You can fix the Outlook PST files not synchronizing issue on OneDrive by implementing solutions such as closing the Outlook and related processes, move PST file out of OneDrive, or repair the PST file. In this article, we will explain these solutions in detail to help you resolve this issue.
Why your PST File is not Synchronizing with OneDrive?
Microsoft Outlook saves all your mailbox items in a PST – an Outlook Data File – when you use POP3 to setup account. This file is continuously read and updated while Outlook is running, which means the application keeps it locked and does not allow other applications to use it. At the same time, when OneDrive tries to sync the same PST file, the file becomes unavailable which can lead to sync failures.
Additionally, you may also face synchronization issues after installing Windows latest update (KB5074109) or Outlook Classic updates. For example, recently, some users have reported facing issues with the PST file and Outlook after installing Windows 11 update (KB5074109). In this case, as suggested by Microsoft, you can move the PST out of OneDrive and uninstall the latest update.
What are the Reasons for Outlook PST Files Not Synchronizing with OneDrive?
Before moving to the solutions, let’s take a look at the possible reasons that may cause such an issue:
- PST file is locked when in use by Outlook
- The file is being simultaneously modified on different devices
- OneDrive sync restrictions
- File still open after Outlook closes
- Some background processes are accessing the PST file
- Corruption in the PST file
- OneDrive storage limits and quota issues
How to move Outlook PST files out of OneDrive?
You can follow the given solutions to resolve the Outlook PST file is not synchronizing with OneDrive issue.
Method 1: Close Outlook and related Processes
PST files get locked when in use by the Outlook application. While your PST is in use and locked, OneDrive would fail to access it, thus causing the synchronization issue. So, shut down your Outlook application. Also, ensure that all the processes that might access PST file are closed. For this,
- Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys simultaneously. This will open the Task Manager.
- Click the Processes tab.
- Check for the processes with names including, Microsoft Outlook or OUTLOOK.EXE.
- Choose the process, right-click on it, and click End Task.
- Confirm by clicking End Process if prompted.
Likewise, close all the related process. If this doesn’t help, then follow the next methods.
Method 2: Change the PST file location by using Symbolic Link
When you put your PST file in OneDrive, both Outlook and OneDrive trying to access that file simultaneously. Outlook will lock the PST file during the process of reading and writing emails, and this will not allow OneDrive to access the file which lead to a failure in the process of synchronizing. A symbolic link can be used to relocate the PST file to a local folder on your computer, but make Outlook believe that the file remains in the OneDrive. This methodology creates a pointer or reference in OneDrive that directs Outlook automatically to the file’s actual location on your local drive. This method mitigates the synchronization conflicts. Proceed with the steps below:
- Close Outlook.
- Create a new local folder like: C:\OutlookPST\
- Move your PST file from OneDrive to the new folder.
- Now, open command prompt as administrator.
- Then run the given command:
mklink "C:\Users\jyoti.singh\Documents\Outlook Files\TestFile_01.pst" "D:New PST location\TestFile_01.PST"
- In the original folder, you will find a .symlink file with the same name.
- You can start and continue to use Outlook.
Method 3: Move PST File to Local Storage
You can move your PST file from OneDrive to a folder on your system. This can help in preventing the synchronization conflicts. Here’s what to do:
- Close Outlook.
- Open OneDrive. Go to the location where your PST file is stored.
- Right-click the file. Select Copy.
- Create a new folder on your local storage. Open it.
- Paste the file into the folder.
Now, reconfigure Outlook to use the new location of PST file. To do so,
- Open Outlook. Click File > Info > Account Settings > Account Settings.
- Click the Data File tab.
- Select your email account from the list.
- Click on Add.
- Go to the new location of PST file in the local folder.
- Select it and click OK.
- Click Next and then Finish.
After this, remove the old PST file reference by following these steps:
- Go to Account Settings in Outlook.
- Click the Data Files tab.
- Look for the data file entry that shows the OneDrive path.
- Select that entry by clicking on it.
- Click the Remove button.
- When prompted, click Yes.
Note: This only disconnects the file from Outlook, not delete it.
After confirming that everything is working fine, you can remove the file from OneDrive. For this,
- Close Outlook completely and navigate to the OneDrive PST folder location.
- Delete the PST file from OneDrive.
- Allow OneDrive to sync.
Method 4: Repair the PST File
Corruption in the PST file may also lead to sync issues as OneDrive may fail to read such a file. You can repair your corrupted PST file by using ScanPST – a utility comes automatically with Outlook. Here’s how to repair PST file by using this utility:
1) Find the ScanPST.exe on your System
ScanPST is located in the Outlook installation directory. But the exact Scanpst location is different based on the application’s version.
2) Run ScanPST.exe
- Navigate to the ScanPST.exe location.
- Double-click SCANPST.EXE to launch it.
- Click the Browse button.
- Navigate to your PST file location.
- Select the PST file and click Open.
- Click the Start button to begin scanning.
3) Repair the File
- After scanning, if errors are found, ScanPST will display a message – “Errors were found in this file.”
- Click the Repair button.
- Check the box – Make a backup of the scanned file before repairing.
- Click OK to start the repair.
- When the process is finished, it will display the “Repair complete” message.
ScanPST can mainly deal with issues related to minor corruption in PST files. ScanPST can freeze, crash, or fail to resolve the issues, if the PST files are highly corrupted or large. In case the PST files are not repaired by ScanPST, then you can consider using Stellar Repair for Outlook – a professional PST repair tool. This tool can efficiently deal with the highly corrupted PST files of any size. It will restore the recovered items into a new PST file while preserving the same structure.
This professional tool also offers different options to save the repaired PST file items. For instance, you can save the items in EML, MSG, HTML, RTF, and PDF formats. It even provides option to export the PST file items directly to an Office 365 (Microsoft 365) account. This tool supports MS Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, and previous versions.
Conclusion
As mentioned above, there are varied reasons that can lead to the “Outlook PST not synchronizing with OneDrive” issue. You can follow the solutions, provided above, to fix the issue. If the issue is the result of corruption in PST file, use ScanPST.exe to repair the file. If this utility didn’t fix the issue, repair the file using Stellar Repair for Outlook – more powerful PST repair tool. It thoroughly scans the corrupt file, repair it, and restores all the mailbox items to a new PST file. It can recover all your emails, contacts, attachments, calendar and other items with complete integrity. You can download its free demo version to scan the corrupt PST file and evaluate its functionality.
