How to Resolve Common Issues with Outlook PST Files

Microsoft Outlook is one of the most popular email clients, and it is used to send, receive, and manage emails. It stores emails, contacts, calendars, and other vital data in PST files. Microsoft Outlook is a reliable email client, but sometimes PST files become corrupted or face some issues that affect their functionality, cause frustration, and stop you from accessing your essential information in Outlook.

In this blog we will discuss some common problems with PST files and provide solutions to fix those problems in an easy way. Before that, we need to know about the PST file. Let’s dive in!

What is a .PST File?

A PST stands for Personal Storage Table, and it's used by Outlook to store emails, contacts, and other data. Over time, as you send and receive more emails PST file can grow large in size, and if it's not maintained correctly it will get damaged.

Common Problems with PST Files

Here are a few common problems you might face with Outlook PST files:

Data Corruption:

PST file corruption is a common problem that many users face. It can happen for several reasons, like random shutdowns, viruses, software crashes, or other issues. Here’s how you can fix a corrupted PST file.

Solution 1: Using the Inbox Repair Tool (ScanPST): 

Microsoft provides scanPST utility to repair corrupted PST files. Here are the steps to run it:

• First, find the ScanPST.exe utility in your system and open it.

• Now, tap on Browse and locate the corrupted PST file.

• Next, click on the Start button to scan the corrupted PST file.

• After the scanning process is done, click on the Repair option to fix the corruption.

• Finally, a message will appear: Repair complete.

Solution 2: Using Third-Party Repair Tool:

If you prefer a more straightforward solution, you can use a third-party tool like the Shoviv Outlook PST Repair Tool. The tool offers more advanced features that can help you recover lost emails, contacts, calendars, and other vital data from the corrupted .PST file. It provides a straightforward GUI that makes the recovery very easy for all kinds of users. 

Forgotten password:

Microsoft Outlook users put a password to their PST files to keep their critical data safe from unauthorized access. However, forgetting the password is a common issue that can happen to us, and it makes inaccessible data in the PST file .

Solution: 

Microsoft Outlook does not provide any automated solution to remove PST file password. So, we need to move towards the third-party application to regain access to the PST file. There are many tools available on the online market that claim to recover PST passwords, but the Shoviv Outlook PST Password Recovery Tool is the best choice for removing PST file passwords. It can remove passwords from multiple PST files at once and keeps all data intact so that users can not lose any file items in the process. The tool provides three options to retrieve the password from a PST file: recover, remove, or reset the password; users can go with any option in order to retrieve the password.

Large PST file

As time passes, PST files grow in size, and it can slow down the outlook speed, and chances of data corruption are high. To prevent all these things, we need to Split PST file into smaller parts so 

Solution 1: Using the "Archive" features of Outlook

1. Open Outlook and go to File> Info > Tools > Clean Up Old Items.

2. Choose Archive this folder and all subfolders, 

3. Then, select the folder you want to archive.

4. After that, set the date range for the emails you want to archive.

5. Now, choose where to save the archived File and click OK.

This method splits PST files based on dates, but it requires a lot of work and technical knowledge, making it an inefficient way to break the PST file. The most important thing is that this manual method is risky; it can corrupt your data. To avoid all these issues you can try Shoviv Software to tackle this task.

Solution 2: Split PST file Using Shoviv Software:

Another way to deal with an oversized PST file is Shoviv PST Splitter Software. This tool helps you split PST file in smaller parts without losing any data, works with both ANSI and Unicode PST files, and is compatible with all Windows versions. It also offers a free demo version that lets you split the first 50 items in each folder without paying.

Outlook PST File Won't Open

This issue occurs when Outlook fails to open the PST file, or it takes so much time to load. It could happen due to file corruption, oversized PST files, or problems with Outlook configuration.

Solution 1: Repair the PST File using ScanPST

As mentioned earlier, use the Inbox Repair Tool (ScanPST) to fix corruption in the PST file. Running a scan on the file and repairing it can often resolve issues with the file not opening properly.

Solution 2: Create a New Profile

Sometimes, creating a new Outlook profile and linking it to the existing PST file can solve the issue. Follow these steps:

1. First, open the Control Panel and go to Mail.

2. Then, click on Show Profiles.

3. Tap on Add to create a new profile.

4. Next, set up the new profile with the same email account and add the corrupted PST file.

Preventing Future Problems

To keep your PST file from running into problems again, here are the few tips:

Keep Your PST File Size in Check: If you try to keep your PST file under 10GB, that helps avoid performance issues of the outlook.

Backup Your PST Files: Always backup your PST file so you have a copy in case of issues.

Update Outlook Regularly: Keep updating Outlook to the latest version that fixes some bugs  and improves the working.

Conclusion 

The Outlook PST file causes many problems with the time, and that can be frustrating for the user. In this blog, we understand some common issues and provide solutions to fix them that can save you time and effort. Regular maintenance and backups will help you keep your PST files in optimal condition and prevent future problems.