How to repair your Outlook personal folder file (.pst)

  • Article
  • ten minutes to read
  • Applies to:
    Outlook 2016, Outlook 2013, Microsoft Outlook 2010, Microsoft Part Outlook 2007, Microsoft Office Outlook 2003

Original KB number: 272227

Follow these steps to repair your Outlook personal binder file (.pst) by using Inbox Repair tool.

Automatically start the Inbox Repair tool

Kickoff the Inbox Repair tool (Scanpst.exe). Then select Open up or Run in the File Download dialog box, and follow the steps in the easy ready wizard.

One time the Inbox Repair tool is started, continue with Step 2. (Tin can't offset the Inbox Repair tool?)

Manually get-go the Inbox Repair tool

To outset the Inbox Repair tool manually, locate ane of the folders by using Microsoft Windows Explorer, and then double-click the Scanpst.exe file.

Notation

The file or folders may exist hidden. For instructions virtually how to unhide files and folders, see your operating system documentation.

Typical location Remark
<disk drive>\Programme Files(x86)\Microsoft Function\root\Office16 For Outlook 2016 Click-to-Run installation on a 32-bit version of Windows
<disk drive>\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16 For Outlook 2016 Click-to-Run installation on a 64-chip version of Windows
<disk drive>\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft Office\Office16 For Outlook 2016 MSI-based installation on a 32-flake version of Windows
<disk drive>\Program Files\Microsoft Function\Office16 For Outlook 2016 MSI-based installation on a 64-bit version of Windows
<disk drive>\Programme Files\Microsoft Function 15\root\office15 For Outlook 2013 Click-to-Run installation on a 64-bit version of Windows
<deejay bulldoze>\Plan Files(x86)\Microsoft Office 15\root\office15 For Outlook 2013 Click-to-Run installation on a 32-flake version of Windows
<disk drive>\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15 For Outlook 2013 MSI-based installation on a 64-bit version of Windows
<disk drive>\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15 For Outlook 2013 MSI-based installation on a 32-bit version of Windows
<disk bulldoze>:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14 For Outlook 2010 on a 64-scrap version of Windows
<deejay drive>:\Program Files\Microsoft Role(x86)\Office14 For Outlook 2010 on a 32-chip version of Windows
<disk bulldoze>:\Program Files\Microsoft Role\Office12 For Outlook 2007 on a 64-flake version of Windows
<disk drive>:\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft Office\Office12 For Outlook 2007 on a 32-bit version of Windows
<disk bulldoze>:\Program Files\Common Files\Arrangement\Mapi\1033| Other typical location
<disk drive>:\Programme Files\Common Files\Organization\MSMAPI\1033 Other typical location
<deejay drive>:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\1033\NT Other typical location (for Windows NT and Windows 2000)
<disk bulldoze>:\Programme Files\Mutual Files\Organisation\Mapi\1033\95 Other typical location (for Windows 95 and Windows 98)

(Can't find the Inbox Repair tool?)

Step 2 - Repair the .pst file

In the Inbox Repair tool, type the path and the file name of your personal folders (.pst) file or select Browse to locate the file by using the Windows file system, so select Start.

Screenshot shows steps to repair the .pst file in the Inbox Repair tool.

Note

  • The Inbox Repair Tool may need to exist run several times in social club to fully repair your personal folder (.pst) file.
  • The Inbox Repair Tool cannot repair every problem that is detected. In some cases, items may not exist recovered if they were permanently deleted or corrupted beyond repair.

Step 3 - Recover repaired items to a new .pst file

After you run the Inbox Repair tool, y'all tin can starting time Outlook and recover repaired items. Optionally, yous can try to recover additional repaired items from the backup personal folder.

To start, create a new Personal Folders (.pst) file entry in your contour. Then, y'all can movement the recovered items to your new Personal Folders (.pst) file.

  1. Showtime Outlook. If y'all utilize multiple profiles in Outlook, make sure that you select the contour that contains the Personal Folders (.pst) file that you lot tried to repair.

  2. Press Ctrl+6 to turn on Binder Listing view.

  3. In your Folder List, you should see the following recovered folders:

                      Recovered Personal Folders  Agenda Contacts Deleted Items Inbox Journal Notes Outbox Sent Items Tasks

    Note

    These recovered folders are usually empty considering this is a rebuilt .pst file. You should also come across a folder named Lost and Found. This folder contains folders and items that the Inbox Repair Tool recovered. Unfortunately, items that are missing from the Lost and Establish folder may be beyond repair.

  4. Create a new Personal Binder (.pst) file in your profile. The steps may exist different, depending on which version of Outlook yous are running.

    Outlook 2010 and subsequently

    1. Select the File tab on the ribbon, and so select the Info tab on the carte.
    2. Select the Business relationship Settings button, so select Business relationship Settings once more.
    3. Select the Data Files tab.
    4. Select Add together to open the Create or Open Outlook Data File dialog box.
    5. Enter a file proper name for your new Outlook Information (.pst) file, and so select OK.
    6. Yous should take a new Outlook Data (.pst) file in your profile.

    Outlook 2007

    1. On the File menu, select Data File Direction.
    2. Select Add to open the New Outlook Data File dialog box.
    3. In the Types of storage dialog box, select Office Outlook Personal Folders File (.pst), and then select OK.
    4. In the Create or Open up Outlook Data File dialog box, select the location and a file name for your new Personal Folders (.pst) file, and then select OK.
    5. Select OK.
    6. You should take a new Personal Folders (.pst) file in your contour.

    Outlook 2003

    1. On the File menu, point to New, and and then select Outlook Data File.
    2. Select OK to open up the Create or Open Outlook Information File dialog box.
    3. Enter a file name for your new Personal Folders (.pst) file, and so select OK to open the Create Microsoft Personal Folders dialog box.
    4. Enter a file name for your new Personal Folders (.pst) file, and and so select OK.
    5. You should have a new Personal Folders (.pst) file in your profile.

    Outlook 2002

    1. On the File carte du jour, point to New, and then select Personal Folders File (.pst).
    2. Select Create to open the Create Microsoft Personal Folders dialog box.
    3. Enter a file name for your new Personal Folders (.pst) file, and then select OK.
    4. Y'all should have a new Personal Folders (.pst) file in your profile.

  5. Drag the recovered items from the Lost and Constitute folder to your new Personal Folders (.pst) file.

  6. When y'all have finished moving all items, you tin can remove the Recovered Personal Folders (.pst) file from your profile. This includes the Lost and Found folder.

  7. If you are satisfied with the data that you recovered, you lot are finished. However, if y'all want to try to recover additional information, get to the Recover repaired items from the backup file (Optional) section.

The Inbox Repair tool (Scanpst.exe) is designed to assistance repair problems that are associated with personal folder (.pst) files.

The Inbox Repair tool is automatically installed with all English-language Microsoft Outlook installation options depending on your operating system.

If you tin't beginning the Inbox Repair tool automatically or manually, you lot may endeavour to repair your Office application.

Recover repaired items from the backup file (Optional)

Note

If you lot could not open your original Personal Folders (.pst) file before you ran Inbox Repair Tool, the following procedures may not work. If it does non piece of work, so unfortunately, yous volition be unable to recover any additional information. If you could open the file, the post-obit procedure may assist you lot recover additional items from your damaged Personal Folders (.pst) file.

When you run Inbox Repair Tool, the choice to create a backup of the original Personal Folders (.pst) file is automatically selected. This pick creates a file on your hd that is named File name.bak. This file is a copy of the original File name.pst file with a different extension. If you think that y'all are yet missing items after following the steps in the previous department, you can try to recover additional information from this backup file past post-obit these steps:

Locate the .bak file. It is located in the folder of your original Personal Folders (.pst) file.

  1. Locate the .bak file. Information technology is located in the folder of your original Personal Folders (.pst) file.

  2. Make a copy of the .bak file and requite the file a new name with a .pst extension. For example, name the file New proper noun.pst.

  3. Import the New name.pst file that you created in the previous footstep by using the Import and Export Magician in Outlook. To practise this, follow these steps:

    1. On the File menu, select Import and Consign.

      Annotation

      On Outlook 2010 and later, select the File tab on the Ribbon, select Open, and and so select Import.

    2. Select Import from another program or file, and then select Adjacent.
    3. Select Personal Folder File (.pst), and and so select Side by side.
    4. Under File to import, select Browse, and then double-click your Newname.pst file.
    5. Under Options, select Do not import duplicates, and then select Next.
    6. Under Select the folder to import from, select the Personal Folders (.pst) file, and and so select Include subfolders.
    7. Select Import folders into the same binder in, then select your new Personal Folders (.pst).
    8. Select Finish.

Annotation

Recall that the backup file was the original corrupted file, and you may find that yous cannot recover annihilation other than what was recovered in the Lost and Found folder. If yous cannot import the Newname.pst file into Outlook, unfortunately you have lost all the information that is non in the Lost and Constitute binder.

ScanPST generally validates and corrects errors in the internal data structures of a .pst file. The .pst file is a database file. Therefore, structures such every bit BTrees and reference counts, are checked and repaired as necessary. These depression-level objects have no knowledge of the upper-level structures, such as messages, agenda items, and so on, that are congenital upon them.

If ScanPST determines that a specific block of the structure or table is unreadable or corrupted, ScanPST removes it. If that block was office of a specific particular in Outlook, the item will be removed when it is validated.

You lot may not expect this behavior, but the removal of the particular is appropriate given the circumstances. Also, this specific kind of state of affairs is rare, and it volition always be entered in the ScanPST log file.

At a higher level, the more visible changes that y'all see involve folders and letters.

Folders

ScanPST examines every folder in the .pst and performs the post-obit operations:

  1. ScanPST makes certain that there are the right tables associated with the binder.
  2. ScanPST checks every row in each table and makes sure that the message or the subfolder exists in the system.
  3. If ScanPST cannot discover the message or the subfolder, ScanPST removes the row from the table.
  4. If ScanPST does find the bulletin or the subfolder, ScanPST validates the message or the folder.
  5. If that validation fails, the bulletin or folder is considered corrupted, and information technology is removed from the table and deleted from the database.
  6. If the validation succeeds, ScanPST does another assay to brand sure that the at present-recovered message values are consequent with the values in the table. Corrupted folders are recreated from scratch, if it is necessary. These folders contain no user data.

Messages

Well-nigh users will be concerned by message operations, considering a corrupted item is probable to cause something to exist deleted from the .pst file. ScanPST performs the following operations on messages:

  1. ScanPST does some bones validation of zipper tables and recipient tables. This functioning resembles how a folder works with the letters in it.

  2. As soon every bit the recipient table is validated to guarantee recipients that are formatted correctly, ScanPST makes any changes that are required to synchronize these valid recipient table contents to the recipient properties on the message. ScanPST as well guarantees that the bulletin'southward parent binder refers to a valid folder. The post-obit message properties are checked to make sure that they follow valid data formats:

    • PR_MESSAGE_CLASS

      ScanPST checks that this property exists. If the holding does not be, it is set to IPM.Notation.

    • PR_MESSAGE_FLAGS

      Each flag is validated separately.

    • PR_SUBMIT_FLAGS

      This validation resembles the operation for message flags.

    • PR_CLIENT_SUBMIT_TIME

      If the submit flags indicate that the message is marked as submitted, this property must be. If the submit flags exercise not indicate that the bulletin is marked equally submitted, the fourth dimension is set up to Now.

    • PR_SEARCH_KEY

      This property must be. If the holding is non present, a random GUID is generated for it.

    • PR_CREATION_TIME

      This holding must exist. If the property is non present, the time is set to Now.

    • PR_LAST_MODIFICATION_TIME

      This property must exist. If the property is non nowadays, the fourth dimension is gear up to Now.

    • PR_MESSAGE_SIZE

      Sizes are recalculated and compared to stored values. If sizes differ past some delta, the calculated value is written.

No validation is explicitly done on trunk-related properties or on subject-related properties, except the implicit depression-level validation that this article discusses before. The recipient brandish backdrop are changed to be consistent with the recovered recipient table. As shortly as this operation is complete, other algorithms are run to collect all the orphaned messages and to put them in an Orphans folder.

For more information about binary trees (btrees), meet An Extensive Examination of Data Structures.