Step-by-Step Guide on How to Repair PST Files in Outlook

Summary A corrupted PST (Personal Storage Table) file can cause your Microsoft Outlook to behave unexpectedly—your emails may go missing, some folders might appear broken, and in some cases, the application won’t even launch at all. PST corruption is usually caused due to abrupt shutdowns, oversized mailboxes, disk failures, or malware attacks. If you’re facing these issues, don’t worry. This guide will explain how to repair PST files in Outlook 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021 and restore access to your emails, calendar, contacts, and other important data.

How to Repair PST Files in Outlook 2010/2013/2016/2019/2021?

We’ve found two reliable ways to repair your corrupted PST files that worked best for us.

1. Use Microsoft’s Inbox Repair Tool (SCANPST.EXE): This one is ideal for fixing minor corruption in PST files.
2. Use Stellar Repair for Outlook: Using this software is advisable if you need to recover heavily damaged, oversized, or inaccessible PST files.

We’re going to go through both methods in the following sections. Be sure to close Outlook completely before starting with these fixes!

Important: If you run SCANPST.EXE on the original PST file before using Stellar Repair for Outlook, you might not get the desired results. This is due to the structural modifications made by SCANPST.EXE to the root hierarchy of the file.

 

Repair Outlook PST Files Using SCANPST.EXE

Outlook includes a free built-in repair utility, which is called the Inbox Repair Tool (SCANPST.EXE). It’s designed to diagnose and fix inconsistencies within your PST file. Follow these steps to repair your data using SCANPST.

Step 1: Locate and Launch SCANPST.EXE

The location of the SCANPST.EXE file depends on your Outlook version and installation type. Depending on your version, you can use these paths to find it.

1.For Outlook 2021/2019/2016/2013/2010 (64-bit): C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OfficeXX\SCANPST.EXE

2.For Outlook 2021/2019/2016/2013/2010 (32-bit on 64-bit Windows): C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\OfficeXX\SCANPST.EXE

Note: In the above paths, replace OfficeXX with your Outlook version folder (e.g., Office16 for Outlook 2016, Office19 for 2019, and so on).

3.Next, to launch the tool, first close Microsoft Outlook completely.

4.Navigate to the SCANPST.EXE location, right-click it, and select Run as administrator.

Step 2: Repair the Corrupt PST File

Once the tool is open:

1. Click Browse and locate the Outlook PST file. The default PST file path for most installations is: C:\Users\<YourUsername>\Documents\Outlook Files\
2. For IMAP or Exchange accounts, your PST file might be stored elsewhere.
3. After selecting your file, click Start to begin the scan.
4. SCANPST will now begin analyzing the file and display a report showing errors (if there are any).
5. Before you click on Repair, make sure the “Make backup of scanned file before repairing” option is checked. This prevents data loss in case something goes south.

 

6. Now click on Repair and wait for the process to complete. (The time this step takes depends on your file’s size and level of corruption. The tool may also freeze temporarily—this is normal.)

Step 3: Recover Repaired Data to a New Data File

After the tool successfully repairs your PST file:

1. Launch Microsoft Outlook.
2. If you are prompted, choose the repaired PST file to open.
3. Outlook may now rebuild the data file index, which, in our experience, can take a few minutes.
4. Once you’re logged in, review your mailbox items. Your recovered emails and folders are usually placed in the Lost and Found folder or the Recovered Personal Folder.
5. You can move items from these to your main mailbox folders as needed.

Limitations of SCANPST.EXE

While SCANPST.EXE works well for minor corruption and inconsistency issues with our Outlook PST files, it’s not designed to handle severe corruption and other complex recovery scenarios. If you rely on it solely, you might find yourself dealing with partial data or, worse, no recovery at all. Some of the limitations of SCANPST.EXE include:

1. ⚠️ It Cannot Repair Severely Corrupt PST Files: The tool can fix minor structural issues, but it often fails when your PST file is heavily damaged or inaccessible.
2. 🗑️ It Might Delete Data: If it finds something it can’t fix, it might just delete that part—like an email or attachment—without asking you first.
3. 🔄 No Recovery for Permanently Deleted Items: If your emails or folders were hard-deleted (that is, removed from the Deleted Items folder), SCANPST.EXE won’t be able to bring them back.
4. 📁 Lost and Found Folder May Contain Orphaned Items: This essentially means that some of your recovered emails may be unstructured, without their original folders or context, and you might have to manually sort them.
5. 🧩 It Fails to Detect All Logical Errors: If you’re facing logical inconsistencies, such as broken email headers or calendar glitches, SCANPST might not detect these.
6. 🕒 Slow for Large PST Files: Your ANSI PST files have a size limit of about 1.8 GB. If your file is this big and won’t open, it’s likely due to the size limit. For PST file repair concerning large ANSI files, creating a new Unicode file is advisable since it circumvents the size limitations associated with older formats.
   If the file still won’t open, use the pst2gb tool to reduce its size. Again, the method isn’t fully reliable, and the SCANPST tool takes a long time to scan and fix the issue for such files.
7. 🚫 Doesn’t Work With OST Files: If you’re trying to fix an .ost file (used for offline email storage), ScanPST won’t help at all! It only works with .pst files.
8. 🧰 It Lacks Advanced Recovery Options: It doesn’t allow you to preview files, selectively recover them, or export your recovered items to different formats.

All these limitations can be bypassed simply by using a reliable, professional PST repair tool.

Repair PST Files Using Stellar’s Powerful PST Repair Tool

Even if SCANPST.EXE fails to fix your issue, Stellar Repair for Outlook will do the job, thanks to its advanced recovery features that are built for real-world recovery scenarios. Whether your PST is severely corrupted or you need more precise control over recovery, Stellar gives you professional-grade capabilities while still having a user-friendly interface. Use these steps to repair corrupt PST files using Stellar Repair for Outlook:

1. Download the Stellar Repair for Outlook software and install it onto your system by following the instructions on the installation wizard.
2. Launch the app, and then click on the “Select Outlook Data File” option from the menu above and select the corrupt PST file you want to repair.
3. After selecting your desired file, click on the blue “Repair” button. This starts the repair process, which can take a few minutes, depending on your file size.
4. After the repair process is complete, the software will list all the items of the repaired PST file. You can preview them in the tree structure.
5. Next, navigate to the Home Tab on top and select the “Save Repaired File” option. This will save your repaired PST file to your desired location. (In the Save As window, you can save the file in PST, MSG, EML, RTF, HTML, or PDF format.)

Still confused? Watch this video on How to Repair Corrupt Outlook PST File with Stellar Repair for Outlook.

How to Prevent PST File Corruption

Though it’s possible to fix the issue like we’ve shown you, it’s better to prevent PST corruption in the first place. Here are some proactive tips to keep your Outlook data safe.

1. 💽 Avoid Oversized PST Files: Try not to let your PST file grow beyond 10–15 GB, especially on older systems (which have smaller limits than the latest 50-GB limit). We recommend that you use the Archive feature in Outlook to split and store your older emails.
2. 🔌 Always Exit Outlook Properly: We’ve all done it—Outlook fails to respond or hangs, and we kill it from Task Manager or shut down our PC while it’s still running. The thing is, exiting the application properly helps avoid file lock and prevent incomplete writes that may cause data corruption.
3. 🦠 Use Reliable Antivirus Software: Viruses and malware, especially those you may unknowingly download from email phishing scams, can damage PST files. Keep your antivirus software updated and do regular scans to ensure everything is secure.
4. 🔋 Avoid Power Interruptions: As you know, sudden system shutdowns and power failures while using Outlook can corrupt the PST file. Invest in a UPS to protect your system from sudden shutdowns when the power goes out.
5. 🔄 Backup Regularly: Keep automated or manual backups of all your important PST files so that you can quickly restore your data if any corruption occurs.

To Sum Things Up

If your Outlook is showing the PST file but you have no emails, you’re likely dealing with corruption, syncing issues, and other such misconfigurations. SCANPST.EXE can help in basic cases, but it often falls short for deeper corruption or large files. If so, use Stellar Repair for Outlook—not only does it recover your data but also keeps your folder structure, attachments, and formatting intact. It’s fast, intuitive, and built for professionals and beginners alike who can’t afford to lose a single email thread!

FAQs

1. Why is Outlook showing the PST file but no emails?

This usually means the PST file is corrupted, filtered, or not syncing correctly. It could also be a result of your view settings hiding the content.

2. Can I use SCANPST.EXE to fix corrupted PST files?

Yes, but it only works for minor issues. It might not detect deeper corruption or recover everything. In such cases, you can use a dedicated PST repair tool such as Stellar Repair for Outlook.

3. Will I lose my folder structure if I use Stellar Repair for Outlook?

No. Stellar Repair for Outlook maintains your folder hierarchy and metadata throughout the repair process.

4. Can Stellar Repair recover permanently deleted emails?

Yes, if your data hasn’t been overwritten, Stellar Repair can retrieve deleted emails as well!

5. What Outlook versions does Stellar Repair for Outlook support?

Stellar Repair for Outlook supports all major versions, including Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, and earlier.

6. Is there a free version of Stellar Repair for Outlook?

Yes, you can try the demo version for free, which lets you scan and preview your recoverable data. To save the repaired files, you’ll need to upgrade to the full version.