FIX: ScanPST is Not Available when Outlook is Installed from Microsoft Store
Read time: 3 minutes
There can be various reasons for the PST file getting corrupt or damaged as a result the set of folders cannot be opened in Outlook. To repair them, Microsoft has an inbuilt Scanpst.exe utility which helps you to scan and repair damaged or corrupt PST files. But there can be scenarios when you are not able to find Scanpst.exe, or it is not able to work. Let us look into the issue and try to solve it through this blog.
What is scanpst.exe?
Scanpst.exe or Inbox Repair Tool is meant to repair PST files and is installed automatically with all MS Outlook installations.
You can find the Scanpst.exe in one of the following locations:
The location of the Scanpst.exe in different Outlook versions is given below:
| Outlook Version | Location of scanpst.exe file |
|---|---|
| 2007 | C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12 |
| 2010 | C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14 |
| 2010 32-bit installed on Vista 7 64-bit | C:\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14 |
| 2013 | C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office15\root\Office15 |
| 2016 | 32-bit Windows C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16 64-bit Windows C:\Program Files(x86)1Microsoft Office\Office16 64-bit Outlook C\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16 64-bit Windows C:\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16 64-bit Outlook C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16 |
On Windows 10, when you install Outlook via the Microsoft Store, the installation location differs from when you install via the Office website. Moreover, other security constraints will stop you from directly running some exe-files. Thus, sometimes instant search does not display any results in Outlook.
You can find the path of installation of Outlook by 2 methods given below:
- Open Outlook and go to Start>Settings>Apps.
- If you can see Microsoft Office Desktop apps, you have installed Outlook via Microsoft Store.
- Go to File>Office Account
- See the information regarding the version of Outlook, which is displayed next to “About Outlook.”
- It may show “Microsoft Store,” indicating installation of Outlook via Microsoft Store. Or it may show “Click-to-run” indicating installation of Outlook via Office website.
Open scanpst.exe through another Microsoft Office App (installed via MS Store)
We have tried to explain the steps here:
- Open any File Browsing dialog like File>Open>Browse, Insert>Picture
- Browse to C:\Program Files\WindowsApps
- Open the below-named folder:
- Open the folder: Office 16
- On the right bottom corner, set the dropdown filter dialog to All Files (*.*)
- Scroll and right-click on Scanpst.exe.
- Choose Open.
Microsoft.Office.Desktop.Outlook_####.####.####.#_x86_8wekyb3d8bbwe where # is the version of Outlook
Note: Do not select that Outlook folder that has “neutral” in its name.
In this way, you can open Scanpst.exe.
Switch from installation via Microsoft Store to installation via Microsoft Office web
To do this task, follow the steps given below:
- Go to Start>Settings>Apps.
- Uninstall Microsoft Office Desktop Apps.
- Go to Office.com and log in.
- Click Install Office.
- Follow instructions to complete the process.
Conclusion
Scanpst.exe (Inbox Repair Tool) is a free utility from Microsoft. But it cannot fix all Outlook PST corruption issues. So, we search for a tool to fix the PST corruption more efficiently. You cannot find a tool better than Kernel PST Repair, which is created to repair and restore corrupt and damaged PST files, irrespective of the extent of damage or corruption and the size and number of PST files. You can not only repair and restore but can also migrate your PST files using this tool.
