Find the default PST file that you want to repair

Go to ‘Mail’ option via ‘Control Panel’.

Select the Outlook profile that you would like to repair by clicking on ‘Show Profiles’ option.

Next, choose Properties, click on ‘Data Files’ to get the location of the default PST file.

Note the location of PST file.

Run Inbox Repair tool (ScanPST.exe) to repair Outlook PST file

Launch Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair tool (Depending upon the version of Office you are running; it’s location may vary). In my case, it was residing under the following –

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16

Inbox Repair tool or ScanPST.exe is a utility to repair corrupt Outlook PST & OST personal data files. The built-in utility is provided by Microsoft. Before proceeding further, close the Outlook program, if it is running.

In the Inbox Repair tool, type the path and the file name of your personal folders (.pst) file or click ‘Browse’ to locate the file by using the Windows file system, and then click Start.

It is important to mention here that the Inbox Repair Tool cannot repair every problem that is detected. In some cases, items may not be recovered if they were permanently deleted or corrupted beyond repair. During the correction, the Inbox Repair Tool may need to be run several times in order to fully repair your personal folder (.pst) file.

Recover repaired items to a new .pst file

After you have run the Inbox Repair tool and its job is done, you can start Outlook and recover repaired items. Optionally, you can try to recover additional repaired items from the backup personal folder. For this,

Create a new Personal Folders (.pst) file entry in your profile. Thereafter, you can move the recovered items to your new Personal Folders (.pst) file. So, start Outlook. If you have multiple profiles in Outlook, select the profile that contains the Personal Folders (.pst) file that you tried to repair.

Press CTRL+6 to turn on ‘Folder List’ view.

Under it, the following recovered folders should be visible

Recovered Personal Folders-

• Calendar
• Contacts
• Deleted Items
• Inbox
• Journal
• Notes
• Outbox
• Sent Items
• Tasks

However, all these recovered folders may be empty since it represents a rebuilt .pst file. A folder named ‘Lost and Found’ should also be seen. It contains folders and items that the Inbox Repair Tool recovered. Items missing from the Lost and Found folder may be beyond repair.

Now, to create a new Personal Folder (.pst) file in your profile.

Open ‘Microsoft Outlook’ click on the ‘File’ tab on the ribbon, and then switch to the ‘Info’ tab on the menu.

Next, click the ‘Account Settings’ tile, and then choose ‘Account Settings’ option again.

Switch to the ‘Data Files’ tab.

Click ‘Add’ to open the Create or Open Outlook Data File dialog box.

Enter a file name for your new Outlook Data (.pst) file, and then click OK. You should have a new Outlook Data (.pst) file in your profile. Please note that the steps outlined for the above section may vary, depending on which version of Outlook you are running.