How To Fix Corrupt Outlook Profile

Microsoft Outlook is an email client having various functions like email, calendar, tasks, journals, etc. Sometimes, due to unforeseen problems, your Outlook profile may get corrupt, meaning you can’t access your emails and other data unless you fix this corruption issue. And if your data is critical to you, then this situation becomes more important to resolve.

This article examines the reasons for profile corruption and provides solutions to fix corrupt Outlook profile.

Reasons For Corrupt Outlook Profile

There are many reasons for the Outlook profile becoming corrupted, and these are:

Corrupted PST file – The first and foremost reason for this problem in Outlook is PST file corruption. Before we move ahead, let’s know about the PST file format. PST stands for Personal Storage Table and is a data storage file used by Microsoft Outlook and Exchange for offline data archiving and later viewing in Outlook and other Microsoft software. It includes email folders, contacts, and other data.

There are many reasons for the PST file getting corrupted, such as sudden power failure, virus infection, improper system shutdown, compatibility issues with the Outlook version, etc.

Oversized PST File – Another reason for the problem is oversizing. When the PST file reaches or exceeds the recommended size limit, Outlook’s performance goes down. Because of this, users notice a delay in sending & receiving emails. As the file grows larger & exceeds the limit, inconsistencies in the file may lead to errors and ultimately cause data file deletion.

Outlook 2002 and previous versions had a 2GB limit; Outlook 2003 & 2007 had a 20GB limit, and new Outlook versions post-2010 have a 50GB limit.

App or System Crash – The Outlook app or the system may crash unexpectedly due to either hardware failure, system issues, or conflicts with the software. If the system or Outlook crashes while you’re working, it may damage the PST data file. If it happens due to severe uncontrollable issues, you can’t reboot your system and will lose your data file permanently.

Improper App Installation – Another reason for a corrupt Outlook profile is improper Outlook app installation. Installing the Outlook app from an unofficial website or skipping the installation process to save time can lead to constant app crashes and profile corruption.

These reasons tell us why we should repair the corrupt Outlook profile. Now let’s read the solutions for fixing a corrupt profile in Outlook.

Solutions to Fix Corrupt Outlook Profile

Now that we have read the reasons for the corruption of Outlook profile, let’s see the solutions you can use to fix the problem.

Method 1: Repair Outlook Profile Using Outlook Application

The first solution is to repair the corrupt Outlook profile using the Outlook application. The method varies according to the app version, but the steps are easy to follow.

Repair Outlook 2007 Profile

If you are working with an Outlook 2007 profile, then follow these steps to repair the corrupted profile –

1. Open Outlook and click on the Tools button.
2. In the Account Settings window, select Email and choose the corrupted profile.
3. Click the Repair button and follow the instructions in front of you.
4. Once repaired, restart the Outlook application to synchronize the changes.

Repair Outlook 2021, 2016, 2013, or 2010 Profile

If your Outlook profile is in either of the 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, or 2010 versions, follow these steps to fix corrupt Outlook profile –

1. Open Outlook and click on the File tab.
2. Go to the Account Settings option and select Account Settings.
3. Select Email in the Account Settings window and choose the corrupted profile.
4. Enter your login details and click Next.
5. Once the repair is over, click Finish and restart the Outlook application.

Method 2: Repair PST File with Inbox Repair Tool

The reasons mentioned above can cause critical damage to the PST file if ignored for a long time, leading to data deletion. Another solution is to repair the PST file using Microsoft’s Inbox Repair Tool (scanpst.exe). You can use this tool to fix the errors of the corrupted and damaged files and rebuild the file structure by removing the irrecoverable emails.

Here’s the step-by-step procedure for using the inbox repair tool –

1. Go to the Office installation folder (C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office) [Office version may differ] and locate the scanpst.exe file.
2. Open the tool and Browse the corrupted file you want to repair.
3. Click Start to scan the data file.
4. If you discover errors during the scanning process, click on Repair to repair those errors.
5. Once done, transfer the repaired file to your Outlook profile.

Again, this tool can only repair minor corruption since it’s not for large-sized & heavy repairs. Another thing that makes it unfavorable amongst Outlook users is its inability to recover corrupted data.

Method 3: Repair PST File with Automated Tool

Since the Outlook Application repair & the Inbox Repair Tool can repair only minor profile corruption, another option to fix corrupt Outlook profile is to use a professionally reliable automated tool like the Outlook PST Repair Tool. This tool helps you to fix errors occurring due to the corruption of the Outlook data file and prevent data deletion

Here’s the list of things you can do with this tool –

• Repair PST files with the tool and Restore PST data in Office 365.
• The Search File option allows you to add & recover multiple PST files.
• Recover password-protected and corrupted PST files.
• Preview deleted data files in red color.
• Restore permanently deleted Outlook emails from the PST file.

Let’s see a quick guide on how to use the tool –

1. Install the Tool to your system. Once installed, open it and add the corrupted Outlook PST files using the Add File option.
2. Once added, start the scanning process by clicking the Add button.
3. Click on the Export option to export the entire PST data on your system, or click the Export Selected option to export only selected files.
4. Choose the export format (PDF, PST, EML, HTML) and the destination of the exporting data. In this case, it will be PST.
5. Click on Export to start the exporting process. Once done, you can see the exported files in the selected destination.
6. Once the recovered PST file gets downloaded, open/import it into the Outlook application.

Using this tool is very simple and doesn’t require any technical knowledge. You should use this tool to fix the Outlook profile corruption (or PST data file).

Conclusion

The reasons for a corrupt Outlook profile vary from file corruption to improper app installation, and they ultimately lead to data deletion if ignored for a long time. The solutions mentioned above are perfect to fix corrupt Outlook profile. However, we recommend the automated tool since it can repair heavily corrupted and large-sized PST files and maintain data integrity.

This article explored the reasons and solutions to recover corrupted Outlook PST files to help you protect your crucial Outlook data.