How to Use Outlook Inbox Repair Tool?

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The Inbox Repair Tool is a great solution when it comes to fixing common Outlook issues. Not only is it free, but is also already installed on your PC. This article will teach you how to use the Inbox Repair Tool and other alternative solutions!

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An Outlook data file contains your email messages, calendar, tasks, and other items on your computer. What if you end up losing all your important emails or dates saved in Outlook due to problems like cannot start Outlook, Outlook data file not be configured, OST is not an Outlook data file, and corruption on PST files?

outlook-inbox-repair-tool

Fortunately, in such situations, all you need is a tool to repair Microsoft Outlook.

What is Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair Tool?

Inbuilt inbox repair tool or ScanPST.exe is a tool that analyzes and repairs errors in Outlook email applications.  In general the inbox repair tool maintains the integrity of the Outlook.

Where Do I find Outlook inbox repair tool?

Before you start running the utility, it is important to know the location where the inbox repair tool is located because every Outlook version has a different location for the ScanPST utility.

Be it any Windows computer, follow the path → C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\office19\

Click here to know how to download ScanPST and locate the ScanPST.exe.

How to Run Inbox Repair Tool to Repair PST File?

At first, to fix Outlook errors, locate the files as the path shown in the above section based on the Outlook Version you use. Next step is to locate the PST file.

Locating Outlook PST file on your Computer

When you start the inbuilt repair tool, you will be prompted to locate the PST file. Sometimes the error itself shows you the path to explain the problem in the file. If not, then follow the path to fix the errors on Outlook PST files.

Outlook 2007 and previous

C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\

Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2019 and Office 365

C:\Users\%username%\Documents\Outlook Files\

Repair PST files using Inbox Repair tool/ ScanPST.exe

With the help of the paths explained above, you can start running the tool. You can run the tool to fix the error stating PST file is missing.

Step 1: Open ScanPST.exe and use the Browse option to import the corrupt PST files. Click on Start to confirm your choice. The Tool will now scan the select PST file, for corruption, errors, and inconsistencies.

import-corrupt-pst-file-in-scanpst

(To find PST file, path is mentioned)

The scanning process can take a bit longer depending upon the size and the level of corruption on the outlook file.

Once the process is completed, you can verify the errors found during scanning the corrupt PST files.

 

Step 2: Now, Click on the Repair button to repair the PST file.

For more information about the type of corruption /error, you can click on Details.

repair-pst-file-using-inbox-repair-tool

After you press the repair button, the actual repair starts and goes through certain phases to repair the corrupt file. Outlook inbox repair tool can quickly repair the large PST file up to 4 GB.

If your PST file is larger than 4GB, the process can sometimes take much of your time more than half an hour. 

Note: If you do not want to lose any files, make sure you check the Make a backup of the scanned file before repairing the box.

Outlook Errors that can be solved using Inbox Repair Tool 

  • Data CRC error in PST file
  •  Outlook Send Receive Error
  •  Outlook Data File Cannot Be Accessed
  • Outlook data File Cannot Be Configured

At times, due to severe corruption in the PST file or other reasons, you might end up not repairing the file and encounter a Repair Process Failed message. Mostly this error is a consequence of severely corrupt PST files. 

  1. Inbox repair tool has limitations where the PST may be left unrepaired or the repaired file might not have your important files.
  2. When ScanPST tries to fix the PST files it might permanently discard some contents of your Outlook data file as it cannot fix it. 
  3. This might mean that your important mails, attachments or contacts are gone forever.

If you can no longer access the PST file, do not worry. You still can fix the issues with Outlook Data file using an excellent PST Repair Tool. SFWare PST Repair Tool is the tool with the most streamlined algorithm, helps you fix any errors and issues in a PST file and recover deleted, lost and corrupt PST files without even altering the originality of the file. This is because the PST Repair tool works on Read only mechanism and doesn’t alter the original files.

Key Points on Outlook Inbox Repair Tool

  • Make sure you close the Outlook application when you try running the tool on your computer
  •  If you failed to repair the file, you need to run the tool multiple times to fix the error
  •  Inbox repair tool will repair your PST file, but will not be able to recover lost data.
  • The ScanPST.exe tool doesn’t work on PST that is severely corrupted. You may end up in a failed repair process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it possible to download inbox repair tool as a separate tool?

No, you are not able to download inbox repair tool as a standalone tool. This is an inbuilt tool that comes with MS Office. You need to download and install full version of Microsoft Office package on your PC. Only then you will be able to download ScanPST.exe to fix any Outlook related issues.

How to find where inbox repair tool is located?

To locate inbox repair tool, the location of inbox repair tool depends on the version of the Outlook versions (32-bit or 64-bit version) you are using. To locate ScanPST file, you can just copy and paste the path and open Inbox Repair Tool.

What is the alternative of Inbox Repair Tool to repair corrupt Outlook files?

Although Inbox repair tool is an inbuilt tool to repair corrupt Outlook files, due to its limitations, the tool cannot be used in all situations. Therefore, you can try using any third-party repair tool to fix corrupt Outlook. SFWare PST repair tool is one of the most recommended tools due to its features and applications.

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