As everyone knows that Microsoft Outlook is one of the renowned email application across the world. Because it offers many proficient features to its users, but it is not far away from the corruption. If Outlook data file (Personal Folder File) gets damage then the Outlook users won’t be able to access it. Sometimes, when users try to open Outlook profile, then it will display an error message “The Outlook.pst cannot be found”. In this situation, people are looking for a reliable solution. Therefore, here we will tell you how to fix Outlook.pst cannot be found error in Microsoft Outlook 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, 2003, 2000 versions in MS Windows 7 OS with help of both manual method and automatic solution.
This article provides proper guidelines on how to fix Outlook PST file cannot be found error using the manual as well as a direct third-party application. The SysTools Outlook PST Recovery application can easily recover Microsoft Outlook PST file and resolve outlook problems without any data loss.
Why Does the “PST File Cannot be Found” Message Appear?
There are many reasons behind this error message ‘my Outlook data file PST cannot be found’. Some of the main causes for this Outlook error are discussed below:
- Usually “The Outlook.pst cannot be found” error message arises when the PST is on a network server that is not available at the moment.
- When the Outlook data file gets removed or deleted accidentally from its original location then possibility of this message occurs increases.
- If PST file size exceeded its limit and you start archiving of data. Then, the archive process will terminate in between and you may be lost your emails, appointments, contacts.
- Sometimes, virus and malware attack can also be the reasons behind the “PST data file cannot be accessed” error message.
How to Resolve ‘The Outlook.pst Cannot be Found’ Error?
If you are not able to find your Outlook PST file, then you should wait until the network server will be available. After that open the MS Outlook program. If PST file got missed from its original location then you can bring it back. But, in case, if PST file got deleted permanently, then you can restore these deleted files by using the inbuilt feature of Windows which is called ‘Previous Versions’. This inbuilt feature is included in Windows 7 and Windows Vista OS and it helps to maintain older versions of files from disks automatically. It creates a backup copy once in a day which helps to recover deleted PST file by using Previous Versions.
Note: You can use this ‘Previous Version’ to recover deleted files from disk only if that specific disk is ‘Previous Versions protection enabled’.
Follow the steps to perform recovery process of Outlook PST data files. ‘The Outlook.pst cannot be found’ issue can be easily resolved with the following steps.
- First of all, browse the folder that consists of PST files.
- After that, right click on the Outlook Files option.
- Now, you can select Restore previous versions from the menu list.
- In this step, a Folder Properties dialog box opens where Previous Versions tab is enabled.
- Further, double-click on the most recent folder to find the missing PST files.
- If you get the deleted Outlook data file then finally copy and paste this file to its original location.
Limitation of Manual Solution
The above manual procedure will only help Microsoft Windows 7 and above versions users. What if for other lower editions of Windows OS user? And what if your system is not ‘Previous Version Enabled’? Anyway, one cannot leave their important Outlook PST data files. Even if PST files are accidentally deleted or some other Outlook error like ‘Outlook data file PST cannot be found’ in the system. So the refer the next section to fix such MS Outlook PST errors effortlessly.
A professional Solution to Fix “PST File Cannot be Found” Error
Using the above-discussed manual method, you can easily resolve the ‘The Outlook.pst cannot be found’ issue if the required conditions are perfectly followed. Generally, this inbuilt utility can restore or retrieve the healthy PST file. But if the PST files are corrupted, then you need to repair them. In such case, the above discussed manual method can be cumbersome. So, it is advised to use an automatic third-party solution which named as SysTools Outlook PST Repair Tool to fix Outlook PST corruptions. This utility is used to retrieve the inaccessible and damaged PST files with their attributes. By using this software, a user can repair and restore a block of corrupted files within few minutes. Also, it is compatible to work with latest MS Outlook versions such as 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, and all below versions. The software works on all Windows OS such as Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, and all other below editions effortlessly.
To Sum it Up
Most of the time Outlook data file may get corrupted or deleted due to many reasons and it displays an error message ‘The Outlook.pst cannot be found’. To resolve these kinds of error, we have discussed a free manual approach by using an inbuilt utility. However, this approach is prone to be data loss and also needs expertise in the technical skill. Also, it is limited to Windows OS editions and previous setting in the system. Thus, in order to avoid the data loss and data damage, it is advised to use Outlook PST Repair software. It can easily find and resolve the ‘The PST file cannot be found’ error and save the recovered file at the different location for security purpose.
