Archiving your important emails from your email server to a PST file is a good habit. This way you always have a backup of your important emails, calendars, and other valuable data on your email account. However, the problem with the Outlook Data Files is that they are prone to corruption and can easily become inaccessible due to various reasons.
If you also have a corrupted PST file then don’t worry we are here to help. We understand that you may have very important emails stored on the PST files which you want back at any cost. And therefore we bring you this article where we will throw light on how you can repair corrupt Outlook PST file using free and paid tools. So without wasting any more time let’s get started!
Quick links to specific parts of the article
- How Outlook PST Files Get Corrupted?
- Repair Corrupt PST File
- Import Repaired PST File To Outlook
- Final Thoughts
- FAQs
How Outlook PST Files Get Corrupted?
There are many reasons why you may encounter a corrupted PST file. However, the most common reasons behind it are hardware and software failures. Hardware failure like physical damage, creation of bad sectors, and more can make a PST file go corrupt. Similarly, software errors caused by the operating system or by using unprofessional data recovery tools can make Outlook data files inaccessible.
Besides that, power failure, virus attack, and sudden Outlook shutdown can also contribute to damaging PST data files. So now you know how an Outlook PST file may get corrupted then let’s find out the ways to fix it.
Repair Corrupt PST File
You get an Inbox Repair Tool on Windows by the name of scanpst.exe that helps users fix common PST file errors for free. However, since it’s freeware it has its limitations. This tool cannot repair complex issues and large data files. For repairing such files you’ll need a professional repair tool. We are going to talk about both the free and paid methods in this article so that you can fix all the errors and make your Outlook files usable again.
Fix PST File Using ScanPST
In order to fix a corrupted PST file, you first need to locate or find where it is stored on your device. If you already know the file’s location then you can skip to Step 2.
Step 1: Get The PST File Location
1. Go to the Control Panel of your PC by searching for it on the search bar.
2. After landing on the Control Panel dashboard, type Mail in the search bar and open Mail (Microsoft Outlook).
3. Next, click on the Data Files option to access your PST files.
4. Once the Outlook Data Files open select the corrupted PST file and then click on Settings.
5. You have to now copy the filename i.e. the address of the PST file to the clipboard by pressing Ctrl+C.
Step 2: Find The Inbox Repair Tool
Now once you have the PST file address the next thing you need to do is launch the Inbox Repair Tool. To find the tool you can either directly go to Windows C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16. However, finding the tool this way is a bit complicated as different Windows versions may have different paths for locating the Scanpst.exe tool(Inbox Repair Tool). You can rather follow these simple steps to find the tool.
1. Go to C Drive and search Scanpst.exe in the search bar at the top right corner and then hit Enter.
2. Wait for some time and the SCANPST.EXE tool will be in front of you. Double click on it to launch this tool.
Step 3: Repair PST File using Scanpst.exe
1. Once the tool is open you can paste the file location you copied in the first step or you can simply browse the file if you know its location. After adding the file to the tool click on the Start button and wait for the tool to analyze the file.
2. Now once the analysis process is completed click on the Repair button to start the PST file repairing process.
3. Based on the amount of data stored in your files it may take some time to fix it. Once the repair is completed you will get a message like this.
With this, you have successfully repaired your corrupted PST file without any technical help. However, this method is not always successful. You can learn about the errors in which the Inbox Repair Tool cannot help in this article. But don’t worry you still have a chance to repair the severely corrupted Outlook data files using a paid PST repair tool. Here is a step-by-step guide on how you can use this tool to repair large and complex PST files.
Repair Corrupted PST Files Using Outlook Repair Tool
Stellar Repair For Outlook is a paid tool so you have to buy it in order to repair your corrupted PST files. However, you can download it for free and test it yourself, only pay when you are sure that it can repair your Outlook PST files. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use this outlook repair tool.
1. Launch the repair tool on your computer. It will ask you to add the PST file to the tool by either browsing your system or search for it by hitting on the Find button. If you know the location of the files then you can browse your PC or else you can click on Find to automatically locate the files.
2. On clicking on Find, a new tab will open. Click on Find again and the search process will start. Within some time it will provide you with all the pst files on your hard disk. Select the file you want to repair and then hit on the Repair button.
3. After the recovery process is completed you can see the preview of the selected file in the dashboard which will help you to recognize your lost files.
4. To save the repaired file you need to click on Save Repaired File option on the toolbar. Next, it will ask you how you want to save the file, select SAVE AS PST. Then browse the location on your device where you want to store the files and then hit on the OK button.
With this, the recovered file will be restored to your computer.
Click Here to Try Stellar Repair for Outlook
Although the file is repaired you can’t access it just yet, because for that you will have to import the file to Outlook. If you have no idea of how to import a PST file to Outlook then you can take the help of the following method.
Import Repaired PST File To Outlook
1. Open Outlook and go to Files > Open & Export > Import/Export
2. On the next step select Import from another program or file.
3. Next select Outlook Data File (.pst) and hit on the Next button.
4. Now browse the repaired PST file and hit on Next.
With this, your repaired PST files are imported to Outlook and now you can easily access them.
Final Thoughts
PST files getting corrupted is a common thing, but you don’t have to worry about it because now you can repair your inaccessible Outlook files on your own. Moreover, the best part is that you can repair the files mostly for free using the Inbox Repair Tool.
However, you cannot repair large and highly corrupted Outlook Data Files using the free tool. For fixing such files you will need to look for a professional paid Outlook repair tool like the one we have discussed in this article. Overall, if you follow the tips we have shared here, you will surely be able to repair the corrupted PST file.
FAQs
How Can I Repair A Corrupt PST File For Free?
You can use the scanpst.exe tool to repair a corrupted PST file for free.
What Is The Best PST Repair Tool?
Stellar Repair for Outlook works best for repairing severely corrupted PST files.
Where Do I Find Scanpst.exe?
You can find it under Windows (32 bit) C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16 while for Windows (64 bit) you can find at the following path C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office.
What Is Outlook Inbox Repair Tool?
It’s a free tool for repairing corrupted pst files and it is automatically installed on your device when you install Outlook on it.
