How to Fix Corrupted OST File in Outlook – Complete Guide

Summary: This technical guide will help you fix a corrupted OST file without any data loss. If you are among those facing an OST file corruption issue and want to repair it, then here is a step-by-step process for that.

If your Outlook keeps crashing and showing errors when you try to access your emails, then there is are high chance of OST file corruption. Don’t worry, there is no need to panic; the OST file can be easily corrupted, and there are a few fixes that help you to repair the Outlook OST file.

This tutorial consists – easy fixes, advanced solutions, and also helps you find whether your OST file is corrupted or not. Let’s begin and fix your data file.

What is OST file, and why does it matter? We can say that the OST file acts as the memory of Outlook, storing all mailbox data. It is an offline data file that allows you to open, read, and edit your data without an internet connection. Once you reconnect to the network, the OST file automatically syncs with the server. However, if the OST file becomes corrupted, it can lead to a series of errors. Therefore, it is important to repair a corrupted OST file to access your emails without any issues.

How to Check if an OST File is Corrupted?

Here are a few measures that help you find whether your OST file is corrupted or not.

• Frequent Outlook shutdown when you try to open it.
• Your emails are missing or not synchronized.
• Showing error message like – “Cannot open Outlook data file”.
• Your contacts and calendar data are not showing up.

If you are facing all the above-mentioned issues, then you need to repair corrupted OST file.

Simple Solutions to Fix Corrupted OST File

Before trying advanced measures, check out these basic fixes.

1. Restart Outlook and Windows – Close your Outlook and shut down your system. Then restart the PC and try to open Outlook.
2. Run Outlook in Safe Mode – Opening Outlook in safe mode can fix the issue. This will disable the add-ins that are interfering. For that, press Windows icon+R and type – Outlook.exe /safe.
3. Disable Faulty Add-ins – Outlook offers various add-in features to increase its performance. However, sometimes these add-ins cause issues. Remove all of them; for that, go to File > Options > Add-ins and uncheck suspicious ones.
4. Check Internet/Server Status – If your network connectivity is poor, then it must be a synchronization issue, not OST file corruption.

If you still face the issue, then to repair corrupted OST file, you need to use the advanced features.

Advanced Fix for Corrupted OST File

Even if trying the above solutions doesn’t work for you, then follow these technical ways to repair the corrupted Outlook OST file. Here are the fixes –

1. Repair Outlook Profile

Sometimes, your Outlook profile can cause the issue. Repairing or creating a new profile can fix corrupted OST file and other issues.

1. Here are the steps –
2. Go to Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles.
3. Select your Outlook profile and click Properties > Email Accounts.
4. Choose your account and click Repair.
5. Follow the prompts and restart Outlook.

2. Compact the OST File

Sometimes, the oversized OST file can cause issues since it is easy to get corrupted. Thus, it is best to split a large OST file into smaller parts. Here are the steps to compact your OST file –

1. In Outlook, go to File > Account Settings > Data Files.
2. Select your OST file and click Settings.
3. Go to Advanced > Outlook Data File Settings.
4. Click Compact Now.

3. Rebuild the OST File

If the OST file is too damaged and there are fewer chances to repair it, then it is best to delete the OST file and let Outlook create a new .ost file.

1. Close Outlook.
2. Navigate to: C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook.
3. Delete the corrupted OST file.
4. Restart Outlook — it will download a new copy from the server.

Note: The unsynchronized data will be deleted permanently.

Alternative Solutions to Fix Corrupted OST File

If the above methods don’t work, your OST file is likely too damaged to be fixed with manual solutions. BLR OST File Converter Tool will effortlessly recover emails and other data from corrupted OST file. Moreover, this tool supports corrupted, damaged, and orphaned OST file. All you need to do is add the corrupted OST file and create a new and healthy .pst file. Most importantly, it will convert OST to PST without Outlook installation. With its simple and user-friendly interface, it is easy to repair the damaged OST file without any data loss.

Download the demo version of the software to see how it works.

Here are the steps to repair corrupted Outlook file –

1. Run the BLR OST Converter Software on your system.
2. Add the corrupted OST file.
3. Choose the email folder from the file.
4. Choose PST and other file formats from the given list.
5. Browse the saving location and hit the Export button.

Done! Here, the tool will create a new and healthy data file from a corrupted OST file.

How to Prevent OST File Corruption?

Even if you repair corrupted OST file, there are chances that you can face this issue in the near future. Here are the measures you need to follow to avoid the OST file corruption.

• Archive old emails so that OTS will not be oversized.
• It will be advisable to close Outlook properly
• Regularly update Outlook and Windows for new security features.
• Backing up your mailbox data regularly prevents you from data loss.

Conclusion

In this post, we discuss all the possible solutions to repair corrupted OST file with ease. There few simple and advanced measures that will manually fix OST file corruption. If all the solutions don’t work, then try out the professional tool. Hope this article will be helpful with your damaged OST file.

FAQ’s

Q1. Can I fix an OST file without ScanPST?

Ans. No, the ScanPST.exe tool doesn’t work on a corrupted OST file. If the OST file is lightly damaged, then try out the manual solution mentioned above. If the OST file is highly damaged, then try out BLR OST Converter Software for better results.

Q2. What if Outlook can’t open the OST file?

Ans. Then, your OST file is highly damaged and needs expert assistance to repair the corrupted file. One suich tool we mention in this post, try it out.