How to Repair Corrupt PST Files with or without Scanpst.exe

Email has become an essential element of today’s personal and professional lives. Most of the users use MS Outlook, which is one of the most popular email clients. It saves its data, including emails, contacts, calendars, and other items, in the PST file format. Sometimes, PST files get corrupted, which can result in data loss and work delays. In this blog, we will look at the most prevalent causes of PST file corruption. Moreover, we will explain how to repair corrupt PST files using the manual and professional PST Repair Tool.

Symptoms of Corrupted PST File

Before attempting to restore a corrupt PST file, it is important to determine whether the file is really corrupt. To find out, check out the following common symptoms:

• Outlook regularly crashes or freezes.
• When opening the PST file, error messages appear.
• Emails, contacts, or calendars were lost or erased.
• Slow sending or receiving of emails.

How to Outlook Data File Corruption

Outlook provides a built-in tool called the Inbox Repair Tool, or ScanPST.exe, which is specifically designed to repair corrupt PST files. In this blog, we will provide two manual solutions to recover corrupted PST file data with or without Scanpst.

Method 01: Repair Outlook Data Files Using Scanpst

Scanpst is an in-built tool in MS Outlook. Find the tool on your Outlook account and follow the given steps.

1. Close Outlook and find the Scanpst.exe tool.
2. Open the tool by double-clicking on it.
3. Click the "Browse" button and add the corrupt PST file you want to repair.
4. Click "Start" to begin the scan and repair process.
5. Once the repair process is complete, run Outlook and check for the issue.

If the above method doesn’t repair your corrupt Outlook PST file, you can move on to the next solution.

Method 02: Create a New Outlook Profile

If the above method doesn’t repair your corrupt Outlook PST file, you should try creating a new Outlook profile. This method describes the steps to create a new profile and import the data from the corrupt PST file. Follow the given instructions to do it:

1. Close Outlook and open the Control Panel on your system.
2. Search for "Mail" and click on "Mail".
3. Select “Show Profiles” from the “Mail Setup” Window.
4. Click the "Add" option to create a new profile and follow the on-screen instructions.
5. After creating a new profile, open MS Outlook and import the data from the PST file.

With the above methods, you can repair corrupt PST files. However, you can find issues while following the manual methods. Some of them are discussed in the next section.

Limitations of Manual Methods

Well, the manual techniques are free, but there are some limitations that every user should know. Read them below:

1. The user should have the technical expertise to perform the manual methods.
2. Sometimes, you may face data loss issues.
3. Scanpst fails when it comes to repairing large PST files.
4. It repairs a single PST file at a time.
5. Sometimes, Scanpst fails to work or repair the issue.

Method 03: Using a Third-Party Solution

As we have seen, there are many disadvantages to following traditional techniques, therefore, we suggest using the professional approach. By using an Outlook PST Repair Tool, you can easily repair corrupt PST files without Scanpst. It can repair multiple Outlook PST files in just a couple of clicks. Follow the given steps to repair PST files without Scanpst:

1. Download and launch the PST Repair Tool, and click Open to select the PST file.
2. Choose the Recovery mode and hit the OK button.
3. Select the Folder and click Save.
4. Choose the format in which you want to save the PST file.
5. Now, you can avail of the additional features and then click the OK button.

Conclusion

In the above blog, we have discussed two manual solutions to repair corrupt PST files. As you also came to know that the manual process is not suitable for everyone, we suggest using the automated solution. The automated method is easy, and even a non-tech user can easily use it. Now, it is up to you which method you prefer.