If you want to fix PST files using this tool, make sure to have a proper backup of the Outlook PST before processing. This utility is not the professionals’ recommendation, as it comes with a lot of drawbacks. Before implementing this method to fix Outlook PST files, read its limitations for more insight.

Want more options?

If it does not work, then unfortunately, you will be unable to recover any additional information. If you could open the file, the following procedure may help you recover additional items from your damaged Personal Folders (.pst) file. You can create a new Outlook Data File and drag the items in the Lost and Found folder into the Fix Outlook and Office 365 Errors 2025 new data file. After you've moved all the items, you can remove the Recovered Personal Folders (.pst) file, including the Lost and Found folder. To create a new Outlook Data File, go to Create an Outlook Data File.

Methods to Rebuild an Outlook PST File

Yevgeniy Reznik is Laboratory Operations Manager at Secure Data Recovery Services in Cleveland, Ohio, and has more than a decade of experience as a data recovery engineer. Depending on your Office installation type (Click-to-run or MSI-based), you'll see the following options to proceed with the repair. Whatever the cause of corruption, you can rebuild the PST file to fix the issue.

Manually start the Inbox Repair tool

Therefore, users should put some effective solutions into action to deal with inaccessible or damaged PST files as soon as they encounter Outlook issues. The Inbox Repair Tool can’t always recover a heavily corrupted .pst file. If you’re tried using it with no luck, the best fix might be a third-party tool. The Inbox Repair tool is built to diagnose and repair many potential errors with Outlook data files, but it isn’t always the best solution. For example, it can’t help if your file was permanently deleted or corrupted beyond its repair abilities. Like any type of data file, it’s possible for a .pst file to get corrupted.

Locating the Outlook Data Files

You can try any of the methods listed above to rebuild the PST file. Using the software, you can repair and rebuild a PST file of any size, irrespective of the cause of corruption. Unlike the SCANPST tool, it won’t crash halfway if the corruption level is high or file is fix MFA prompts not working large. ScanPST mostly validates and corrects errors in the internal data structures of a .pst file.

Automatically start the Inbox Repair tool

• At a higher level, the more visible changes that you see involve folders and messages.
• With a background in computer science and a passion for writing, I thrive to deliver complex technical content in simple layman terms.
• Simran Bhatia is a technical content writer engaged in writing clear, concise, and SEO-optimized content.
• If you could open the file, the following procedure may help you recover additional items from your damaged Personal Folders (.pst) file.
• It also offers a filter option; users can filter items using different criteria when they want to have only the desired items to process.
• Additionally, this tool’s demo version can be accessed freely to get deeper clarity on its features and functionality.
• The Lost and Found folder contains any folders and items recovered by the repair tool that Outlook can't place in their original structure.

Therefore, structures such as BTrees and reference counts, are checked and repaired as necessary. Outlook stuck updating folders solution These low-level objects have no knowledge of the upper-level structures, such as messages, calendar items, and so on, that are built upon them. This guide walks you through the steps to rebuild OST files in Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, and 2010—using both manual methods and EdbMails for secure recovery. This section elaborates on two different ways to fix Outlook PST files.

How to Fix Outlook Data File Cannot Be Accessed?

Although the repair process might recreate some of the folders, they may be empty. The Lost and Found folder contains any folders and items recovered by the repair tool that Outlook can't place in their original structure. This post explains how to repair Outlook .pst files using Microsoft’s Inbox Repair tool (SCANPST.EXE), as well as other solutions you can try. It’s saved on your computer, and contains data from your Microsoft Outlook account, like your email messages and other information. Typically, .pst files are used by POP accounts, a type of email account created when you add an email to Outlook from an internet service provider (ISP) like AT&T.