How to Restore PST File in Outlook: Easy Recovery Tutorial

In a professional setting, PST restoration is a reactive step when the delicate “read-write” cycle of the database is interrupted. A sudden power failure or exceeding the storage limit can leave the PST file corrupted. Today’s technical blog is all about restoring the PST file. It will outline ways to restore PST file in Outlook through various manual and automated solutions. An automated tool is also introduced to help users easily restore the PST file, safeguarding against data loss.

James Walker, based in London, UK, inquired: “My name is James Walker. I’m currently experiencing an issue with a corrupted PST file in Microsoft Outlook. Outlook is unable to open the file properly, and some of my emails and folders appear to be missing. I urgently need guidance on how to restore or repair the PST file without losing important data. Could you please suggest the best manual methods or reliable solutions to resolve this issue?

Reasons to Restore Outlook PST File

There are plenty of reasons to restore the Outlook PST data file. We have listed some of them in this section:

• Critical database pointers were severed due to a system crash or a hardware glitch, causing PST file corruption. 
• If the PST file reaches its size limit, becoming unfunctional. This caused high latency and eventual metadata instability.
• A user-initiated permanent deletion event has emptied the trash folder, too, necessitating restoring from a backup. 
• The user got a new laptop and needs to import important legacy PST file emails to maintain continuity.
• A malware attack has messed up your Outlook PST files, requiring a restore from an offline backup.  

Due to the above-stated reasons, users want to restore the PST file in the Outlook application. Now, move further towards the next section, in which we are going to learn the best possible ways to restore the Microsoft Outlook PST data file.

Top Methods to Restore PST File in Outlook

Let us now understand each of the methods in more detail in a step-by-step manner. There are two ways by which users can restore their PST file, which is corrupted or damaged. 

Method 01: Restore Outlook PST File Using ScanPST

Microsoft Outlook provides a built-in ScanPST.exe (Inbox Repair Tool) to restore data from a corrupted PST file. But it only restores minor inconsistencies. 

The following are the steps to begin the process:

1. Start by closing Outlook completely. Also, check the Task Manager.
2. Then, locate and open the ScanPST.exe.
3. Head to Browse and find the desired PST file.
4. Click on the Start button to scan the corrupted PST file.
5. After that, press the Repair option and then reopen Outlook.

Limitations: This approach only fixes minor or moderate corruption. It also does not recover the permanently deleted items. 

Method 02: Restore Outlook Backup PST File 

While repairing the PST file using ScanPST.exe, MS Outlook creates a backup file named .bak. This backup file can be further converted into a usable PST file. 

Use the following instructions to initiate the restoration:

1. First, close Outlook completely.
2. Then, head to the location where your PST file is stored.
3. After that, right-click on the .bak file, select Copy, and paste it into the same folder.
4. Again, right-click on this file and rename the extension from .bak to .pst.
5. Click on Enter and launch the MS Outlook application.
6. Go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export > Open Outlook Data File.
7. Next, select the renamed PST file.

Limitations: For using this method, you need a .bak file, which will be created only during the ScanPST operation. Also, it does not help users to fix major or severe file corruption. 

Using the above process, you can successfully restore a PST file in the Outlook application. But this process is lengthy due to users searching for an instant way to recover their PST files. Hence, in the upcoming section, we are going to introduce the expert’s solution for the same.

Restore Microsoft Outlook Data File – Expert’s Solution

Cigati Outlook PST Repair Tool is a reliable and efficient utility that helps users to restore PST file in Outlook that are corrupt or damaged. Apart from that, users can restore emails even from the encrypted PST files using this software. Furthermore, it also facilitates the recovery of data from password-protected PST files. In addition to this, the software is fully loaded with multiple advanced features that help users recover data with ease.

Simple steps to restore PST file in MS Outlook:

1. Install and Run Outlook PST Repair Tool on your system.
2. Now, browse the PST file and click on the Open button to add the corrupt PST file.
3. Choose the Scanning Mode (Standard, Advanced, Deep).
4. In the next step, you can preview the emails from the displayed tree structure.
5. Click on the Save button in the above menu to save the recovered items.
6. Then, select the Saving format and other optional features. Click the Ok button.
7. Finally, you have completed the Recovery process and then press the Ok button.

Some Prominent Features of Cigati Outlook PST Repair Tool

• The software restores all PST file data items, including emails, contacts, calendars, etc.
• There is no restriction on the size of the PST file to repair.
• You can restore data from the encrypted and password-protected PST file.
• Users can save recovered PST files in various formats like EML, DBX, MSG, HTML, MBOX, or a new PST file.
• Featured with an Auto search feature to find misplaced PST files in the system.

Conclusion

The PST file is being used by Outlook client users to store their emails and other related information. This file is created automatically by the Outlook application whenever new emails are received. But sometimes, due to some unknown reasons, the PST file gets corrupted, and users cannot open their emails and other related information. So in this situation, the only reliable solution available is to restore PST file using the Cigati Outlook PST Repair Tool.

You May Also Read: Recover Deleted Contacts from Outlook

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