“Outlook PST Cannot be Found” Quick Tricks to Fix the Error

Summary: Microsoft Outlook is known to be a stable software program. It doesn’t crash as easily as other software. However, it is vulnerable to issues such as “Outlook PST cannot be found”. The software displays such an error message in case it cannot locate the PST file on the system. Through this blog, we have explained four viable solutions to fix the file PST cannot be found issue. We have also introduced third-party Outlook PST Repair software to overcome such errors. Download Now   Purchase Now

Let’s proceed further and discuss why there is a need to overcome such an error.

Why Outlook Data File cannot be found on Windows 10

PST is an Outlook data file used to store messages, events, and contacts. It stands for Personal Storage Table. Before fixing such an error, we need to determine the cause of the Outlook issue and take specific measures. The Outlook PST cannot be found; problems can be caused by many factors, such as:

• In case the PST file is corrupted.
• The size limit of the mailbox has been exceeded, Which causes a problem with the Office program.
• Due to the incompatibility of the Outlook software with other recently installed programs on the PC.
• The PST file becomes unavailable because it is momentarily stored on the Network server.

Many other factors can cause PST files to get corrupted. Due to the presence of viruses or malicious software in the system and the unexpected shutdown of Outlook and the PC, all this can lead to corruption of the PST file and hence missing PST files in Outlook.

Let’s move further and discuss the most recommended methods to fix Outlook backup PST cannot be found.

04 Most recommended method to Fix the “Outlook data file cannot be found” Error

Four methods are available to troubleshoot “Outlook PST Cannot Be Found” Errors.

#01 Method: Check Outlook Storage

One of the best methods to fix or resolve the missing Outlook PST file error is to check your MS Outlook App and the recently installed computer software. Once you look for this, managing these apps and software issues will be easier, and you may get your lost PST file.

The Oversized PST file can also be a key reason behind this error, so you should delete some of the files from Outlook so that the size won’t exceed their limit—some of the common procedures to view the mailbox size and restore the missing PST file.

1. Run an Outlook >> Go to File >> Visit the Mailbox Cleanup >> Click on the View Mailbox Size >> Click on the Folder >> Select the Appropriate account >> Visit the Folder Properties after that Folder Size.
2. Here, you will observe the amount of space in the mailbox. Moreover, remove the files from the Outlook server to free up some space.

#02 Method: Create A New PST File

This method is comprised of two steps:-

Step 1: Locate the Default PST file

Here are two different ways to locate PST files on your Operating system, such as:-

1. Open An Outlook >> Right-click on the Archives folder >> Choose the Open File Location >> Locate the Outlook data file.

OR

1. Open Control Panel wizard >> Mail >> Mail Setup-Outlook.
2. Here, Choose Show Profiles >> Properties >> Data Files.
3. In an Account Setting wizard, you can find the .ost file and .pst file locations.
4. After that, copy the location or click Open File Location to locate the Outlook data file.

Step 2: Create a New Outlook PST Data File

1. Hit on the Window+R button to open the Run dialog box.
2. Here, provide the control command in the empty box and click OK.
3. After that, hit on the Mail option from the list.
4. Move to the Show Profiles button.
5. Click on the Add button to add the new PST file.
6. Assign a name and click OK.
7. Further, Again open the Control Panel and click on Mail.
8. Choose the Data Files.
9. Select a new Outlook Profile and hit on the Set as Default option.
10. Close the tab and restart an Outlook application to finish the process.

#03 Method: Using Inbox Repair Tool to Fix the file PST cannot be found Issue

Microsoft Outlook provides an in-built Inbox Repair Utility that fixes minor issues in the Outlook PST file. It is capable of fixing the Outlook.pst cannot be found error, too, following the below-mentioned steps:-

1. Run the ScanPST Utility on your operating system.
2. Click Browse to choose the PST file.
3. Here, Click Start to initiate the scanning process.
4. In case it detects issues, which is.
5. Hit on the Repair button to fix the error.

Note: The above-mentioned methods don’t always resolve the “Outlook PST cannot be found’ issue, and if there is corruption or damage to the PST file, then we highly recommend you use the best Outlook PST Repair Tools. These utilities are efficient enough to handle these kinds of issues.

Let’s move further and discuss the most recommended Automated solution in complete detail.

#04 Method: Resolve “PST Files cannot be found error” using Automated Solution

The Outlook PST Repair Software is a trusted and comprehensive software to repair corrupted Outlook PST files. This utility has multiple built-in features associated with it. Additionally, it’s highly recommended by professionals, and it’s compatible with all Windows versions, including Windows 11.

Let’s discuss the stepwise instructions of this utility further:-

1. Download, Install, and Run PST Repair Software as an Administrator.
2. Navigate to the Open button and browse the PST file from which you want to repair the deleted items.
3. Pick the Select Recovery Mode option as Standard Mode. Hit on OK.
4. Further, the software will scan the file and display a preview of all items in the mailbox. Pick the data files from the folder list and hit the Save option.
5. Pick the folder path to save files and select the option Save as PST. Additionally, you can opt for the additional features as per the requirement. Click on OK
6. Ultimately, the Outlook backup PST file will be recovered and saved to the assigned path. Hit OK.

Conclusion

An error “Outlook PST cannot be found” will be easy to resolve if the user prefers to use the above methods. All the multiple procedures are easy to implement and can completely troubleshoot the Outlook backup PST cannot be found error. But in case this problem arises due to the corrupted PST file. Then, in that case, You need to opt for the Automated solution, such as using third-party Software.

Frequently Asked Questions