Perform PST Repair and Retrieve Outlook Items Using the Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe)

How will you feel if you get a message of the type shown below while trying to open your email in Outlook?

A message of the kind ‘The file xxx.pst is not a personal folders file’ indicates that the Outlook PST is corrupt. Such an error message is not an unusual thing in the Exchange environment. Exchange administrators admit the fact that it is impossible to avoid errors and corruption issues in the Exchange environment. Power failures, unexpected system shut downs, 2GB size limitations and virus attacks induce PST corruption and make Outlook items - emails, attachments, images, calendar, notes, journals etc. – inaccessible to its users.

                                        The Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe)

The immediate question raised by Outlook users after PST corruption is ‘how to access emails and other items again?’ As an answer to this question, Microsoft provides some simple, inbuilt PST repair tools along with MS Outlook. The Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe) is such a tool. It helps you to repair corrupt PST and to access the Outlook items again.

How to Use the Inbox Repair Tool

To use the Inbox Repair Tool, just open it, repair the corrupt PST using it, and recover it to a new PST.

1. Locate the Inbox Repair Tool and open it.
2. Repair the corrupt PST using the Inbox Repair Tool.
3. Create a new Outlook PST.
4. Recover the repaired items in in a new Outlook PST.

All these steps are discussed in detail below with focus on Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013.

How to Locate and Open the Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe)

The Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe) is automatically installed at the time of Outlook installation (it is not available for download).

Its location varies according to the Outlook version and the Windows version. However, you can find its location using the Microsoft Windows Explorer. Please refer the table below for locating it easily.

Location of the Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exc)
	Windows 32-bit Version	Windows 64-bit Version
Outlook 2010	<diskdrive>:\program Files\Microsoft office\Office14	<diskdrive>:\program Files\Microsoft office(x86)\Office14
Outlook 2013	<diskdrive>:\program Files\Microsoft office 15\root\office15	<diskdrive>:\program Files(x86)\Microsoft office 15\root\office15

Note: How to Unhide Hidden Files and Folders

If the Scanpst.exe is hidden, you may not be able to find it. So if you do not find it first, unhide the files and folder before attempting to locate the Inbox Repair Tool again. For more help on this, please refer to the Windows documentation.

How to Repair the Corrupt PST Using the Inbox Repair Tool

1. Exit the Outlook application.
2. Locate the Scanpst.exe file using the Microsoft Windows File Explorer and open it by double-clicking it.
3. Select the PST file that is to be scanned (type the path and file name of the PST file or use the Browse button to locate the PST file); click Start. (Refer to the note How to Locate the PST File.)

Note: How to Locate the PST Fil
The location of the PST varies according to the version of the Outlook installed and the version of the Windows. You can find the location of the PST from Outlook as detailed below. Steps are given for Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013. Also, refer to the table give below.

Outlook 2010

1. Open Outlook 2010
2. Go to the ribbon and click the File tab; click Info tab on the menu.
3. Click the Account Settings tab; again click Account Settings.
4. Click Data Files.
5. Note the path to the file name (the path and file name information C:\Exchange\Mailbox.pst indicates that the location is C:\Exchange).
6. Click Close; click OK.

Outlook 2013

1. Open Outlook 2013
2. Click the File tab
3. Click Account Settings; again click Account Settings.
4. Click an entry on the Data Files tab; click Open Folder Location.

Location of the PST File
	Windows 7/Vista	Windows Xp
Outlook 2010	C:\Users\<username>\My Documents\Outlook Files	C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\Outlook Files
Outlook 2013	drive:/Users\<username>\Documents\Outlook Files	drive:/Users\<username>\My Documents\Outlook Files

How to Create a New PST in Outlook 2010 & Outlook 2013

1. Open Outlook.
2. Go to the ribbon and click the File tab; click Info tab on the menu.
3. Click the Account Settings button; click Account Settings again.
4. Click the Data Files tab; click Add.
5. Enter the file name for the new PST when Create or Open Outlook Data File dialogue box appears; click OK.

Thus, a new PST file is created in the Outlook profile.

How to Recover the Repaired Items

1. Open Outlook (with the profile that contains the repaired PST).
2. Turn on the Folder List view (press CTRL + 6). Usually, the recovered personal folders are empty.

3. Go the Lost and Found Folder and drag its items (these are the items recovered by the Inbox Repair Tool) to new PST.
4. Finally, delete the Recovered Personal Folders.

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