Outlook PST Could Not Be Accessed? Try These Fixes
  • Update your Office app to the latest version.
  • Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch Task Manager and end any instance of Outlook running in the background. Restart Outlook again.
  • Start Outlook in Safe Mode to see if any add-ins are causing this issue.
  • Try adding the PST files in Outlook via File > Account Settings > Data Files.
  • Restart Outlook and your system again to see if it resolves the issue.

Imagine you’re all set for an important meeting with the company’s boardroom and you find out that your Outlook data file cannot be accessed. That’s nothing short of a nightmare to experience. Fortunately, there’s a high chance that this error can be fixed, and you won’t lose your emails either. This blog talks about the potential causes, some easy tips, and effective ways to fix this error.

Common Error Messages Outlook Might Show During This Error:
  1. Outlook data file cannot be accessed (0x8004010F).
  2. The file xyz.pst could not be accessed.
  3. The operation failed. An object could not be found.
  4. Outlook cannot open the data file. The file path cannot be accessed.
  5. Outlook data file cannot be found.

Why Outlook PST Could Not Be Accessed Issue Occur?

There could be several reasons why your Outlook .pst file in use and cannot be accessed issue occurs. We’ve shortlisted some common reasons, which are:

  • Unstable internet.
  • Outdated Outlook.
  • Software conflicts.
  • Insufficient file permission.
  • Relocating Outlook data files.
  • Corrupted/ damaged PST files.
  • Sudden closing system/Outlook.
  • Misconfigured/corrupted Outlook Profile.

After understanding the common causes, let's now learn some basic solutions that help to access PST file in Outlook efficiently.

Basic Tips to Fix Outlook PST Could Not Be Accessed Issue

Before going for detailed solutions, you can try these tips to fix Outlook PST file cannot be accessed issue. These are as follows:

  • Restart your system immediately.
  • Check your internet connectivity.
  • Start the Outlook application in Safe mode.
  • Update your Outlook application if it is outdated.
  • Temporarily disable antivirus programs or add-ins.
  • Close programs/applications running in the background.
  • End the duplicate Outlook programs like Outlook, Communicator, Lync, UCMAPI, running in Task Manager.

    • If the issue still persists for you even after trying these basic tips, have a look at the methods given below to see if they help or not.

Effective Ways to Fix Outlook PST Could Not be Accessed Issue

Here are a few easy-to-follow solutions to fix PST file corruption permanently. Go through each and try them for quick resolution:

Method 1: Allow Sufficient File Permissions

  1. Search PST file location in your system. Select the required PST file, right-click, and choose Properties.
    2. click on properties
  2. In the Attribute section, uncheck the Read-Only option if it is checked. Click OK.
    3. uncheck read only

Now, try to access PST file in Outlook.

Method 2: Move PST File to Local Storage From OneDrive

Accessing PST files from OneDrive to Outlook also leads to the Outlook PST file cannot be opened issue. To access PST file in Outlook, you need to relocate it to local storage. Follow the below steps to do so:

  1. Close Outlook and access the OneDrive folder containing the PST file.
  2. Select the required PST file and save a copy of it to a new location on your local storage.
  3. Open the Outlook application, go to File, and choose Account Settings in the Account Settings dropdown.
    4. select account settings
  4. Click on the Data File tab, select the PST file linked to OneDrive and tap Remove to disconnect it.
    5. select remove
  5. Now, tap on Add in the Data Files tab, browse to the local folder where you moved the PST file.
    6. tap on add

Now, check whether the Outlook PST file cannot be accessed issue is resolved.

Method 3. Create a New Outlook Profile

A misconfigured/corrupted Outlook profile also causes Outlook PST could not be accessed issue. So, you need to create a new profile to access the PST file in Outlook. Follow the steps below:

  1. Close the Outlook application. Open Control Panel, tap Mail program, and choose Show Profiles.
    2. select show profiles
  2. Tap on Add, type a new Profile Name and Click OK.
    3. add new profile
  3. Click on Email Account, enter your email address and click Next.
    4. add account deatils
  4. After successful configuration, Outlook will connect to the server and start synchronization.

Now, add your PST file, check whether the Outlook PST file cannot be opened issue is resolved.

Method 4. Repair Inaccessible PST Files Using ScanPST.exe

When your PST file is corrupted or inaccessible, you can check for errors in it using Microsoft’s in-built utility, the Inbox Repair Tool. This free tool scans the PST files for errors and then repairs minor structural damage in the file. To do this, you need to locate SCANPST.exe in your system. Here is a detailed stepwise PST repair process using SCANPST.exe:

  1. Locate and open exe in your system.
    C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16.
  2. Click Browse and choose the corrupted PST file. Click Start.
  3. Wait for some time, it will check and display errors and issues. Click Repair.
  4. You will receive a Repair Completed message when the PST file is repaired.

After a successful PST repair, you can open PST file without Outlook or in different Outlook versions.

Limitations of the Inbox Repair Tool:

  • It might struggle with very large-sized PST files.
  • It cannot recover permanently deleted PST data.
  • In case of severe corruption, the tool may not be able to fully recover the data.
  • Unable to repair encrypted password-protected PST files.

What If ScanPST.exe isn’t Enough to Repair Your PST Files?

In such a situation where ScanPST.exe isn’t enough to fix your PST files, a dedicated PST Repair tool can help you. One such tool that you can consider is Kernel Outlook PST Repair. This tool repairs multiple corrupted/inaccessible/orphaned PST files at once without any particular size limit.

Final Thoughts

In most cases, Outlook PST could not be accessed error comes up because improperly configured permissions, broken file path, or data file corruption. The above-discussed methods are helpful if you want to fix this error. Whatever method you choose, make sure that you’ve backed up important PST file data at a safe location.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How to access corrupted/damaged Outlook PST files without losing data?

A: Since corrupted/damaged PST files are inaccessible in any email client application or platform. Thus, you can use free third-party software to view Outlook PST files.

Q: How to fix Outlook PST file not accessible issue?

A: To resolve the Outlook PST could not be accessed, try updating Outlook, allowing necessary file permissions, moving the PST file from OneDrive to local, creating a new Outlook profile, etc.

If the PST file is corrupted, these methods won’t work. You need to repair PST file using SCANPST.exe, or a professional tool like Kernel for Outlook PST Repair.

Q: Will I lose my emails when I can’t access my PST file in Outlook?

A: Usually not. The Outlook data file is inaccessible, not that its contents were deleted. First backup file at a safe location before trying to repair it, and don’t overwrite the PST file during repair.

Aaruni Arora
Aaruni AroraTechnical Writer

This article is written by Aaruni Arora, a technical content writer at Kernel Data Recovery. This content has been reviewed in accordance with our editorial guidelines.

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