How to Repair Outlook .PST File

 

Scanpst (aka the Inbox Repair tool) is found in your Office installation folders, usually C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OfficeXX, where XX is your version of Office. In Vista and Windows 7 64-bit, the folder is C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\OfficeXX.

Note: The scanpst icon is a broken envelope. This is supposed to indicate that it works with broken messages. It does not mean the application is broken.

Office 2010 Home & Business 'Click to Run' users: With Click to Run, Office is installed in a virtual space on the Q drive and you need to look for the path on the Q drive. If you aren't sure if you are using Click to Run, check File, Help in any Office 2010 application. More info on Click to Run is here.To find the path on the Q drive, open Word and open the File, Save as dialog, choose 'all files' in the file type dialog and browse to Q:\<14####.lan>\Office14. Copy the Q path and paste it into the address bar of windows explorer.
In Outlook 2013 "Click to Run" versions, scanpst is under the root directory in the install path. Users can run it by pasting this path in the address bar of Windows Explorer.

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15\root\office15\scanpst.exe

Replace XX in the following to match your version (the textboxes below are editable), then copy and paste it into the Address bar of Windows Explorer and press enter to open ScanPST.

Outlook 2013 = 15 Outlook 2010 = 14 Outlook 2007 = 12 Outlook 2003 = 11 Outlook 2002 = 10 Outlook 2000 = 9

If you are unsure of your version Help, About will list the version in '12.6310.5000′ format. If Outlook was installed as part of a suite, Help, About in any of the Office programs will have the correct version number.

Open Scanpst.exe

It always be in MS Office Default Installed Folders.

Using Scanpst.exe

After scanpst opens, click Browse and browse to the location of the PST. Or paste the following line in the File name field and click Open. This will open the default PST location in the file browser.

%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

This path works in all versions of Windows if Outlook created the pst in the local application data path. If you moved the pst or Outlook 2010 created the pst file in My Documents, you'll need to click Browse.

Select your PST from the list (most people will have just one) click Open, then Start to begin testing the PST

When ScanPST is finished running the tests, a dialog reports the errors found. If you need to repair the PST, always make a backup.