You might be feeling horrible after failing to access your PST file in Outlook 2019, 2016, or any other version. As we all know PST file is a crucial data file to perform any offline task on Outlook. If you are unable to open the PST file in Outlook, then you cannot access your emails, attachments, contacts, reminders, events, or any other Outlook items.
If you have encountered any error messages such as Outlook can't open your PST file, Outlook can't open the set of folders, or PST file is damaged. Do not worry! Because these Outlook errors can be resolved easily and you might be able to access your Outlook data.
Here is a beginner’s guide on how to fix Outlook PST cannot be accessed error. Before you make use of any of the proven hacks to fix this issue, let’s first understand why Outlook fails to open the PST file.
Table of Contents
- Why can Outlook not open PST files?
- Methods to fix PST files cannot be accessed in Outlook
- Start Outlook in Safe mode to fix Outlook PST Cannot be found
- Disable Add-ins to fix Outlook PST cannot be accessed
- Use the ScanPST tool to access Outlook PST file
- Close All Processes and Programs to open PST file in Outlook
- Remo PST Repair:
Why Outlook Cannot Open PST File?
- PST file is corrupt, damaged, or lost.
- PST file has crossed the maximum limit.
- Interruptions like sudden computer shutdown.
- Windows hard drive is malware-infected or crashed.
- Microsoft Outlook application is crashed.
- PST file is already in use i.e., running in the background.
- Outlook is conflicting with incompatible Add-ins.
- Using an improper method to import a PST file.
Note: Check out this article if you are interested to learn how to open or import PST file in Outlook using a reliable technique.
Methods to fix PST Files Cannot be Accessed in Outlook
1. Start Outlook in Safe mode to fix Outlook PST Cannot be found
Whenever you encounter the PST file cannot be opened error, then open Outlook in the Safe mode. This way you can resolve any Microsoft Outlook error caused due to the conflict between Outlook and other applications installed on your Windows.
- Right-click on the Windows Start button located at the bottom left corner of the screen.
- Select the Run option.
- In the Open box, type Outlook.exe /safe and click OK.
2. Disable Add-ins to fix Outlook PST cannot be accessed
If opening Outlook in safe mode is unable to fix the PST file cannot be accessed error, then the problem might be related to the incompatible add-ins. Therefore, you need to disable add-ins that are stopping Outlook to import the PST file successfully.
- In Outlook, click on the File tab and select Options.
- Go to the Add-ins section and disable all Add-ins.
- Now, open your Outlook again and start enabling add-ins one at a time. This is to find the add-in that is stopping the Outlook PST file to open.
3. Use the ScanPST tool to access Outlook PST File:
When your PST file is corrupt, you cannot access emails or any other Outlook data. Under any minor PST file corruption, you can use the ScanPST tool which is an inbuilt tool provided by Microsoft Outlook. This tool can easily fix various errors such as cannot start Microsoft Outlook or Send/Receive errors. However, if you are looking to fix a severely corrupted PST file, then scroll down to the below method.
While ScanPST is an inbuilt tool, its location on your computer may vary depending on the Outlook version you use. you can refer to the table below to locate ScanPST on your Windows computer.
| Outlook Version | ScanPST Location |
| Outlook 2019 | 32-bit Version: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office19 64-bit Version: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office19 |
| Outlook 2016 | 32-bit Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office16\ 64-bit Windows: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\ |
| Outlook 2013 | 32-bit Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15\ 64-bit Windows: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15\ |
| Outlook 2010 | 32-bit Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft office\Office 14\ 64-bit Windows: C:\Program Files\Microsoft office\Office 14\ |
| Outlook 2007 | 32-bit Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft office\Office 12\ 64-bit Windows: C:\Program Files\Microsoft office\Office 12\ |
| Outlook 2003 | 32-bit Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\ Common Files\System\MSMAPI\ 64-bit Windows: C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAP |
Steps to Repair Corrupted Outlook File using ScanPST
- Using the table, locate and open the SCANPST application on your Windows to fix PST file that cannot be opened error.
- Click the Browse option and select the PST file that is not opening in Outlook.
- Click the Start button to initiate the scanning process. Choose the Repair option if the ScanPST tool finds any issue that is causing PST file to not open in Outlook.
Note: If you select the Make a backup of scanned file before repairing, the inbuilt repair tool creates a backup Outlook data file. This is to ensure no further damage is made to your PST file that is not opening. To change the default backup file name, provide a new name in the Enter name of backup file field.
Fixing this error when the PST file is severely corrupted is challenging using the ScanPST tool. During such a time, make use of any reliable Outlook PST repair software like Remo Repair PST.
4. Close All Processes and Programs to open PST file in Outlook
As the error suggests, you must find and close all the programs that might have access to the PST file and thus, preventing MS Outlook from accessing the same. To find out if any Outlook-related processes are running in the background and to end them, follow these steps,
- Right-click on the Taskbar area and choose Task Manager.
- Now find the processes by the name Outlook, communicator, Lync, and UCMAPI and end them all. To end them, simply click on the process and then click the End Task button.
- Exit Task Manager and restart Outlook.
4. Remo PST Repair:
Make use of Remo Repair PST, a recognized tool with more than 10 million downloads to fix various PST file errors.
Remo Repair PST works with advanced Outlook data file repairing algorithms to repair severely corrupted or damaged PST files created on any version of Outlook. Such as Outlook 2019, 2016, and many more. Download this tool on your Windows to fix PST file not opening error with ease.
Steps to fix PST file using Remo Repair PST
- Open Application
Download and install Remo Repair PST software to fix the PST file that cannot be opened error.
- Select Damaged PST File
Launch the tool and select an option based on your need and click Next.
Open Default PST File: Select this option if the corrupt PST file is located in the defined location.
Select PST File Manually: Select this option if you want to manually locate your PST file not opening.
Find All Your PST Files: If you have more than one Outlook profile then, select this option to locate all your PST files. Later, you can select the inaccessible Outlook PST file that needs to be repaired.
- Import Damaged PST file
You can use the Browse option available to select the corrupted PST file that you wish to repair.
- Select Scan Type
you can choose between a Normal Scan or a Smart Scan, We recommend that you click the Smart Scan option. After which, you can select a destination of your choice to save your Repaired PST file on your Windows and click Repair.
- Verify the Results
After the corrupted Outlook PST file is repaired, check the destination path to view your repaired Outlook PST file.
Note: You can check this FAQ page answering how to fix Outlook PST not opening even after repairing the PST file for free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Outlook not exporting all emails to PST?
There are several reasons for your Outlook not exporting all emails to PST. Here are some of the solutions:
Corrupt Outlook PST file: If your Outlook PST file is corrupt, it might cause the export process to fail or not include all emails. You can try repairing the PST file using the built-in inbox Repair tool scanpst.exe
Size limitation: PST files have size limitations, and if your mailbox contains a large number of emails or attachments, it may not be possible to export all of them to a single PST file. In this case, you can try exporting the emails in batches or creating multiple PST files.
Hidden or deleted items: Outlook may not export hidden or deleted items by default. You can change the export options to include these items by selecting the Include subfolders and Include items marked for deletion options when exporting.
Why is Outlook not exporting all emails to PST?
Incomplete export settings: Incomplete export settings may occasionally prevent Outlook from exporting all emails. Make that all of the necessary folders and subfolders are selected for export.
Outlook Version Compatibility: There can be compatibility problems if you try to export emails from an older version of Outlook to a more recent version. Try exporting the emails using Outlook's identical version.
Permission issues: Outlook may fail to export specific folders or emails if you don't have the right access permissions. Verify that you have the required access rights to all the folders and emails you want to export.
How do I automatically move emails to PST?
To automatically move emails to PST Here are the steps to follow:’
Activate Microsoft Outlook.
Select Info from the File menu.
Manage Rules & Alerts can be selected.
Select New Rule by clicking.
Move messages with specific words in the Subject to a folder
Select specific words and type one or more words that are present in the emails you want to relocate.
Select the PST file where you wish to move the emails by clicking on the specified folder and then browsing.
To close the folder dialogue box, click OK.
To proceed, click Next.
Verify any further restrictions and exclusions you want to impose on the rule.
Select the folder where you want to move the emails by selecting "move it to the specified folder" and checking it.
Any additional actions you want to add to the rule should be checked.
To create the rule, click Finish.
