Microsoft Outlook rules the email client niche. Its proficiency in managing email messages, tasks, and contacts makes Outlook the most trustworthy names for work communication. But what provides strength to this popular application? The answer to this query will take you to the PST (Personal Storage Table) files. These files store entire mailbox data, ranging from emails, tasks and contacts to calendar items and other data.
However, like other software, PST files are not error free and may be infected with issues like corruption. We can say there are 3 categories of PST corruption—minor, moderate and major. All these corruption types can not only lead to slow performance and frequent crashes but also cause problems in accessing emails. We can’t ignore PST corruption. It can lead to the loss of sensitive data.
To fix PST corruption, Microsoft offers a built-in functionality called ScanPST. It is also known as the Inbox Repair tool. It runs multiple scans to diagnose errors and fixes them. In this article, we will explore possible causes as well as troubleshooting methods to fix different corruption issues in the PST file. We will also learn about a third-party PST repair tool that quickly repairs a damaged file with utmost precision. To know more about the subject, checkout our guide titled “How to Repair PST Files From Minor Corruption to Total Failure.”
Understanding PST File Corruption:
Nothing is wrong in saying that PST is crucial for Outlook email client. This data file is portable in nature. It is great for archiving. With time, the data and metadata in this crucial file accumulates. This scenario may lead to corruption. The below illustration will elaborate types of PST corruption:
Type 1: Minor corruption: It mainly arises due to sync issues or sudden app shutdowns. The scenario causes small errors like index mismatches or header issues.
Type 2: Moderate corruption: It is caused by factors like an oversized file size or plugins conflict. This category of PST corruption causes operational issues like missing email messages, contacts, etc. It may also lead to the Outlook crashes and frequent error messages.
Type 3: Severe corruption: Factors that can lead to such corruption include malware attack, hard disk failure and software conflicts. In such a case, the data file (.pst) becomes inaccessible. The user requires any specialized PST repair tool to fix such issues.
How to Repair PST Files From Minor Corruption to Total Failure?
In this part of the post, we will unearth solutions to fix minor, moderate and major corruption issues in Outlook PST. Follow the below guide:
Fix 1: Repair Using ScanPST: There is a utility in Outlook called ScanPST.exe or the Inbox Repair Tool. It is the best for fixing minor and moderate PST corruption issues. It scans, diagnoses, fixes and repairs damaged data files. You need to first trace this utility on your system. By default, this utility is situated at the following locations:
| Windows Version | Location |
| For Office 365, Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016 (Click-to-Run/MSI): | |
| —64-bit: | C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16 |
| —32-bit: | C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16 |
| Outlook 2013: | C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15 or …root\office15 |
So, we have discovered the utility in the system. Now follow the below PST repair process:
Step 1: Close the Outlook app. Exit from other processes running in the background. Wait for some time (No forced shutdown).
Step 2: Explore ‘Run’ Dialogue box by pressing Windows + R keys.
Step 3: Type %programfiles%/Microsoft Office/ in the Run Dialogue Box. Press the Enter key to proceed.
Step 4: Go to the damaged PST file.
Step 5: Initiate the file scan.
Step 6: After some time, the utility will display file’s errors. Click on the Repair button to start the repair process.
Step 7: Make backup of the original .pst file to prevent data loss. Select backup option and enter the name of the backup file.
Step 8: The repair process will take some time, which depends on the size of the data file. A big file size means more time and vice-versa. A summary will be displayed after process completion. Assess the results.
Step 9: Re-start the Outlook. Evaluate if the bugs have been fixed.
Limitations of ScanPST:
This utility is the best for fixing minor to moderate corruption issues. But in certain cases, it may fail to deliver results. Some of such cases are listed below:
- It may struggle to fix oversized PST file.
- It may not be able to resolve complex corruption scenario (e.g. malware attack)
- Scanpst is a manual task that needs a bit of technical knowledge.
- Repairing PST files using Scanpst involves multiple stages, missing any stage needs repeat of process.
- Since this manual tool takes a lot of time to scan, it may put the integrity of the PST file on the toss.
Fix 2: Repair Using a Professional Tool: In case, we came across a scenario where ScanPST is struggling to fix PST bugs. Here no utility except a professional PST repair tool can help us in resolving complex corruption issues. These tools are created by third parties to fix issues that surpasses the ability of the built-in ScanPST. Based on advanced algorithm, these tools scans and repairs corrupt files quickly. Stellar Repair for Outlook is one of such tools that is reliable and user-friendly. Its algorithm can debug corruption caused by a malware attack. It is also capable of repairing even an oversized data file. It also displays an improved screening of the mailbox items. This PST repair tool also allows you to save the recovered mailbox items in different formats like PST, EML, MSG, RTF, HTML, and PDF.
Conclusion:
PST files are prone to corruption as they are not highly encrypted like OST files. We have discussed ways to fix a damaged file in the above guide titled “How to Repair PST Files From Minor Corruption to Total Failure.” We have learned how to repair damaged Outlook data files (.pst) using ScanPST. The post also discussed the limitations of this utility. When ScanPST fails, a PST repair tool comes to our rescue. One of such tools is Stellar Repair for Outlook. This software quickly scans and fixes issues in the PST file. It is capable of fixing errors even in a large PST file, thus minimizing the possibility of data loss. This PST repair software is also smart enough to extract mailbox data with perfection.
