ScanPST vs PST Repair Software: Which Method Should You Use?

Microsoft Outlook stores email data in the form of a PST file, which [when it gets corrupted] can make the data inaccessible. To resolve corruption in Outlook, you need quick solutions that are effective and reliable, unlike manual workarounds that carry the risk of permanent data loss.

However, most IT administrators either use a free Inbox repair tool (ScanPST) or professional PST Repair software, depending on the severity of corruption in the files. Let’s compare both of these methods to see which one is more suitable to fulfill the user’s objectives.

Why Your PST File Got Corrupted?

Here are a few reasons that explain how the PST file can get corrupted:

1. Improper or sudden shutdown of the system or Outlook application due to power outages or system failure can corrupt your PST.
2. Physical damage to the local drives of your computer can cause corruption in the PST files.
3. Using faulty or outdated add-ins in Outlook can be one of the reasons behind the issues in the Outlook data file.
4. Oversized PST files often create compatibility issues, which leads to complications in accessing the mailbox data from the PST file.
5. There is an issue with the network drive or external storage where the files are uploaded.

ScanPST (Inbox Repair Tool)

It is a built-in tool provided by Microsoft Outlook to repair damaged or corrupted Outlook data files. The utility simply scans the PST file and checks its internal structure, header, folder hierarchy, etc. Upon finding inconsistencies in the data due to improper shutdowns or sync issues, the tool will repair corruption errors in the file.

However, the tool works only for PST files (up to 2 GB in size) affected by minor corruption issues. Apart from this, unreadable and inaccessible email messages often get permanently deleted during the PST repair.

PST Repair Software

With Outlook PST repair software, you can repair PST files to any extent of corruption that even manual solutions and the native ScanPST utility fails to fix. Such solutions allow you to recover the entire mailbox data, including emails, contacts, calendars, notes, etc., without losing the original structure. Here are a few benefits of using PST repair software:

• Supports repair of oversized PST files (size greater than 10 GB, 20 GB, etc.) without any limits.
• Allows recovery of deleted and lost mailbox items from the PST file.
• Provides multiple options to export PST file data, such as MSG, EML, HTML, etc.
• Never makes changes to the original file it repairs and saves data to a new PST file.
• Helps in performing selective data repair from the PST to export relevant data only.
• Recovers data from password-protected Outlook PST files without any discrepancies.
• Preserves metadata and email properties while repairing mailboxes stored in the PST files.

ScanPST vs PST Repair Tool: Comparison Overview

Get an overview of the basic differences between both tools to select the suitable one as per your requirements.

Differences ScanPST PST Repair

File size

Less than 2 GB

Works with oversized files too (from 10 GB to 50 GB)

Error handling

Delete or truncate the data

Recovers data as much as possible

Export file formats

Repairs directly to a PST file

Can save to PST, MSG, EML, PDF, HTML, and other formats

Recovery of deleted items

Does not support permanently deleted emails

Can help you recover deleted emails, contacts, calendars, and other items

Corruption level

Handles minor corruption easily

Handles minor as well as severe corruption

Password-protected PST

Can't process password-protected PST files

Supports all types of PSTs, including password-protected PSTs

Outlook requirement

Requires Outlook installation

Often works independently without Outlook

Tips to Avoid Corruption in a PST File

Follow the given tips to keep your PST file healthy and corruption-free:

• Try to keep the size of your PST file small or split the larger one into smaller PSTs.
• Always exit your Outlook application properly before shutting down your PC.
• Remove or disable any faulty or incompatible add-ins in Outlook.
• Take a regular backup of your data to avoid permanent losses.
• Perform routine anti-virus or anti-malware scans to avoid unauthorized access.
• Store your PST file within local storage rather than a network or external drive.

Here is What to Choose

Issues in PST files, like data inaccessibility or corruption, can cause performance downgrades. It is important to troubleshoot PST file corruption in time to restore the data before it is permanently lost. However, for a simplified and effortless PST file repair, you need reliable solutions that can assure data security throughout the process. The decision between ScanPST.exe and professional PST repair software depends on the level of corruption and your requirements. Therefore,

• Use scanpst.exe if you need a free utility that removes minor corruption from PST files.
• Go with professional tools when you have a severely corrupted and damaged PST file that is larger than 2 GB.

Xanthe Clay is a highly skilled Technical Content Writer at Kernel Data Recovery, headquartered in New York, USA. With over 6 years of professional experience, she has established authority in the domain of cloud migration technologies.