a sensible troubleshooting sequence is:

Step 1: Close Outlook completely.

Step 2: Test Outlook in Safe Mode.

Step 3: Review all Outlook COM add-ins.

Step 4: Test for conflicts with other add-ins.

Step 5: If Outlook freezes when disabling Seclore, stop repeatedly attempting it through Outlook.

Step 6: Check Task Manager for remaining OUTLOOK.EXE processes.

Step 7: Review Windows Event Viewer.

Step 8: Check whether a newer Seclore Desktop Client is available.

Step 9: Back up and inspect the Outlook add-in registry configuration.

Step 10: Where appropriate, test disabling the Seclore add-in through LoadBehavior.

Step 11: If Seclore is unnecessary and the problem continues, properly uninstall the Seclore Desktop Client.

Step 12: Restart Windows.

Step 13: Open Outlook and verify:

• startup speed
• Inbox operation
• email preview
• New Email
• Reply
• Forward
• attachments
• Send/Receive
• Outlook closing and reopening

18. Should You Reinstall Seclore After Outlook Starts Working?

That depends on whether Seclore is required.

If your organization does not require it, there may be no reason to reinstall it.

If Seclore is required, contact the administrator and obtain the latest approved Desktop Client.

Seclore recommends a clean sequence when reinstalling:

Uninstall existing Desktop Client → Restart computer → Install new client → Restart computer again

 

After reinstalling, thoroughly test Outlook before deploying the same version to additional computers.

19. Conclusion

Seclore Email Protector integrates with Microsoft Outlook through an add-in. Normally, Outlook COM add-ins can be enabled or disabled through the Outlook Options interface. However, if Outlook freezes immediately after Seclore Email Protector is unchecked and OK is clicked, the add-in should be investigated rather than repeatedly attempting the same operation.

Microsoft provides registry-based mechanisms controlling Outlook COM add-in loading, while Seclore itself documents Outlook crashes, freezing and Not Responding scenarios as issues that may require plugin isolation, Event Viewer analysis, connectivity checks or a Desktop Client update.

In the real case documented here, complete uninstallation of Seclore solved the Outlook hanging problem.

For computers where Seclore is mandatory, however, administrators should investigate the client version and underlying conflict before permanently removing it.

FAQ

1. What is Seclore Email Protector in Outlook?

Seclore Email Protector is an Outlook integration associated with the Seclore Desktop Client that provides functionality related to protecting email and information according to Seclore policies.

2. Where can I find Seclore Email Protector in Outlook?

In classic Outlook, check:

File → Options → Add-ins → Manage COM Add-ins → Go

3. Why does Outlook hang when I disable Seclore Email Protector?

Possible reasons include an add-in conflict, damaged Seclore installation, outdated Desktop Client, connectivity/certificate issue or another security product interfering with Outlook.

4. Does Seclore officially recognize Outlook freezing issues?

Seclore's support documentation contains troubleshooting guidance for Outlook crashes, freezes, Not Responding conditions, slow previews and other Outlook issues.

5. What should I do if Outlook hangs immediately after clicking OK?

Close Outlook through Task Manager if necessary and avoid repeatedly attempting to disable the add-in through Outlook. Investigate Event Viewer, other add-ins and the add-in's registry configuration.

6. Can an Outlook COM add-in be disabled through Registry Editor?

Yes. Microsoft documents registry-based load behavior for Outlook COM/VSTO add-ins. Administrators should back up the relevant registry key before changing it.

7. What does LoadBehavior 3 mean?

For the common Outlook add-in configuration described by Microsoft, 3 means the add-in is configured to load at startup.

8. What does LoadBehavior 0 mean?

Microsoft's current Outlook add-in inventory guidance identifies 0 as disabled so that the add-in does not load.

9. Should I delete the Seclore folder manually?

No. Properly uninstall the software rather than simply deleting its installation folders.

10. Can uninstalling Seclore fix Outlook?

It can if the Seclore installation or integration is responsible for the Outlook problem. In the real case covered by this article, uninstalling Seclore resolved the Outlook hanging issue.

11. Should I restart Windows after uninstalling Seclore?

Yes. A restart is strongly recommended, particularly before reinstalling the Desktop Client. Seclore's own deployment guidance includes restarting as part of the clean reinstall process.

12. Can I reinstall Seclore later?

Yes, if your organization requires it. Obtain the current approved client from your administrator or Seclore support channel.

13. Should I use a third-party uninstaller to remove Seclore?

Seclore specifically advises against third-party uninstall tools because they can cause problems with subsequent reinstallation. Use the normal Windows/Seclore uninstall procedure.

14. Can antivirus software conflict with Seclore?

It is possible. Seclore recommends checking the faulting module in Event Viewer because antivirus or other applications may conflict with the client.

15. Is Outlook Safe Mode useful for this problem?

Yes. If Outlook works correctly in Safe Mode but fails during normal operation, add-ins or customizations become important troubleshooting targets.

16. Will removing Seclore affect protected documents?

Potentially, yes. If you depend on Seclore-protected files or corporate protection policies, consult your administrator before uninstalling the client.

17. Where can Seclore be installed for an Adminless user?

Seclore documents an Adminless Desktop Client location under the user's AppData path, such as:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Seclore\FileSecure\Desktop Client

 

18. How can I confirm whether another Outlook add-in is causing the conflict?

Temporarily isolate add-ins and test them individually. Seclore itself recommends plugin isolation when diagnosing Outlook problems.

19. Should I update Seclore instead of uninstalling it?

If your organization requires Seclore, updating to the latest approved Desktop Client is preferable to permanent removal. Seclore states that newer clients contain fixes for various Outlook-related issues.

20. What was the successful solution in this particular case?

Complete uninstallation of Seclore followed by testing Outlook solved the issue. This is a case-specific result and should not be treated as proof that Seclore is responsible for every Outlook freeze.

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