“Are you working on MS Outlook application? Have you ever encountered the problem “cannot open .ost file inOutlook”? If yes, then you have landed at the right place. This blog will enlighten you about the various strategies to fix this error and easily open and view the contents of .ost file in Outlook.”
OST is the offline folder file in Microsoft Outlook that allows the user to work even with a limited internet connection. The folder helps a user to work in offline mode and synchronize the changes with the Exchange server when there is network availability. Sometimes, Outlook users are unable to open .ost file Outlook 2016. Thereby, it becomes very tough to access and read all important emails, contacts, and tasks. There are various reasons due to which users cannot access .ost file like improper installation of Outlook, terminating Outlook when .ost file is in use, etc. However, this does not mean that we cannot open and view .ost file. Therefore, in the upcoming section, we will describe the top three solutions to learn how to fix “cannot open OST file in Outlook.” Along with this, some probable reasons behind the occurrence of this error have been discussed.
Microsoft Outlook Cannot Open OST File – Major Reasons
As we all know, .ost file stores important information like emails, contacts, tasks, etc. There are various reasons due to which users cannot open Outlook .ost file. Some of them are discussed below:
- Abrupt termination of Outlook when .ost file is in use
- Exchange server is deleted and .ost file is orphaned
- Sudden power failure when the user is working with .ost file
- Synchronization issue between .ost file and Exchange server
- Virus or Malware Attacks are another reason to damage .ost file
- Interruption while .ost file is being shared across the network
- Inaccessibility of .ost file due to the presence of bad sectors on hard drive
Manual Ways to Resolve Cannot Open OST File in Outlook Error
There are mainly two manual approaches, which can be used to open Outlook .ost file. Please have a look:
Strategy 1: End All Processes Related to Outlook from Task Manager
- Right-click on Taskbar and open Task Manager on your Windows System
- Then, you have to click on the Processes
- Now, find processes such as Communicator, Lync, Outlook, or ucmapi.
- If you find any one of these processes, select it and hit on End Task.
Strategy 2: Disable Outlook Cached Exchange Mode
- Open Control Panel on your system, and choose Mail
- In the next step, you can choose Email Accounts
- Go to Email Tab, Select the email address that shows warning message and click on change
- After that, uncheck the “Use Cached Exchange Mode” option
- Finally, select Next>> Finish accomplishing the task
Drawbacks of Manual Methods
There are some constraints which are mentioned below:
- Both methods are very lengthy and time-consuming.
- Data integrity, as well as data security, is not guaranteed.
- It is a complicated task for the user who has no technical knowledge.
Professional Approach to Fix Error “Cannot Open OST File in Outlook”
To overcome the drawbacks of all above-stated methods, users can take the help of a reliable third-party utility named SysTools OST Recovery. If you cannot open Outlook .ost file then, this solution is really helpful to fix and recover damaged .ost file. It is capable enough to export OST file to PST, EML, MSG, HTML or PDF formats. The software has a user-friendly interface that even a technical, as well as non-technical user, can use it without any hassle.
Benefits of Using OST Recovery Utility
- Recover data from corrupt or damaged Outlook OST file
- Capable to remove encryption from OST file of any size
- Rebuild & Restore data from High/Low corrupted .ost file
- Retrieve data from single or multiple Outlook data files
- Inline images can be easily recovered from OST files
- Option to maintain Email Metadata like message dates
- Compatible with all the latest versions of MS Outlook
Step-By-Step Guide to Open OST File in Outlook Using Automated Tool
- Download and install OST Recovery tool on your machine
- Click on Add File and Choose any one option Search/Select File
- Next, Select Scan mode and click Add button to proceed further
- Once the scanning process is done, you can display OST emails in the preview panel
- Now, you can save all the recovered OST emails, contacts and calendars from .ost file
- OST File is recovered successfully without any difficulty
Final Thoughts
Sometimes, user cannot open .ost in Outlook thus, it becomes difficult to extract and view the important data present in it. Therefore, in the above section, we have discussed the manual methods to open and retrieve data from Outlook .ost file. Also, we have suggested a commercial solution i.e., OST Recovery. It is the perfect approach to recover deleted or corrupted .ost file without any data loss. It is a remarkable tool with user-friendly interface so that anyone can avail it.
