Solved: ScanPST is Not Fixing PST File?

PST files play a crucial role in managing Outlook email data, especially when you work offline or have limited storage on your mail server. However, your PST can become corrupt or damaged, leading to the loss of emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, and other mailbox items.

Fortunately, Outlook offers its own PST repair tool known as ScanPST or the Inbox Repair Tool. Here’s how to use it effectively, and the alternatives, when scanpst.exe fails to repair PST file data.

Launching ScanPST

The location of Scanpst.exe may vary depending on the version of Outlook and Windows you are using.

1. First, close Outlook before running Scanpst.exe.

2. If you use Office 365, the latest Outlook is still under Office 16. To find Scanpst.exe, navigate to:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15\

Or whatever version of Office you are running. I.e., Office14, Office12. 

How to Use ScanPST?

The Inbox Repair Tool is an executable, so all you have to do is:

3. Double-click Scanpst.exe file to launch the Inbox Repair Tool.

4. In the Inbox Repair Tool window, click Browse to select the PST file you want to scan and repair. The default location for PST files is usually:

C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\

5. Click Start to begin scanning. The tool will analyze the file for errors and inconsistencies.

6. If errors are found, click Repair to fix the issues. The tool will attempt to recover data from the damaged PST file.

7. Check to backup the original PST file as a “.bak”. Meanwhile, the repaired file will have the same name as the original file.

8. Reopen Outlook to see if your data has been recovered.

ScanPST Limitations

While Scanpst.exe is a handy utility for repairing corrupt PST files, it does have certain limitations: 

Limited Repair Capability: Scanpst.exe can fix minor corruption issues in PST files but may fail to repair severely corrupted files. It cannot handle all types of PST corruption and might not recover all lost or damaged data.

Multiple Attempts Required: Sometimes, Scanpst.exe may require multiple attempts to repair a PST file, which can be time-consuming and frustrating for users.

File Size Limitations: Outlook 2010 through 365 only supports PST files up to 50GB in size. It’s even smaller if you use older versions of Outlook.

ScanPST.exe Alternatives

When Scanpst.exe fails to repair PST file data, you may see messages like: 

“An error has occurred which caused the scan to be stopped. No changes have been made to the scanned file.”

“The Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair Tool does not recognize the file. No information can be recovered.”

In this case, it’s best to use an alternative 3rd Party PST repair tool like Stellar Repair for Outlook.

Stellar Repair for Outlook

Compared to ScanPST, Stellar Repair for Outlook repairs and recovers PST files that are larger or more heavily damaged. It’s also fast, provides a full preview, and can export the data as a standard PST or other formats.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Download the free tool to preview or purchase the software for full PST recovery.

2. Click Select Outlook Data File, then let it find your profiles automatically or browse directly to the PST file.

3. Click Repair and monitor its progress on screen.

4. Once complete, you can preview all data by browsing the tree structure or using the Find Message feature.

5. Uncheck any folders or mailbox items you do not wish to recover. 

6. Click Save Scan to save the results for later or Save Repaired File to export the data.7. Save As a PST to restore to Outlook or choose MSG, EML, RTF, HTML, or PDF.

8. Reopen Outlook and go to File > Open & Export > Open Outlook Data File.

9. Locate the PST file saved by Stellar Repair for Outlook.

The software also offers a Technician version for splitting and compacting PST files and a Toolkit version that can merge multiple PST files into one.

Conclusion

ScanPST is a useful tool for repairing smaller PST files that have become corrupted. By following the above steps, you can easily check if your data is recoverable.

However, when ScanPST is not fixing PST file data, Stellar Repair for Outlook offers a more powerful and comprehensive solution.