How to Fix Unknown Error 0x80040116 in Outlook?

Several Outlook users have reported encountering the Unknown Error 0x80040116 in Outlook while trying to update the folder, send/receive emails, or open the mailbox. This error usually pops up when the application cannot access the PST file. Let us explore what this error means, why it occurs, and how to fix it.

What is Outlook Error 0x80040116?

The error 0x80040116 in Outlook can occur when your email client fails to access the data (PST) file. It may appear when you try to send or receive emails, update or synchronize folders, open a folder, or perform any other function. This error code appears with different error messages. These include:

Outlook.pst cannot be accessed – This indicates that Outlook cannot open the PST file. This might happen if the file is damaged, locked by another application, or stored on a drive with bad sectors/errors.

Task ‘Microsoft Outlook’ reported error (0x80040116)” – This message may appear during a send/receive operation. This often happens when Outlook cannot access mailbox data during the send/receive process.

What Causes Outlook 0x80040116 Error?

There are several reasons that can trigger this error in Outlook. Some commons ones are mentioned below:

Corrupted PST File

If your PST file is corrupted, your email client may fail to read the mailbox items and show this unknown error or fail to open.

PST File is Large or Reaches the Defined Size Limit

When the PST file becomes large or has reached its maximum size, the application slows down, freezes, or throws the unknown error.

Bad Sectors or Errors on the Drive

If your hard drive has bad sectors or other issues, Outlook fails to read the data and triggers this error.

Antivirus or Firewall Interfering with Outlook Functionality  

When the firewall or antivirus program blocks or locks the PST file, Outlook fails to access the file and displays the error.

Outlook Profile is Corrupted or Damaged

If your profile is damaged or corrupted, Outlook fails to recognize or locate the data file properly, causing issues and errors.

Before you Start: Back up your PST

Before starting any fixes, make sure to create a backup of your PST file. To do this, go to the default location of your PST file, right click on the file, click Copy and then paste it in another folder or an external drive.   

Outlook Error 0x80040116: Causes and Fixes

Refer to the table below to identify the exact cause of the error and the recommended solution to fix it.

Methods to Fix Unknown Error 0x80040116 in Outlook

Below, we have mentioned some easy and quick fixes to resolve this error.

1 – Check and Reduce the PST File Size

When the PST file reaches its defined size limit, Outlook may stop sending or receiving new emails, display error messages, freeze, and even crash. So, you can first check the size of your data file by following these steps:

• In Outlook, go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
• Click on the Data Files tab and select your .pst file.
• Click Open File Location. This will open the folder where your PST file is located.
• Right click on .pst file and select Properties.
• Under the General tab, check file size.

If your PST file is large or close to its defined limit, you have to deal with the large file.

To reduce the file size, follow the methods mentioned below:

a. Use the Mailbox Cleanup Tool

You can use the Mailbox Cleanup tool in Outlook to search for older or large items. You can take a backup and then delete the large or older email items to reduce the PST file size.

b. Use Conversation Clean Up Feature

You can also use Outlook’s Conversation Clean Up feature to delete repetitive messages from long email chains that contain the same information as prior messages.

c. Compact the PST File

You can compact the PST file to reduce its size. This will remove the unused space (known as white space) left behind by deleted items.

Note: Outlook only compacts your data file, if it contains more than 20% white space.

d. Archive Older Mail Items

Outlook offers an Archive feature that allows you to move older mail items to a separate PST file. You can archive the items manually to reduce the size of your main data file.

2 – Check the Drive for Disk Errors (CHKDSK)

If your PST file is stored on a drive with bad sectors or any other issues, Outlook may not be able to read or write the file correctly, triggering the error. You can fix the disk issues by using the CHKDSK utility. This built-in Windows utility scans the file system of the hard drive for physical and logical errors and tries to fix those issues. It also marks the damaged sectors, so Windows will no longer use them.

3 – Temporarily Disable Antivirus or Firewall

Firewall or antivirus program can interfere with Outlook’s functionality, which can prevent the application from accessing the PST file. To check whether your security program is causing the error, you can temporarily disable it and then try opening the Outlook. If the application works normally after disabling the antivirus, you can add Outlook, PST file, and other related processes to the program’s exclusion list.

Note: Never leave your antivirus disabled permanently. Only disable it briefly for testing purpose.

4 – Create a New Outlook Profile

If your profile is corrupted, Outlook may be unable to access the data file, resulting in errors. To fix this issue, you can create a new profile and replace it with the corrupted one.

5 – Run the Inbox Repair Tool (ScanPST.exe)

Corruption in the PST file is one of the major reasons for the Unknown Error 0x80040116 in Outlook. If your PST file is corrupted, you can use ScanPST (the Inbox Repair Tool) to repair the file. Open Outlook and check whether the error has been resolved.

Note: You need to run ScanPST multiple times to fully fix the errors. Moreover, the tool may delete unreadable emails or corrupt data blocks from the file, resulting in data loss.

What if ScanPST fails to Repair the PST File?

If ScanPST fails to repair your PST file, it means there is severe corruption in your file. In such a case, you can look for alternative solutions. If your PST file is small in size (up to 500MB), you can repair it for free by using Stellar Online PST Repair. This online service can help you repair the file in just three simple steps and restore all mailbox items with complete data integrity. There is also a Premium version of this service that allows you to repair PST files of up to 5 GB.

If you need more advanced options, you can opt for Stellar Repair for Outlook – a desktop-based PST repair tool. It can repair PST files of any size and with any level of corruption. After repair, it saves all the mailbox items, such as emails, attachments, contacts, calendars, tasks, etc., in a new PST file, preserving the original folder structure and metadata. It can also save the repaired file items in different formats, such as EML, MSG, RTF, HTML, and PDF.

To know how this tool works, watch this video:

Also read: How Stellar Repair for Outlook helps Land Bank recovers mailbox data from an extremely large and corrupt PST file.

How to Prevent Outlook Error 0x80040116?

As corruption is one of the major reasons for this error, you can follow the best practices given below to reduce the chances of corruption:

• Keep your PST file size limit under recommended limit as large files are highly prone to corruption.
• Do not force shutdown Outlook.
• Avoid keeping PST files on network drives.
• Always keep your Outlook and Windows updated.
• Protect your system from malware/virus attacks.

Conclusion

The Outlook error 0x80040116 may occur due to PST file corruption, disk errors, antivirus program interference, a damaged profile, and other reasons. Above, we have outlined tried-and-tested methods to fix this error. If your PST file is large or severely corrupted, use Stellar Repair for Outlook to repair the file and recover all your mailbox items with the original folder structure intact.

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