The Inbox Repair Tool — also known as ScanPST — is a free PST file utility that comes installed with every version of Microsoft Outlook. At times, when trying to repair the PST file, you encounter an error message – Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair tool does not recognize the file. Usually, this error occurs when the utility cannot read the file. This might happen due to varied reasons which we’re going to discuss in the article. We will also discuss the step-by-step solutions to fix this error.
Causes of Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair Tool does not Recognize the File Error
There are various reasons that can cause this error message. Some of them are mentioned below:
- Severe PST file corruption
- PST file is too large
- Unsupported or mismatched file format
- Incorrect file path
- Hard drive bad sectors or disk errors
- PST file is stored on a network drive
- Antivirus software interference
Methods to Fix Outlook Inbox Repair Tool does not Recognize the File Error
Now that you understand the causes behind this error, let’s see the solutions to fix this error.
1. Verify the PST File Extension
If the PST file you’re trying to repair has incorrect extension, then ScanPST may fail to not recognize it. So, check and make sure the file has the .pst extension. If not, then rename the file. Follow the mentioned steps:
- Find your PST file on your computer.
- Right-click on the file and select the Properties option.
- Check the file extension (must end with .pst).
- If not visible, enable File name extensions from the View tab in File Explorer.
- Rename the file correctly.
- Also, ensure the file is stored in a local drive.
If the extension and path of your PST file are correct and you still face this issue, then move to the next solution.
2. Run Disk Check to Resolve Drive Errors
At times, your hard drive or storage device – on which your PST file is saved – has bad sectors or errors. These bad sectors can prevent ScanPST from reading the data, which can cause the Inbox Repair Tool not recognize the file issue. Running a disk check helps identify and repair this problem. Here’s how:
- Go to This PC on your system.
- Right-click on the drive where the PST file is stored.
- Select Properties.
- Go to the Tools tab.
- Click on Check under Error checking.
- Follow the prompts to scan and fix errors.
- Restart your system after the process is complete.
3. Move PST File from Network to Local Storage
If you attempt to repair a PST file stored on a network drive, then ScanPST may not be able to read it correctly due to connectivity issues, resulting in the error. To avoid the issue, copy the PST file to the local drive before you repairing.
4. Temporarily Disable Your Antivirus
If the file is being scanned or locked by the antivirus program, then ScanPST cannot get full read/write access to the file and fails to recognize it. To avoid this issue, you can disable your antivirus. Here are the steps to do this:
- Open your antivirus software.
- Look for Real-time protection settings.
- Turn it off.
- Run the Inbox Repair Tool again.
- Re-enable antivirus after the process.
An Alternative Solution to Repair the PST File
If none of the above methods works, then you have to take the help of an PST repair tool. Stellar Repair for Outlook is one such tool that can repair corrupted PST files without any size limit and with any level of corruption. It saves the repaired mailbox data in a new PST file. Some of the features of this tool are listed below:
- It can repair corrupted PST files with complete accuracy and data integrity.
- It maintains original folder structure and hierarchy.
- Supports large-sized PST files.
- Recovers deleted emails from PST files.
- Simple and user-friendly interface.
- Save repaired file items in multiple formats, like PST, EML, MSG, PDF, HTML, etc.
- Supports encrypted PST files.
- Compatible with all versions of Outlook.
Conclusion
The error “Outlook Inbox Repair tool not recognize the file” usually occurs due to severely corrupted or damaged PST files. In this article, we have discussed the possible solutions to fix this issue. If the solutions didn’t work for you, then you can go for a professional PST repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for Outlook. This tool can effectively repair severely corrupted PST files and recover your mailbox data.
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