How to Repair OST file

How to Repair OST file to Open it in MS Outlook?

Posted on August 17, 2022

Occasionally you run into problem while working with MS Outlook when the OST file gets corrupted. Here is how you can resolve those issues. The OST file is used to store offline data so that when you travel you can work on your email then connect back to your network and send and receive those later. That information is stored in an OST file. The file does not work properly sometimes because of an error then you may need to resolve first to open it.

Why OST File Corruption Occurs?

  1. Issue while synchronizing Outlook data to Exchange server due to improper connection.
  2. Oversized Outlook OST file
  3. Bad sectors in the hard disk where the OST file is saved
  4. Improper termination of MS Outlook application
  5. Presence of virus or malware in OST file
  6. Add-ins failure

3 Ways to Repair and open Corrupt OST file in MS Outlook

You can pick any one of the recovery processes to repair and open OST file in Outlook without losing your data.

Note: These methods are not full proof so you must take a backup of your data before trying any one of the below listed process.

1. Repair OST file with Scanost.exe – This Inbox Repair tool first performs a quick scan and then resolve problems in your Outlook OST file if required. This application is basically made to repair corrupt OST file.

  1. First of all, close Outlook application and look for the scanost.exe command. Its location varies acc. to version in use.

In Outlook 2007: C:Program Files\ Microsoft Office\ Office 12

In Outlook 2003: C:Program Files\Common Files\Systme\MSMAPI\scanost.exe

In Outlook 2002/XP: C:Program Files\Common Files\Systme\MAPI\scanost.exe

In Outlook 2000: C:Program Files\Common Files\Systme\MAPINT\scanost.exe

  • Now, right-click scanost.exe option and select the profile containing the corrupted OST file.
scanost.exe
  • Choose the folders that you want to scan or select Scan all folders option for all.
  • Then, check the Repair errors checkbox.
  • Then, click on the Begin Scan option to start the scanning process
  • Wait for a while, after the process completed successfully, OST repaired successfully message will pop-up on your screen.
  • At last click on the OK to complete the repair process.

Note: This application is only applicable in the case of Outlook 2007 and the below version. Also, it is recommended to take a backup of the OST file data file before using this Inbox Repair Tool.

2. Enable Safe Mode in Outlook- Disable all incompatible add-ins that may generate problem in OST file. Once all Outlook add-ins are disabled it will provide you access to inaccessible OST files. However, this will not repair corrupted OST files. Follow the steps:

  1. Go to the Windows Explorer
  2. Go to Start menu and then select Run option.
  3. In the Run box, enter Outlook.exe/safe.
  4. Click OK to continue, and Outlook will start in safe mode.
  5. Now, restart the MS Outlook.

3. Convert Corrupt OST to PST Format- This Method helps you to recover all email data from corrupt OST files and convert it into PST file format. It exports the OST file data into the PST file either saving PST as a backup or importing them into Outlook. You can easily convert OST file into PST format by downloading an OST to PST converter tool available online and then following some simple steps. It comes with lots of add-ons features without any limitation.

Conclusion

We have here discussed 3 strategies to repair a corrupted OST file. Among all using an OST to PST converter tool is a verified method to recover your sensitive data even from badly damaged OST file. There is no guarantee of safe data recovery in other two methods. Thus, it is entirely up to you whether you like to repair it manually or sped few pennies to get the job done quickly.