Solution for Outlook PST File Cannot Be Found Error
Summary: Are you getting an Outlook PST file cannot be found error message while trying to access Microsoft Outlook? Do you want to know why your Outlook.pst file does not exist? Go through this blog and find out the root causes and the possible methods to fix the error message.
Outlook is amongst the most renowned desktop-based email client application. But it would not be wrong if said that it too has some glitches which result in error encounters and loss of valuable data. Besides this, its popularity seems to be undiminished because of its ease of use and features facilitated to the users.
In this article, one of the most common errors experienced by the user is discussed i.e “Outlook PST File cannot be found”. Moreover, this segment will help you understand the possible solutions to this error.
You must be familiar with the PST file format i.e files created by MS Outlook consisting of all mailbox data of a user like emails, calendar, contacts, list-to-do, etc. And the loss of these data files will be considerably big.
Therefore, before going for the solutions directly, it’s essential to understand the cause of this error.
User Query
“Today when I opened MS Outlook, I encountered an error message stating The Outlook PST file does not exist. This error doesn’t allow me to accomplish other works until I clicked the OK button. I was able to solve the error, thus can anyone help in providing the best solution?”
Root Causes of the Error
“Outlook PST File cannot be found” error is caused due to many reasons. And one of the causes is file corruption, which is a very rare case situation. Due to this, the user is unable to access PST files. Or, Some of the other reasons that lead to this error are:
- Improper saving of files, at the time of creation.
- PST file got affected by a virus attack.
- Abruptly and sudden shut down of MS Outlook application.
- In the case of large and oversized PST files or corrupted PST.
- Improper file sending and receiving among users.
The other common possibility is that PST file is stored on a server and the server is currently not available. Therefore the fetching of PST file is not completed when you try to access it. But as soon as the server connectivity is successful, the user can access PST while without any error.
But unfortunately, the above safety measures cannot help in preventing this error completely. Many times, the reason behind this cause is cannot be determined by the user, and corrupted or unavailable PST files cannot be fixed.
In these situations, one needs to use some alternative approach to resolve “PST file does not exist” error.
How to Fix Outlook PST File Cannot Be Found Issue
There are various techniques and procedures available to resolve “Outlook PST file cannot be found” error.
You can opt for any of the following methods, according to your need and choice.
Method 1: Create a New PST File
A new PST file can be created, when you have no crucial data sorted in the previous one and you can start from the beginning. Moreover, if your Outlook profile is unavailable then a new profile and PST file can be created. You need to delete the backup of files and relaunch Outlook. This will naturally create a new PST file.
Method 2: Relocate the PST File
Many times the PST file location is compromised and is not available at its location. In those situations, one needs to find the file either with a different location or with a different name. Relocate it, to the previous file location. This will resolve the inaccessibility issue of Outlook PST file. The following manual procedure should be followed:
1. Open “Accounts Settings” from “File Menu”.
2. Switch to Outlook data files and select a PST file for checking its location. Then click on “Open File Location”.
3. Check whether the file is available at the mentioned location. If not then search the file at a different location(might be with a different name) and relocate it to a prior location.
4. In this way, you can add the file to “Account Settings” and the PST file is no longer lost.
Method 3: Repair Outlook Data File
As we said earlier that oversized PST file is the reason for this issue but an oversized Outlook PST file is also the reason for Outlook PST data file corruption. And might be the corruption is the reason for Outlook PST File Cannot Be Found errro. Now, to fix the corruption of the Outlook PST file Microsoft Outlook has its own Inbox Repair Tool which is also known as ScanPST.exe.
This Outlook inbox repair tool easily repair the corruption of Outlook PST files. But there is a catch with this tool, the ScanPST tool is only capable to repair minor corruption of the PST like the header part of the PST data. And sometimes this tool is not capable to repair the PST file due to its oversized. Well, the call is your’s you can try this ScanPST tool to repair the corruption.
But if you failed to do so, then you can try one of the most amazing and advanced Outlook PST Repair Tool The best part about this tool is that it can easily repair any level of corruption from the Outlook PST file. Along with that, the tool has no boundaries or limitations while repairing the corrupted PST file. In fact, the tool provides features to recover permanently deleted emails from Outlook and not just emails it recovers deleted contacts, calendars, tasks, and other mailbox data easily.
Conclusion
Whatever be the reason behind an Outlook PST File Cannot Be Found error message. If you are facing this with your Outlook and want a reliable solution. Then here in this write-up, we have discussed some manual as well as automated solutions to solve the PST File Cannot Be Found Error in Outlook by making sure that the location of the file is correct or by checking server availability.