It is located in the folder of your original Personal Folders (.pst) file. For instructions about how to unhide files and folders, see your operating system documentation. After renaming the file successfully, you can then launch your Outlook program. You’ll find a new .PST file at the default location on your hard drive.

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It also has no restrictions on adding oversized PST files to resolve corruption. Two methods, manual and professional will be explained here along with Exchange connectivity Diagnostic their stepwise working procedure to fix Outlook data files or Personal Storage Table (PST). The manual solution will uncover the step by step guide on the Inbox Repair Tool (ScanPST.exe).

Methods to Rebuild an Outlook PST File

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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 FixTechGuide mailbox repair steps large. ScanPST mostly validates and corrects errors in the internal data structures of a .pst file.

Automatically start the Inbox Repair tool

• Each user can have particular reasons for corrupting their PST files.
• In the Folder Pane, you might see a folder named Recovered Personal Folders that contains your default Outlook folders or a Lost and Found folder.
• You can use the Inbox Repair tool (SCANPST.EXE) to diagnose and repair errors in your Outlook data file.
• The Inbox Repair tool or ScanPST.exe is not a convenient way because of multiple restrictions.
• You can also move the PST file to a different folder or drive.
• In a situation like that, you might need to try another solution, like a more powerful third-party tool.

This might happen with a large .pst file that exceeds the size limit due to third-party add-ins or apps. It can also occur if you close Outlook abruptly, or if your file is copied and stored in a way that causes an error, such as on a network drive Fix Outlook Not Opening After Windows Update or cloud file location. Here, we will outline two approaches, both manual and professional, to fix corrupt Outlook PST Files. Let’s start by understanding the basics of the repair process. Users now should be mindful of the common causes why users need to fix Outlook data files (PST).



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.