How to Fix Error Opening Outlook Data File .pst in Outlook 2016 Easily |

Microsoft Outlook is mainly used for sending and receiving email messages. Besides, it manages the private data such as Calendars, Contacts, Tasks, and Notes. The Number of Outlook users is 400 million users worldwide and increasing day by day. 75 million users using the Microsoft team actively.

Here, you can examine the growing number of Outlook users. As we know, Microsoft Outlook is one of the best email clients for communication, but sometimes error like error opening Outlook Data File .pst in Outlook.

Microsoft has published applications for mobile platforms including IOS and Android. Moreover, windows devices synchronize almost all Outlook data to Outlook mobile. Besides, Microsoft Visual Studio helps developers to build their own custom software that works with Outlook and Office components.

Microsoft began several features in Outlook 2016 like search cloud, group redesign, attachment links to the cloud resource, Email address internationalization, clutter folder, and scalable vector graphics. It has the facility to integrate calendars, emails, and contacts and arrange the conference in an individual click.

PST stands for Personal Storage Table, which stores emails, calendars, and other items.

Outlook Data File Cannot Be Opened Pop Up Error

The file is not personal.
PST cannot be accessed- 0x80040116 error.
Unable to display the folder.
PST file is not an Outlook data file.

Error messages look like this

Why Error Opening Outlook Data File .pst?

If PST files are not opening in Outlook may be due to the following reasons:

Damaged, Lost, and corrupted PST files show an error.
Hardware or power failure leads to Outlook application crashes and can raise the error opening the data file.
PST file can be corrupt when the Outlook application terminates abnormally.
Unexpected system shutdown, virus attacks, Outlook errors, etc. may lead to this error.
Whenever we try to access PST files in Outlook 2016, which is created in Outlook 2013 then, it may be another factor for this error.
Error opening Outlook PST file can occur due to inappropriate Outlook profile configuration and mistakes in navigation panel settings.

Relocate the Files at Other Location

Before the solution to fix the error opening Outlook data file, You have to follow the instructions to troubleshoot in fixing this error.

Step 1- Uncheck the Read-Only Attribute of the File.

If you are trying to extract the files stored on removable media or portable drive. First, confirm the status of the file. To do so, follow the below steps:

First, right-click on the PST file and select the properties option.
In the properties window, uncheck the read-only attribute.

Now, open the .pst file. Still, If it is not opened then, move to the further step of troubleshooting.

Step 2- Move the PST File to Another Location

Copy the file to another location. If it is at the default location, then move to the documents folder on your system. Now, go to the file and try to open it within Outlook.

Step 3- Confirm the Size of the PST file

As we know that oversized files cannot be accessed in Outlook. These files show errors such as “The file is not an Outlook Data File (.pst)” or “unable to display the folder”. So, make sure the PST files have not exceeded their permissible size limit.

These are the troubleshooting techniques to fix the error. Now, Let’s move forward to the various methods to resolve “error opening outlook data file .pst”.

How to resolve the error “ Opening Outlook Data File .pst in Outlook 2016”

First of all, close the Outlook application, If you are working on the POP3 setting or IMAP to fix the error. Follow the instructions carefully to fix the issue.

First of all, click the Window+R key from your keyboard to open the run command.
Then, locate the below-mentioned path and click OK.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16

Note: This path is only for Outlook 2016.

Here, double-click the SCANPST.EXE to begin the MS Outlook inbox repair.

Now, tap on the Browse button.
Then, find the PST file that you want to repair and tap the Open button.
Next, click on the start button.
Pick the “Make a backup of scanned file before repairing” option as per your need.
Now, Tap on the Repair button.

After completing the above steps Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair will scan and repair the PST files. After completing the repairing process, launch Outlook and use it.

Note: If you are getting an error message “PST file is in use” then close your Outlook application and try to reaccess the file again.

Limitations of the SCANPST.EXE method

It is a free repair utility to use, but it also consists of some drawbacks.

It is unable to fix the large size or critically corrupt PST file.
Freeze and stop responding in the middle of the repair process.
Operating a tool many times makes the restoration process complex and also involved time-consuming.

Prestigious Method to Repair Error Opening Outlook Data File .pst

If none of the above methods help to repair the error, then use PST Recovery Tool to quickly resolve the issue.

This software is the best substitute for the limitations of the Scanpst.exe tool. Moreover, it can repair the severely corrupted/damaged PST files within a few clicks. It can simply recover all the mailbox items such as contacts, attachments, calendars, etc.

Important Points:

If you have repaired your Outlook PST file, then to prevent the error from occurring again, note the following points:

Ignore Import/Export wizard to shift Outlook data file from one Outlook version to another Outlook.
Stop pasting the copied .pst files to the default location.

Final Words

Here, you can resolve the error opening outlook data file .pst by following the above methods. First, try to troubleshoot the error by ensuring the status of the file or check the size limit of the file. If an error still exists, then try to resolve it by using the Scanpst.exe repair tool.

Scanpst.exe tool has some drawbacks. To overcome those drawbacks, you can go for the PST Recovery Tool to repair the error. This tool provides better security and an easy interface by which novice users can perform simply.