Why I am unable to open my OST file all of a sudden?

OST is Outlook mail data file which let users work with the application offline. However, sometimes Outlook reflects error while synching the OST file. If this is the case, you would be unable to open OST file in Outlook all of sudden.

How to fix problem of unable to open OST file in Outlook all of sudden?

You can start with simple fixes to resolve the issue like if you had installed Outlook recently, then reboot the system. Check new office updates if you have any installation updates.

Sometimes, unable to open OST file error comes because of the customization made in the navigation pane. To alleviate that, you can try this, go to the Windows Run option, then to utility and execute Outlook.exe /resetnavpane.

If there is any minor issue with the OST file and Outlook, these fixes would remove them and your OST file will start working normally.

If nothing works, repair OST file.

How To Repair OST File Which Is Inaccessible?

The error like cannot open OST appears only when OST file is corrupt. The only way to retain its access is by repairing the file. The Outlook has an inbuilt utility to fix this problem. The utility is called ScanPST.exe. You can find this in the Outlook installation directory.

Step One: Close Outlook and browse this location.

• Outlook 2019: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16
• Outlook 2016: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16
• Outlook 2013: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15
• Outlook 2010: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14
• Outlook 2007: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office12

Step Two: SCANPST.EXE.

Step Three: Browse the location of OST file which you want to scan and fix error.

Step Four: Select the option Start to begin scanning.

Step Five: If scan reflects any error in the file, select the repair option to start repair.

Step Six: Once the repair is complete, start Outlook with profile associated with Outlook data file you repaired.

It is important to note that ScanPST.exe fails to work on OST files that are severely corrupt. In this case, deleting, and recreating OST file is the option. Follow the step to do that.

• Shut down the Outlook, then find the OST file and then delete it from your device. If you are unaware of its location, enter %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Outlook\ in Windows Search and tap the Enter button. You will be taken the OST file location.
• Once the OST is deleted, start Outlook. This will recreate OST on your device.

For some users, recreating OST file is still not possible because of many reasons. In that case, the only option remains with the user is to repair OST with a professional tool.

The professional OST repair tool deeply scans the file and fixes issues which makes the file accessible again. One of the easiest software for repairing corrupt OST file is the Magus OST Repair Tool. The software deeply scans the file, fixes the error and makes its data accessible. It helps you read the OST file and convert OST into PST file format to create a heathy PST file. You can import this PST in MS Outlook to open and view its data.

How To Use Magus OST Repair Tool?

• Download the software on your device.
• To upload OST file in the software, either take the help of browse button or directly drop it in the tool.
•  It allows you to upload multiple OST files in the software. You can do this either by uploading the OST file one by one or save all the OST files in a folder and upload the folder.
• Click on convert now button to start the repair process.
• The software also allows saving OST file in different file formats, i.e. PST, EML and MSG.

The benefits of using this software for repairing OST file are

• You can upload any number of OST files.
• Works on severely corrupted files.
• Repair files quickly.

Bottom Line

It is entirely your call to decide whether you like to opt a third party solution or simply try manual tricks to perform the OST to PST conversion. However, it is always great to know that software is an easy mean of doing the job and using manual technique will be a time consuming process.