In today’s fast-paced and technologically advanced world, communication is effectively managed through widely popular email clients such as Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail, and more. They have not only streamlined our collaboration with individuals and organizations across the world but also made scheduling, document sharing, and contact management easier. However, no matter how accessible these tools are, they cannot evade bugs and issues that pop up to disrupt our productivity. One such issue is a damaged or corrupted Outlook PST file.
What is a PST File?
PST stands for ‘Personal Storage Table,’ a type of data file in Microsoft Outlook that stores all information linked to an email account, including emails, contacts, attachments, calendars, and other data that is located in your computer’s memory. PST is often used to move or transfer data across computers and as a backup copy of your Outlook data. Cultivate a thriving community by nurturing your followers on Instagram. Engage authentically, share compelling content, and utilize effective growth strategies to expand your reach. Foster meaningful connections and interactions to build a loyal and engaged audience. Invest in building relationships with your followers on Instagram to fuel sustainable growth and success.
Reasons For A Damaged Or Corrupt Outlook PST File
- Oversized or large PST files
- Abrupt crash or system shutdown
- Corrupted or defective software or hardware
- File system or hard drive issues
- Network-related problems
- Incorrect management of Outlook PST files
- Malware intrusion
- Malfunctioning or faulty add-ins
How to Repair a Damaged or Corrupt Outlook PST File?
If you have ever wondered about how to repair the Outlook PST file, you have landed at the right article. There are a few tricks on the table that can troubleshoot the issue.
1. Repair Using ScanPST
- Close Microsoft Outlook and launch File Explorer to use the Outlook PST Repair Tool
- Proceed to the ‘Office16’ folder using the steps as below:
- In Windows 64-bit: Local Disk (C:) > Program Files > Microsoft Office > root > Office16
- In Windows 32-bit: Local Disk (C:) > Program Files (x86)> Microsoft Office > root > Office16
- Locate the ‘SCANPST’ file and proceed with ‘Run as an Administrator’
- Find the Outlook PST file that needs to be recovered
- Click ‘Start’
- If the repair process is successful, it will display a message indicating that the repair is complete
2. Use Recovered Personal Folders for data recovery
The Recovered Personal Folder is where Microsoft account trash is stored and you can attempt this form of file recovery when your files are only partially recovered by the Outlook PST Repair tool. You can follow the below steps to use this method:
- Navigate to the ‘Home’ tab in Outlook.
- Next, select ‘More Items’ from the ‘New Email’ menu. Choose the ‘Outlook Data File Option’ from this option.
- Click ‘OK’ after selecting the ‘Outlook Data File’ option.
- Choose the location to save PST files and press ‘OK’
- In the Outlook window, click the three-dot menu sign located in the lower left corner. To change the Outlook sidebar to Folder List View, select ‘Folders’
- Drag and drop the ‘Lost and Found’ contents into a new data file
3. Use backup to Recover Improperly Repaired PST Folders
Outlook PST folders can sustain damage or even become unrecoverable if they are incorrectly repaired. In this case, it is advised to retrieve the data from a backup copy of the PST folder that was made before the execution of the incorrect repair. Here’s how to use an Outlook backup copy to recover incorrectly repaired PST folders:
- Move the corrupted PST file’s backup to your desktop
- The file name with ‘.BAK’ extension’ would have to be changed to ‘.PST.’ To accomplish this, navigate to the ‘File’ menu in the ‘File Explorer’ window. Choose ‘Change folder and search option.’ Select the ‘View’ tab and unmark ‘Hide extensions for known file types’ option.
- Click the ‘Open & Export’ menu after opening the ‘File Menu’ and then select the ‘Open/Export’
- In this wizard, choose ‘Import from another program or file’ and press ‘Next’
- Click ‘Outlook Data file (.pst)’ after that, then select ‘Next’
- Use ‘Browse’ and choose the backup copy of your corrupted PST file
- After selecting ‘Do not import duplicates,’ press ‘Next’
- Mark the checkbox for ‘Include subfolders’ and opt for ‘Import folders into the same folder’ Additionally, choose the Microsoft account to which the files should be imported
- Lastly, click on ‘Finish’
4. Stellar Repair for Outlook
If you have tried all the above-mentioned methods and you are still wondering ‘how can I repair a PST file in Outlook,’ you need to rely on a professional Outlook PST Repair tool to repair a damaged or corrupt Outlook PST file.
One such well-known PST repair tool for severely corrupted PST files of any size is Stellar Repair for Outlook. The tool enables you to retrieve every item from the corrupt PST file, including contacts, calendar entries, emails, and more. The program works with every version of Outlook, from Outlook 2021 to earlier editions like 2010. Apart from fixing severely corrupted PST files, the software can store repaired PST files in a variety of file formats. Also, before saving anything, you are given a thorough preview of everything that can be recovered.
The Technician version of the software provides the ease of splitting and compressing large-sized PST files and can successfully restore all mailbox contents to their original state and repair large PST files, even password-protected ones. It also comes with an ability to directly export recovered PST files to Microsoft 365 or Office 365.
In summary, here are the USPs of Stellar Repair for Outlook:
- Repair large and heavy-sized PST files
- Recover deleted mailbox items from specific folders such as inbox, deleted items, etc.
- Save repaired mailbox data in internal or external storage as well as over connected networks such as NAS, WAN, SAN, etc.
- Export repaired PST files directly to Outlook account and Office 365
- The ‘Compact and Save’ option in the Technician edition of the program lets you compress large PST files, and the ‘Split/Filter and Save’ feature splits PSTs based on size, date, or mail ID.
- Check and preview repaired items individually before restoring them
- Save the repaired mailbox data in EML, MSG, RTF, HTML, and PDF formats in addition to PST.
Conclusion:
Sometimes people assume that their bad luck is to blame when dealing with corrupt or damaged Outlook PST files. However, it’s critical to understand that in order to resolve such problems, luck alone is not the deciding factor. While the first three methods in this article come in handy in case of minor setbacks, it’s essential to rely on professional tools in case of a severely corrupt or damaged PST file. Through employing suitable methods, people can enhance their likelihood of effectively addressing any corruption or impairment to their Outlook PST files.
