The primary cause of this error is usually Outlook data file corruption, but it can also result from an oversized data file, corrupt Office installation, hard drive issues, or malware. Read the article to resolve the Outlook error with a few simple clicks.
If you have been using it for a while now, you would already know Outlook is more than just an email client. While the primary function is to send, receive, and organize emails, Microsoft Outlook also includes a suite of productivity features like Calendars, Contacts, Tasks, and Notes designed to help users manage various aspects of their professional and personal lives.
“Something is wrong with one of your data files and Outlook needs to close” error can disrupt all the features of Outlook, The good news is that this error is not permanent and can be resolved through various troubleshooting steps, from simple restarts to using Microsoft’s repair tools.
Before starting any troubleshooting steps, try a simple restart close Outlook, wait for a few seconds, and reopen or update the Outlook application if that doesn’t fix the corrupt Outlook data file then go ahead and try the troubleshooting steps in the upcoming section.
Fixing the ‘Something is Wrong with One of Your Data Files, and Outlook Needs to Close’ Error
- Start Outlook in Safe Mode
- Repair Corrupt PST File
- Reset Outlook Navigation Pane
- Perform Office Repair
- Create a New Outlook Profile
- Run SFC Command
Fix 1: Start Outlook in Safe Mode
Try opening Outlook in Safe Mode to disable all the add-ins to identify if they are causing something is wrong with one of your data files Outlook error.
Press Windows + R, Type outlook.exe /safe, and press Enter.
If Outlook opens without issues, faulty add-ins are likely the problem. disable the faulty add-ins.
- Go to File > Options > Add-ins.
- In the Manage box, select COM Add-ins and click Go.
- Uncheck all add-ins to disable them and click OK.
- Restart Outlook normally and check if the issue persists.
This should fix the “Something is wrong with one of your data files and Outlook needs to close” error if not, try the next solution.
Fix 2: Repair Corrupt PST File
When the error message “Something is wrong with one of your data files” appears, click on OK to launch Microsoft Inbox Repair tool or ScanPST, a built-in repair tool to fix data files in Outlook (Only PST) with minor corruption, indexing, and corrupt headers.
Else manually locate the ScanPST on the following path: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\office19 (This may vary based on the Outlook version installed) and repair the corrupt PST file. Here is how to do it:
Step 1: Open ScanPST.exe and click on Browse to select the corrupt PST file and click on Start
Step 2: The tool starts to repair the PST file.
For more information about the type of corruption /error, you can click on Details.
Outlook inbox repair tool can quickly repair large PST files up to 4 GB. If it’s larger than 4GB the process can take longer time.
Note: Check the Make a backup of the scanned file before repairing the box. If your PST file is critical.
Now try accessing Outlook and check if the corrupt Outlook data file is fixed and the “something is wrong with one of your data files Outlook” error is gone.
If your PST file is severely corrupted, or have a large PST file. or ScanPST fails to repair the corrupt outlook data file or crashes. You can go for a more effective Outlook repair tool.
One such tool is the SFWare PST Repair Tool, which can fix severely corrupted/damaged PST or OST files of any size without altering the original PST or OST File. With a simple user interface and an effective repair mechanism, you can fix Outlook data file corruption in Outlook versions in just a few clicks. Download now and see for yourself.
Here is how you can repair Outlook Data Files using SFware PST Repair Tool
Close the Outlook Application
After Installing the application on your computer, launch the Software and select the PST file import method.
Step 1: Select the Outlook Data File
Open Default PST file: Imports default Outlook PST file.
Select PST File Manually: Manually Browse and select a PST file.
Find All Your PST Files: The software scans the entire drive and lists all the Outlook data files from which drive you can choose.
Step 2: Select scan and choose Destination for Repaired File
Normal Scan: For straightforward Repair to fix regular levels of corruption
Smart Scan: Thorough repair process for repairing PST files with extreme levels of corruption and to recover deleted Outlook Items like emails, contacts, notes, and more.
Set the destination location to the repaired PST file and click on Repair
Step 3: The tool starts repairing the PST file
Step 4: View Repaired PST file
Check for the repaired PST file data, it’s that simple!
Fix 3: Reset Outlook Navigation Pane
Resisting the navigation pane to its default settings can fix issues like missing folders, display problems, or other related glitches that may prevent Outlook from functioning properly. This can potentially help fix the Outlook error. Close the Outlook application and follow the steps below:
- Press Windows + R and Type outlook.exe /resetnavpane.
This will relaunch Outlook and apply the reset to the navigation pane.
Fix 4: Perform Office Repair
Try repairing your Office installation to fix the “something is wrong with one of your data files and Outlook needs to close” error.
Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.
Find Microsoft Office > right-click it and select Change.
Choose either Quick Repair or Online Repair, then follow the prompts to complete the repair process.
Once the repair is finished, try opening Outlook again to see if the issue is resolved.
Fix 5: Create a New Outlook Profile
If the issue persists create a new profile.
- Open the Control Panel search for Mail and open it.
- Click on Show Profiles.
- Click on Add to create a new profile and follow the prompts to enter your name email address and other information.
- Set the new profile as the default by selecting it and clicking Always use this profile.
Now Open Outlook with the new profile and check if the issue persists.
Fix 6: Run SFC Command
Corrupted system files can cause Outlook errors like these, Run the System File Checker command to scan all system files.
- Open Command Prompt as administrator
- Type sfc /scannow and hit Enter
- Then DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
The scan may take a while depending on your system. Once the Scan is completed, Check if the error is gone.
Conclusion
To avoid such issues in the future, consider keeping the PST file size under 10GB by archiving or deleting emails and scanning them with an updated antivirus tool to prevent malware and virus damage.
We hope the solutions listed in this article helped you fix the “Something is wrong with one of your data files, and Outlook needs to close” issue. If none of the solutions work, consider recovering all your Outlook data.
