Outlook may shutdown more slowly if an add-in is configured to use RequireShutdownNotification

To resolve this problem, you can disable the RequireShutdownNotification registry value.

However, the effect of the change on an add-in by using this value depends on what the add-in does during shutdown events. At shutdown time, most add-ins release references to Outlook COM objects and clear memory that was allocated during the session. In these cases, the effect on the add-ins is minimal; Outlook releases the remaining COM object references and shuts down, and Windows reclaims the memory when the Outlook process exits.

For some add-ins, the changes have a greater effect. If an add-in commits data during the shutdown process (for example, to store user settings or to report usage to a web server), those activities will no longer occur if you disable the RequireShutdownNotification registry value. Depending on the scenario, the effect may not be visible.

Based on the previous information, we recommend that you first contact your add-in developer to see whether there is an updated version of the add-in that does not require the RequireShutdownNotification registry value, or if the disabling of the RequireShutdownNotification registry value will cause additional problems.


Important
Follow the steps in this section carefully. Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Before you modify it, back up the registry for restoration in case problems occur.


If you decide to disable the RequireShutdownNotification registry value, you can make the change by using the following steps.

1. Exit Outlook.
2. Start Registry Editor. To do this, use one of the following procedures, as appropriate for your version of Windows.
   
   • Windows 10, Windows 8.1 and Windows 8: Press Windows Key + R to open a Run dialog box. Type regedit.exe and then press OK.
   • Windows 7: Click Start, type regedit.exe in the search box, and then press Enter.
   
   
3. Locate and select the following registry key.
   
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins
4. Select the first subkey under the \Addins key. (Each subkey under \Addins represents a separate registered add-in)
   
   
   Note If the subkey referenced in this step is called one of the following values, you may consider skipping it as the following articles recommend configuring RequireShutdownNotification=1.
   Microsoft.OutlookBackup.1
   VbaAddinForOutlook.1
   OutlookChangeNotifierAddin
   
   
   
   
   For more information about these add-ins, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   
   2030523 How to enable Personal Folders Backup add-in to work with Outlook 2010
   978808 Outlook VBA settings are not saved when Outlook 2010 exits
   2449281 Outlook does not close after you install iTunes or another add-in
   
   
5. Examine the values under the subkey.
6. If you see RequireShutdownNotification and its value is 1, right-click RequireShutdownNotification and then click Modify.
7. In the Value data box, type 0 and then click OK.
8. Repeat steps 4-7 for every subkey under \Addins.
9. Locate and select the following registry key.
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins
10. Repeat steps 4-7 for each subkey under \Addins.
11. Locate and select the following registry key.
    
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins
12. Repeat steps 4-7 for each subkey under \Addins.