Unable to Open PST File in Outlook - Fix Corrupted PST File

Author: Tech Priya

One of the major problems faced by most of you is the occurrence of the error message which restricts Outlook to open emails, contacts, calendars, and other folders. Sometimes, the error message occurs when you start Outlook but do not know why the message occurs, all you know is that you are unable to open PST file in Outlook.

Various Reasons for "Unable To Open PST File in Outlook" Major Issue

Well, there is nothing to be worried about the error message. In this article, we will explain to you what that error message is, why it occurs, why you are unable to view and open PST files, and how you can resolve it. You get to see this error message on your screen when something wrong happens with the PST file where emails, contacts, drafts, etc. are saved.

There are various reasons due to which you cannot open PST file. A few of them are-

    1. PST file got damaged, corrupted, or lost.
    2. Crashing of Outlook application due to hardware failure or power failure
    3. Computer hard disk or Windows crashes
    4. PST file has crossed its maximum size limit, which is 2 GB in outlook 2003 and earlier versions
    5. Unexpected system shutdowns, virus attacks from outsiders.

Due to the PST file damage, Outlook neither located the PST file nor understand the file format. Hence, it is unable to display emails, contacts, notes and, etc. In the specified error, the message Outlook suggests closing all email applications and using Scanpst.exe.

Ways to Fix Unable to Open PST File in Outlook Issue

There are two top ways that you can use to fix the error. These are-

    1. Manual Method
    2. Automated Method

Manual Method To Fix Unable to Open PST File in Outlook Error

The manual method to fix the unable to open PST file in Outlook issue can be categorized into three sub-methods.

    1. Start Microsoft Outlook in Safe Mode
    2. Close all Programs
    3. Use Inbox Repair Tool

Start Microsoft Outlook in Safe Mode

Whenever you come across the PST file unable to open error, you will need to start the Microsoft Outlook in a safe mode. In this way, you will be able to solve any Microsoft Outlook error that you are facing on your Windows.

    1. Close the Microsoft Outlook first, then click Windows + R
    2. Command Outlook.exe/safe
    3. If the error disappears, then go to the File> Options> Add-ins and disable all
    4. Launch the MS Outlook again and start adding all add-ins one by one to know which one is showing the error.

Close all Programs and Process

If you are encountered the unable to open PST file in Outlook error then it might be happening due to the ongoing multiple programs and processes. So, for that, you must find and close all the programs that might have access to the PST files in the background. Follow these steps-

    1. First, right-click on the Taskbar. A new pop-up will arrive, choose Task Manager
    2. In the Processes option, search for the Outlook process and select it. Then, click on the End Task button to proceed further
    3. Lastly, exit Task Manager and restart MS Outlook.

Use Inbox Repair Tool

If the above manual methods failed to fix the error then there might be a problem with the PST file itself. As we have discussed, the PST file can be corrupted and damaged for different reasons. Due to which you cannot open emails and other items of Outlook. You can use an Inbox repair tool which is also known as Scanpst.exe and it is an in-built tool provided by Microsoft Outlook. It is useful to fix the minor PST file error, however, if you are looking for the solution to fix the severely corrupted PST file then scroll down to the below method.

    1. Exit MS Outlook and locate the Inbox Repair Tool
    2. Browse the below-mentioned path depending on your Outlook version-

    • Outlook 2019: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16

    • Outlook 2016: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16

    • Outlook 2013: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15

    1. Open Scanpst.exe
    2. Select Browse to select the corrupt PST file and scan the file
    3. By default, a new log file is created during the repairing process
    4. Then, click on the Options button and select No log or Append to log. Click OK
    5. A new pop-up will arrive, then hit the Start button to initiate the scan process
    6. If the scan finds any error then choose the Repair option
    7. After the repairing process completion, open MS Outlook with the associated profile that you just have repaired.

Automated Method to Fix "Unable to Open PST File in Outlook" Error

All the manual methods that have been discussed above you can use to fix the error but none of them is helpful when it comes to fixing the severe PST file error. Even fixing the error when the PST file gets severely corrupted by using the Inbox Repair tool is quite challenging.

Therefore, you will need a reliable solution that can even fix the major errors. There is a most reliable and the best solution named FreeViewer Outlook Recovery which can not only fix the errors of the PST file but you can also take a backup of the MS Outlook.

Features of the Utility

There are many specialities in this software that can be helpful to view PST files. A few of them we are listing below to fix the unable to open PST file in Outlook issue-

    1. This application helps to recover highly corrupted and even permanently deleted Outlook emails from the PST file.
    2. It provides you the facility to recover Outlook PST data files and preview deleted data files.
    3. With this software, you can recover password-protected corrupted Outlook PST files easily.
    4. Through this tool, you will be able to recover damaged outlook data files from corrupted PST in UNICODE and ANSI format.
    5. While using the utility, you can use recovered PST file(s) in any Outlook version like Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, etc.
    6. This software provides you with many options to save the PST file in different file formats after the recovering process. You can save recovered files in MBOX, MSG, PDF, EML, HTML format.

Step by Step Guide to Know How to Use the Utilitystrong>

First, download and install the software on your local computer. Now, run the application and follow the steps given below-

    1. Secondly, select the Add File option from the menu bar
    2. Now, navigate the corrupted PST file and Preview the damaged file
    3. After that, view Deleted Data file items
    4. Then, select the Advanced Settings accordingly and Export the recovered PST files.

In-short

In this article, as we have discussed the reasons why you are unable to open PST file in Outlook and then solutions to fix them. All the manual methods are easy but could not fix the error when it comes to fixing the severely corrupted PST files.

Hence, you must use the most sustainable solution to this problem that we have mentioned above. This FreeViewer Software is the best to recover damaged PST files. By using this utility, you can also export the selected data and split large Outlook files.