Step by Step Guide to Repair PST Files in Outlook?

Summary: A corrupt PST file may create various issues with your Outlook application or even make your Outlook inaccessible. Therefore, it is important to repair the PST file as soon as possible. In this post, we’ve discussed the step-by-step procedure to repair PST files by using the Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair tool. We have also mentioned a third-party PST repair tool that can help you repair severely corrupt PST files of any size, in a few simple steps.

Microsoft Outlook creates Personal Storage Table (PST) file when configured with a POP account. The PST file stores all the mailbox data, such as emails, attachments, calendars, contacts, etc. However, sometimes, the PST file gets corrupt due to reasons, such as abrupt system shutdown, improper Outlook shutdown, Windows crash, virus attack, etc. When the PST file gets corrupt, you may face issues with your Outlook application or encounter errors. Therefore, it is crucial to repair the PST file as soon as possible. In this post, we will be discussing the step-by-step process to repair the corrupt PST file.

How to Repair PST Files in Outlook 2010?

You can repair corrupt PST files by using the in-built Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair tool (SCANPST.EXE) or a third-party PST repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for Outlook.

Repair Outlook PST Files Using SCANPST.EXE

SCANPST.EXE or Inbox Repair Tool is used to diagnose and repair corrupt Outlook data files. You can use this tool to repair minor corruption in your PST file. Follow the below-mentioned steps to repair the PST file.

Note: Before proceeding, make sure that you exit Outlook.

Step1: Start the Inbox Repair Tool

• Start the Inbox Repair Tool Automatically
• Start the SCANPST.EXE tool
• From the “File Download” dialog box, select “Open” or “Run”. Then, follow the wizard.
• Once the tool is started, switch to STEP 2

Start the Inbox Repair Tool Manually

If the tool is not started automatically, try to start it manually. To do so,

• Browse to the C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14.
• Open the SCANPST.EXE tool.

Additional reading, How to Repair PST when ScanPST is not responding?

Step 2: Repair the Corrupt PST File

Once the SCANPST.EXE tool is opened, following the below steps:

• Click on “Browse” to locate and select the PST file you want to repair. Note: If you don’t know the exact location of your corrupt PST file, visit this link to locate the PST file.
• Next, click on “Start” to start the scanning process.
• Then, click on “Repair” to start the repair process.

Note: When you click on “Repair”, the process creates a backup of the scanned file automatically. If you want the backup, enter the desired location where you want to save the backup. Else, don’t select the “Take backup of scanned file before repairing” option in the wizard.

• Once the repair process is complete, open the Outlook with the same profile associated with the Outlook Data File you have just repaired.

Step 3: Recover Repaired Data to a New Data File

• Open Outlook and navigate to the Folder pane.
• Locate the folder with the name “Recovered Personal Folders” that consists of your default Outlook folders or the “Lost and Found” folder.
• The repair process may recreate some empty folders. The “Lost and Found” folder contains folders and items that are recovered by the SCANPST.EXE tool. Outlook can’t place them in their original structure.
• You can create a new Outlook data file.
• Drag and drop the repaired items from the “Lost and Found” folder into the new data file.
• Once you have moved all the repaired data, you can remove the “Recovered Personal Folders” and the “Lost and Found” folder. 

Limitations of SCANPST.EXE

• You need to run the SCANPST.EXE several times to fully repair a single PST file.
• The tool is unable to repair severely corrupt PST files.
• There is a substantial risk of losing the data.

Repair PST Files Using Third-Party PST Repair Tool

To overcome the above limitations and repair PST files quickly and easily, use a third-party PST repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for Outlook. The software is integrated with advanced algorithms that help repair severely corrupt PST files of any size effortlessly. It has a user-friendly interface and any user can repair the PST file using this tool with ease.  Follow the below-mentioned steps to repair corrupt PST files using Stellar Repair for Outlook:

• Download, install and launch the Stellar Repair for Outlook software.
  
• Click on “Browse” and select the corrupt PST file you wish to repair.
  
• Click on the “Repair” button, and the repairing process initiates.
  
• When the repair process is complete, the software lists all the items of the repaired PST file. Preview the items.
  
• Navigate to “Save Repaired File” in the “Home” tab. Click on it to save the repaired PST file.
  
• In the Save As window, you will see multiple file saving formats. You can save the repaired file in PST, MSG, EML, RTF, HTML, or PDF format.
  
• Once you have selected the desired file format, click on “Browse” and choose a new location to save the repaired PST file.

Additional Reading,  How to fix “Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair Tool does not recognize the file” error

Watch Video to repair Corrupt Outlook PST File – Stellar Repair for Outlook

To Sum Things Up

Outlook PST file may get corrupt due to various reasons, such as virus attack, storage media damage, improper Outlook shutdown, etc. However, you can repair the PST file easily by using the above-mentioned methods. You can use SCANPST.EXE to fix minor corruption issues in the PST file. In case the file is severely corrupt, use Stellar Repair for Outlook to repair the file. The software can easily repair severely corrupt PST files without any file size limitations. It recovers all mailbox items, such as emails, contacts, calendar, notes, etc. from the corrupt PST file.