How to Unlock Password-Protected Outlook PST Files?

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When utilizing IMAP settings in your Outlook account, the convenience of managing a comprehensive repository of sensitive information within a single Outlook PST file becomes apparent. With Outlook, you can seamlessly export, back up, restore, and apply password protection to this PST file, providing a secure and versatile solution for your data management needs.

Numerous Outlook users prioritize safeguarding their PST files with password protection to eliminate the risk of unauthorized access. You can easily add password protection to any PST file within Outlook by accessing the settings and selecting the specific data file (PST) of your choice.

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In situations where you’ve forgotten the password you’ve set for a PST file, and as a result, you’ve lost access to that specific file, a pressing need for a solution emerges. Unlocking a PST file under such circumstances can prove to be a formidable challenge. In the following sections, we’ll present insights from both a user and an expert, shedding light on this intricate issue.

I find myself in a challenging predicament; I’ve completely forgotten the password I set for my primary account’s PST file, which crucially contains my invoices and bills. Despite my best efforts and several attempted solutions, I remain deeply frustrated as none of them have proven successful.

Please be aware that Microsoft support professionals are unable to provide assistance, under any circumstances, for the purpose of bypassing passwords applied to files and features within Microsoft programs.

While Microsoft cannot offer assistance for forgotten PST file passwords, this article will guide you through methods to help you regain access to your PST file.

A workaround – pst19upg utility to remove PST passwords

As mentioned earlier, there is no official method for bypassing a locked PST file. However, you can follow the step-by-step procedure below to explore potential solutions to this issue. Before you begin, ensure that Outlook is closed and that you have a backup of the locked PST file.

1. Run SCANPST.EXE on the backup of the locked PST file.
   Note: Find the EXE at given paths for different Outlook Versions.
   • For Outlook 2007
     32 Bit: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12
     64 Bit: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office12
   • For Outlook 2013
     32 Bit: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15
     64 Bit: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15
   • For Outlook 2016
     32 Bit: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16
     64 Bit: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16

   Note: If you are already using the backup file of the original one, avoid the backup option in SCANPST.EXE.

2. Launch the ScanPST tool on your system and click the Browse button to select the password-protected PST file.
3. After adding the PST file, click the Start button.



4. Check the checkbox, ‘Make backup of scanned file before repairing.’ And if the tool shows ‘errors were found in this file,’ then click the Repair button.
5. Once the file is repaired, click OK to exit the tool.
6. Now, launch command prompt,
7. Type the path of PST in the command prompt like: C:\My Documents\pst19upg.exe – user.pst.
8. A copy of PST file with .psx format will be created. Now, rename the backup PST file similar to the old PST file.
9. Launch Outlook and import the new password removed PST file.

Unfortunately, this utility will work only in older versions like Outlook 2003.

If the previous method didn’t yield the expected results, you may require a more dependable solution. Kernel Outlook Password Recovery is an excellent tool to consider in this situation. This software is designed to unlock password-protected PST files effectively. It can recover forgotten PST passwords, remove old passwords, and even create new passwords for highly encrypted PST files. Furthermore, it boasts a user-friendly interface, making it exceptionally easy to use.

With this utility, you have the capability not only to remove the password from the PST file but also to set a new password or recover the old one. Here’s how you can accomplish this:

1. Launch the tool – below is the main screen you’ll encounter first,
2. Click Add Files, select the PST file, and click Open,
3. Once the file is loaded in the tool, you can select from any of the given options,

Note: We’ll use Remove Password, here.

4. Before unlocking the PST file, the tool will ask to back-up the original PST. So, make sure of it. Once you’re sure, click I have the backup, continue button.
5. In less than a minute the password would be removed,
6. Click OK. Also, you can save the process log report in CSV format.

However, if you want to set a new password for the PST file, then it can also be performed with the same tool.

Changing the Outlook PST password with Kernel tool is pretty simple and easy. You just need to follow the below steps:

1. Launch the software on your system and click Add Files to add PST files.
2. After adding the file, click Set New Password, and you will be prompted to make a backup of the PST files before moving ahead. Choose an option as per your requirements to continue.Note: We recommend you to create a backup for future purposes.
3. Provide the desired password for the PST file in the Set New Password window and click OK.
4. Once you change the password, a message will appear on your screen with confirmation. Click OK to finish the process.

This way, you can easy modify the password for the Outlook PST file.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve explored two methods for recovering passwords to open password-protected PST files effortlessly. We discussed a manual approach using the Command Prompt and an automated method utilizing a third-party tool. When dealing with a password-protected PST file and you’ve forgotten the password, Kernel proves to be an invaluable solution. In addition to password removal, this tool provides features such as password recovery and reset.

Video Tutorial to Unlock password-protected PST files