Microsoft Outlook is a well-known email client which stores its mailboxes in a PST format. With rising technology and demands, Outlook has improved their functionality to make the user interface more clear and precise. Despite having a huge set of outstanding features, Microsoft Outlook files are prone to be corrupted.
There are many probable situations where an Outlook PST file keeps getting corrupted or damaged due to various reasons. Those reasons may be virus or malware attacks, sudden shutdown of system, improperly use of PST file, etc. Hence, in this post, we will discuss why Microsoft Outlook 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007 PST file get corrupted. The top 5 reasons for corruption and its solutions are also described in this article.
Top 5 Reasons on Why PST File Get Corrupted
There are many causes behind the Outlook PST file corruption. Here we briefly describes the top 5 reasons on how Microsoft Outlook PST data files get corrupted. Also explore the solutions to repair damaged Outlook 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007 PST files efficiently.
Read Also: How to recover deleted pst files in outlook
1. Improper Termination of Outlook
The most common reason for PST file corruption is the improper shutdown of MS Outlook application. It will damage the PST file structure, then the file will become inaccessible. For instance, Outlook may get closed improperly due to the power failure.
2. Virus and Malware Attacks
Nowadays, PST files have been corrupted due to several types of viruses and malware and it becomes increasingly sophisticated. Usually, users open their email attachments from Outlook interface that turns out to be a virus or malware. However, a virus is a malicious entity that can corrupt or damage the data on a system including PST files.
3. Large Size of Outlook Files
In previous versions of MS Outlook, Users can only able to save 5 GB of data items. It becomes quite difficult for users when the large size of PST data communications going on for months. In this circumstances, the oversized limit of PST files in the Outlook account can cause the PST file to crash and hang the application.
4. Hardware Malfunction
If any issues found in the physical device that contains the PST file may result in Outlook file corruption. Apart from this, if a computer system fails, then all software on the system will also encounter corruptions. The damage includes MS Outlook which would be broken terribly, and as result Outlook file will certainly get corrupted.
5. Software Problems
Some software problems may also result in Microsoft Outlook PST file corruptions. For instance, frequent switching between the older version and newer version may cause the errors. In addition, when MS Outlook program is going through version upgrade, errors may take place as well.
How to Repair Outlook PST Files When it Get Corrupted?
In order to repair damaged Microsoft Outlook PST files, there are some of the methods explained step by step. Follow them sequentially to repair Outlook PST file when it keeps getting corrupted.
Using the SCANPST.EXE Tool
The ScanPST.exe (Inbox Repair) tool is an inbuilt utility provided by Microsoft, which is used to repair minor corruptions in an Outlook PST file. Follow the given steps in order to start using this ScanPST.exe tool.
1. First of all, find the ScanPST.exe utility
- Locate ScanPST.exe Tool in the mail folder of MS Outlook
(a) At first, right-click on the Task Bar then click on Task Manager.
(b) After that, go to the Processes Tab.
(c) Then, right-click on Outlook & select the Open File Location. This will open a window where the Inbox Repair Tool will be saved.
- Locate ScanPST.exe from Default Location
(a) MS Outlook 2016
For 32 bit (Windows): C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice16
For 64 bit (Windows): C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficeOffice16
(b) MS Outlook 2013
For 32 bit (Windows): C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice15
For 64 bit (Windows): C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficeOffice15
(c) MS Outlook 2010
For 32 bit (Windows): C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice14
For 64 bit (Windows): C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficeOffice14
2. Now, double-click on the ScanPST.exe file.
3. Now, browse the Folder location where the corrupted PST file is saved.
4. Finally, click on Start button. This will start the scanning process.
5. Now click on Repair Button to fix selected PST file (check to make backup file).
6. Click OK, when the process completes.
Using an Automatic Solution
The above discussed manual method can be cumbersome because it is efficient only for minor PST file corruption. In case, if a user faces severe problem then, it is advised to use an automatic third-party solution which named as Outlook PST Repair Tool.
This software is used to recover the inaccessible and highly damaged PST files with their attributes. By using this utility, a user can repair and recover multiple Outlook PST files when it keeps getting corrupted or damaged. Also, this software supports to work with latest Outlook versions such as 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, and all below versions.
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Working With Outlook Recovery Tool
In order to repair Microsoft Outlook corrupted PST files with the help an efficient commercial solution like Outlook Recovery software, follow the given steps:
- First, go to the Start menu and click on All Programs>>SysTools Outlook Recovery. After launching the tool, click on the Add File button.
- Now, an Add File window pops up. Here you will see two options Select File and Search File. In this step, click on the Select File radio button & click on the “…” button to browse the PST file.
- After that, search the desired PST file and click on the Open button.
- If you select Search File option then you will see two more options Search All Drive and Search Selected Drive for searching the PST files.
- After completion of the searching process, the tool displays the entire list of PST files stored.
- Next, you can see the storage path of PST file. Then, select scanning mode and click on the Add button to proceed further.
- Now, the Outlook Recovery software will start the scanning process of the .pst file.
- Then, a dialog box appears which confirm the success of scanning process. Now, click on Yes if you want to save the scan results for the .pst files.
- In this step, you can preview all the added mails on the software interface.
- Now you can view all the folders and mailbox items. Click on Mail tab to view only emails.
- Click on Calendars tab to view events for all mailbox items.
- Click on Contacts tab to view the address book information in the software.
- Finally, click on the Export button to migrate mailboxes.
To Sum it up
The Outlook PST file corruption can be a serious problem as it prevents the access of mailbox items. In this post, we discussed whydoes Outlook PST file keeps getting corrupted and how to repair a damaged PST files easily. Then, we noticed that the best way to recover corrupted Outlook PST file is to use Outlook Recovery tool. It is very easy to use and recommended by many data recovery experts.
