OST file is an Outlook data file that is created when you configure Outlook with IMAP, Exchange, Office 365, and Outlook.com accounts. This is the Outlook data file that can help you save the synchronized copy of Outlook data on your computer and allows you to work offline. You can perform any actions including deleting emails, reading, or creating one in offline mode. When you re-establish the connection, Outlook will synchronize all the changes made offline with the server. Therefore, you can access your updated Outlook data from anywhere.
Although OST files are reliable and secure, they can get corrupt due to several reasons. Let us get to know why OST files get corrupted.
Quick Navigation:
What causes Outlook OST files to become corrupted?
How to repair Outlook OST files?
Repair Corrupt OST file using SFWare PST/OST Repair Tool
How Outlook OST file get corrupted?
Below are a few reasons that can cause errors in OST files in Outlook-
1. Network drop while syncing with an online server or using unstable network sources can lead to OST file corruption.
2. Adding third-party add-ins can conflict with the application and cause corruption in Outlook data files.
3. If your Outlook profile is configured incorrectly, you cannot access the OST file and you may encounter a problem in configuring the Outlook data file which could be an indication of a corrupt OST file.
4. It could be a corrupt Outlook profile or other issues, such as power failures during OST file synchronization with the server or virus intrusion into Outlook data files, that lead to OST file corruption.
5. Sometimes, any interruption caused while installing new Outlook updates makes Outlook not respond. In such cases, the damages are not limited to the application but to the OST files saved in the application will be damaged too.
How Do I Repair A Corrupt OST File?
You can repair corrupt Outlook OST files using 3 different approaches.
If the corruption is restricted to files in one folder, you can easily update the folder to fix the OST file corruption. The other two methods use using ScanPST.exe tool and repair the OST file respectively.
Depending on your scenarios and level of corruption in OST files, you can try the methods mentioned below, hold good for all the versions of Outlook including the latest 2021, 2019,2016, 2013, and others.
Method 1: Update the OST Folder to Fix Corruption and Repair OST Files
You can update the folder in Outlook when the issue is with the particular folder. All you have to do is, delete the offline items in the corrupt folder and update the folder by establishing the connection to the Exchange server.
- Open Outlook >> right-click the folder you want to update.
- Click Properties >> A dialog box will appear >> Click Clear Offline Items.
- Click OK >> Select Send/Receive tab and click on Update Folder
Method 2: Make use of ScanPST.exe to Repair corrupt OST Files
If you are wondering if is it possible to repair OST files using ScanPST.exe, yes, the tool can be reliable for both PST and OST files. If you are using an Outlook version lower than 2013, you can make use of the scanost.exe tool. First, find the location of the OST file.
Scanost.exe can be found on location C: \Program files\Microsoft office\Outlook version.
Scanpst.exe can be found on:
- Outlook 2019-32-Bit C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office19
- Outlook 2019-64-Bit C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office19
- Outlook 2019-32-Bit C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office21
- Outlook 2019-64-Bit C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office21
All you have to change the office version of your respective Outlook.
Steps to run scanpst.exe to repair OST file corruption
1: Locate scanpst.exe on your system and follow the steps.
2: Once you locate the scanpst.exe, run the inbox repair tool.
3: Click on Browse and enter the location of the OST file you want to repair.
4: Click Start to scan the file. After you complete the scan, make sure to select the backup option.
5: Click on the Repair option to repair the file >> OK.
With the help of ScanPST, you should be able to fix the OST file corruption. However, Inbox repair tools also have limitations. The Inbox repair tool (ScanPST) stops responding when trying to fix large files. If ScanPST fails to repair the OST file, it will ask you to recreate the file. In that case, you can just recreate the OST file in Outlook.
Method 3: Recreate the OST File to Repair the Corrupt OST File
You can easily re-create the OST file by downloading it from the server and synchronizing it with the online server. Before recreating the file, it is important to delete the corrupt existing one.
Steps to Delete the OST File:
1: Close the Outlook application before starting the process.
2: Open Control Panel >> User accounts >> mail.
3: It opens a new dialogue box >> Click on E-mail Accounts.
4: Clicking on email accounts will open the account settings dialogue box.
5: Click on the Data file tab >> Select the corrupt OST file and open the file location.
6: Once you access the file go ahead and delete it.
Just after deleting your corrupt OST file, you can set up your account with the same credentials. Outlook automatically synchronizes with your online server and creates a new OST file without losing any data.
If the above methods don’t fix a corrupt OST file or your data isn’t synchronized with the server, use an efficient OST/PST repair tool to recover and repair the file.
Repair Corrupt OST file using SFWare PST/OST Repair Tool
To repair the OST file, download and install the SFWare PST/OST repair tool and launch the application. The software can repair OST files and recover them as PST files. Therefore, you do not need to synchronize with the server again.
Step 1: The main screen displays three options, select the one as per need:
Open PST File: If you know the path to open the PST file, select the option.
Find PST File: If you are not aware of PST file, the tool easily finds that for you.
Select Outlook Profile: Select the profile in which you need to repair the Outlook files.
Step 2: Select Normal Scan or Smart Scan from the next screen.
Normal Scan: This scan is suitable for repairing minor corruptions in PST files.
Smart Scan: If you want to repair a severely corrupted PST file, click on Smart Scan.
Step 3: Click on the Repair option to fix cannot start Microsoft Outlook error.
After completion of the repair process, you can preview the repaired PST file in Outlook styled browser. Give the desired location to save the repaired PST file.
The SFWare PST repair tool can easily fix corrupt or encrypted Outlook data files. The tool is compatible with all the Outlook versions including the latest 2021, 2019, 2016, and other older versions.
