Summary: Sometimes, Outlook PST file becomes inaccessible and shows 0 KB file size. In this post, we have discussed the reasons that may cause the 0 KB Outlook PST file problem. In addition, we have shared some methods to recover Outlook data when PST file shows 0 KB. Also, you’ll find about a professional Outlook repair tool that can repair PST file and recover all its data.
Outlook users often complain about facing different errors and problems. One such problem faced by the users is the error message “0KB Outlook PST file”. The primary cause of this issue is the corruption in PST file. However, there are some other factors that can also cause this issue, such as:
Note: The recommended maximum PST file size is 2 GB in Outlook 2002/XP and older versions, 20 GB in Outlook 2007, and 50 GB in Outlook 2010 and later editions.
You can follow the given methods to recover PST when it is showing ‘0KB Outlook PST file’.
If you have been creating regular backups of your Outlook data, you can use the most recent backup file to recover the PST file. For this, follow these steps:
Import and Export Wizard will open.
You can also restore the PST file and perform Outlook data recovery if you have enabled Outlook Auto-Archive earlier. For this, follow these steps:
AutoArchive window will open.
In case you don’t have backups and the Outlook Auto-Archive was not enabled, you can use the Windows Previous Versions feature to recover data from a 0kb PST file. For this, follow these steps:
You can see multiple previous versions of the selected folder.
You can also use Outlook built-in Inbox Repair tool, also called ScanPST.exe, to recover the 0KB PST file. Follow these steps:
Note: The location of Scanpst.exe file varies depending on the Outlook version you are using. You can find Scanpst.exe in these locations:
Outlook 2019 (Office 365)
Outlook 2016/Windows 10
Outlook 2013
Outlook 2010
Outlook 2007
Notes:
If the above methods don’t work for recovering data from a 0KB Outlook PST file, you can use Stellar Repair for Outlook software. The software can easily repair corrupt PST files and restores all the mailbox content such as journals, tasks, rules, contacts, emails, and attachments. This software efficiently scans the damaged PST file, extracts its data, performs repairs, and saves the data into a new PST file.
The following are some salient features of Stellar Repair for Outlook:
To recover data from 0KB PST file by using the PST Repair software, follow these steps:
The Select PST File for Repair dialog box will open.
Note: If you don’t know the location of the PST file, click Find.
After scanning is completed, a new window highlighting the list of all recoverable files and folders will open.
Note: The software can repair the PST file and restore the data if it is still reside in the file. You can download and run the free demo version of the software to check and repair the file.
When using Outlook, you can sometimes face issues such as 0 KB Outlook PST file. If you’re facing such an issue, you can try recovering the PST file from backups, auto-achieved PST files, or Windows previous versions option. You can also try using Inbox Repair Tool to repair the PST file. But if the PST file is severely corrupted, the Inbox Repair tool may fail to repair the file. In such a scenario, you can use a specialized software such as Stellar Repair for Outlook that can easily repair severely corrupt PST files of any size and restore all the data.
Eric Simson is an Email Platform Consultant and is associated with Stellar Data Recovery from last 6 years. He writes about the latest technology tips and provides custom solutions related to MS Outlook, MS Exchange Server, Office 365, and many other Email Clients & Servers.
my .pst file was corrupted and it shows 0 bytes. I am trying the software but it does not work – a soon as it starts scanning is gives an error message “Invalid File. Please select a valid PST” even though the file is a .pst file.
Please help! not sure what else I can do – it seems that the data cannot be recovered…
When I inspect that Outlook PST file is not valid. After analyzing the PST file, I got that the size is 0 KB which is stored in drive. I’m getting frustrated after wasting couple of hours with the use of Scanpst.exe but can’t access data from PST file. Please guide.
In some cases, Scanpst.exe unable to recover the data and results permanent data loss. Thus, we recommend using Outlook recovery software like Stellar Repair for Outlook tool. This tool effectively scans the PST file and fix the issues.
I have run CHKDSK utility to fix Windows hard disk errors. Through this Outlook PST file damaged and PST file appears 0 KB size. Then I get below error:
“Unable to open your default e-mail folders”
Please provide solution.
You can repair a corrupt PST file by inbox repair tool which is freeware tool provided by Microsoft.
When I try to access my PST file suddenly got the following message:
“The file is not an Outlook data file (.pst)”
Then I noticed that my PST file size is 0 KB. What should I do to recover my data?
It seems your PST file is corrupted. You can recover PST file data by using a backup.
Yesterday, my Outlook file turned into a 0 KB file. When I tried to access this file, I received an error. After checking the file size I found it was 0 KB. But the actual size of file is nearly 17.2 GB. I don’t have any idea what happened with my PST file. To fix this issue I already tried SCANPST.exe but it’s not working. Please help.
Don’t Panic!
An alternative solution is the Stellar Outlook PST Repair.
ScanPST.exe had recovered 40% emails but unfortunately, the recovered items were related to the previous date. So most of the emails which I needed were not recovered.
Thankfully with the help of Stellar PST Repair software, I was able to recover each and every mail in my mailbox.
Hi Cora,
You can share feedback on social channels & forums. This practice will help to build awareness among Outlook community users.
There’s no way to restore anything from a PST file if its size is 0 kb. If you’ve backed it up earlier, then only you can restore it back. The Inbox Repair tool is not capable to fix it.
Simple!
You can judge the performance of Stellar Repair for OutlookSoftware using its free demo.