Summary: In this blog post, you will learn about “Outlook OST file cannot be opened” error and the reasons behind this error. We have shared various solutions to fix this error. We have also mentioned about an advanced OST to PST converter tool that you can use to recover your mailbox data from an inaccessible OST.
Outlook is an advanced email client that offers a wide range of collaboration, messaging, and security features. Still, it can occasionally run into problems and throw errors, such as “Outlook OST file cannot be opened”. This error usually occurs after a specific event, such as Outlook upgradation and reinstallation. In Outlook the set of folders cannot be opened OST error may also occur when the Outlook data file becomes corrupt or damaged. In this post, we’ll be sharing some effective solutions to resolve this error.
You can first try some simple fixes to resolve the OST data file cannot be found or opened problem. If you’ve installed an Office update or reinstalled Outlook recently, simply reboot the system. This may help you fix the error. If this is not the case, check for new Office updates and install the available updates. Now, see if that fixes the problem.
In some cases, the Outlook data file cannot be opened error is caused by customizations made in the navigation pane. To remove these customizations, go to the Windows Run utility and execute Outlook.exe /resetnavpane.
If none of these fixes work, follow the given solutions:
The error OST file cannot be opened is often occurred when the OST file is corrupt. You can repair OST with Outlook’s in-built utility called ScanPST.exe, which is located in Outlook’s installation directory.
However, ScanPST.exe may fail to repair large-sized and severely corrupt Outlook data file. In such a case, you can delete and recreate the OST file. To do so, follow these steps:
However, for some users, recreating OST is not possible even if they want to fix the problem of OST cannot be opened. This is because of several reasons:
In such cases, the only option is to recover data from the OST by using an advanced OST converter tool, such as Stellar Converter for OST. The software easily converts an inaccessible OST file to PST, which you can import into Outlook and access your mailbox. This is the ultimate solution when you can’t fix the Outlook OST file cannot be opened issue.
To extract and convert data from OST by using Stellar Converter for OST, follow these steps:
If there is a problem with your Outlook software, you may encounter the OST cannot be opened error. In such a case, you can repair Outlook with Office Repair. You also need to install new Outlook updates after repairing the application.
If an Outlook add-in is conflicting with the application, it may prevent Outlook from opening OST. To disable the faulty add-in and fix Outlook OST file cannot be opened issue, follow these steps:
The Outlook OST file cannot be opened issue may also occur due to a corrupt Outlook profile. You can delete your existing profile and create a new profile to resolve the error.
In Outlook the set of folders cannot be opened OST error may occur due to missing Outlook update, a faulty add-in, damaged/corrupt OST file, etc. However, you can easily resolve the error by following the solutions mentioned in this post. In case your OST file becomes inaccessible, you can use an advanced OST to PST converter software such as Stellar Converter for OST to extract data from OST. The software converts OST file into Outlook PST format which can be easily imported into any Outlook account.
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Abhinav Sethi is a Senior Writer at Stellar. He writes articles, blog posts, knowledge-bases, case studies, etc. for different technologies. He also has a keen interest in digital forensics and helps forward-thinking companies fight different threats with apt solutions.
