If you want to fix PST files using this tool, make sure to have a proper backup of the Outlook PST before processing. This utility is not the professionals’ recommendation, as it comes with a lot of drawbacks. Before implementing this method to fix Outlook PST files, read its limitations for more insight.

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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 Outlook data file cannot be accessed 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

Dealing with corrupt files is always scary, especially because of the potential for data loss. If you’ve tried Outlook’s recovery tool with no luck, it might be time to consider something more powerful. After running SCANPST.EXE, you might find a folder called Recovered Personal Folders in your files that contains your default Outlook folders or a Lost and Found folder. The folders might just be empty and redundant, or they might contain recovered data that Outlook couldn’t place in its original locations. The Inbox Repair Tool is an in-built utility from Microsoft to overcome the Outlook PST file corruption issues.

Manually start the Inbox Repair tool

No validation is explicitly done on body-related properties or on subject-related properties, except the implicit low-level validation that this article discusses earlier. The recipient display properties are changed to be consistent with the recovered recipient table. As soon as this operation is complete, other algorithms are run to collect all the orphaned messages and to put them in an Orphans folder. If you could not open your original Personal Folders (.pst) file before you ran Inbox Repair Tool, the following procedures may not work.

Locating the Outlook Data Files

We will be delving into exploring the powerful methods to fix Outlook PST files in the following paragraph. Follow these steps to repair your Outlook personal folder file (.pst) by using Inbox Repair tool. If you can open the original Outlook Data File, you might be able to recover additional Outlook Not Sending or Receiving Email items. The Inbox Repair tool creates a backup file with the same name as the original, but with a .bak extension, and saves it in the same folder. There may be items in the backup file that you might be able to recover that the Inbox Repair tool couldn't. Problems like system crashes, sudden shutdowns, or profile issues can corrupt the OST file, causing Outlook to display sync errors or lose access to your data.

Automatically start the Inbox Repair tool

• Then, you can move the recovered items to your new Personal Folders (.pst) file.
• The first is to repair PST free and the second is via a professional tool.
• Ravi spends most of his weekends working with IoT (DIY Smart Home) devices and playing Overwatch.
• After you've moved all the items, you can remove the Recovered Personal Folders (.pst) file, including the Lost and Found folder.
• Whatever the cause of corruption, you can rebuild the PST file to fix the issue.

If ScanPST determines that a specific block of the structure or table is unreadable or corrupted, ScanPST removes it. If that block was part of a specific item Office 365 Sync Errors Fix in Outlook, the item will be removed when it is validated. The Inbox Repair tool is automatically installed with all English-language Microsoft Outlook installation options depending on your operating system. Find solutions to common problems or get help from a support agent. In a situation like that, you might need to try another solution, like a more powerful third-party tool. Simran Bhatia is a technical content writer engaged in writing clear, concise, and SEO-optimized content.



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.