Optimizing performance with Kerio Outlook Connector (Offline)

You may find that some installations of Outlook, when using the Kerio Outlook Connector, exhibit slowness in loading particular folders or other operations. This article explains some techniques to improve performance, and discusses some of the requirements and possible causes of Outlook performance issues.

System Requirements

The Kerio Outlook Connector Offline Edition (KOFF) runs a separate executable program called Koffbackend.exe. This program performs much of the caching of data from the local email database. On a large mailbox, this process may consume upwards of several hundred Megabytes. It is therefore recommended for the computer using KOFF to have at least 2 GB of RAM.

Disable 'Group by' view

In Outlook 2003 and above, there is an option to show emails in groups. If you find that folders such as the 'Sent Items' take an excessive time to load, it is recommended to disable the 'group by' view, which is the view option, 'Show in groups'.

Disable Outlook Instant Search

In Outlook 2007, there is an instant search option which can cause slowness in Outlook with KOFF. We have noticed significant improvements after disabling the Outlook instant search feature. Instructions are available on the following link: http://office.microsoft.com/en-ca/outlook-help/turn-instant-search-on-or-off-HA010237833.aspx

Note that KOFF has its own built-in searching, and does not depend on the Outlook Instant Search feature.

Disable Other Plugins

It's possible that other MAPI or Anti-Virus plugins may conflict with the Kerio Outlook Connector, resulting in slow load times or message download. If none of the options above have worked, it is recommended to temporarily disable any Outlook plugins to identify if there is in fact a conflict which is resulting in degraded performance. If the performance improves after disabling the plugin, please contact Kerio support to report the issue.