Home Articles Why an Oversized or Huge PST File Results in Outlook Corruption?

Why an Oversized or Huge PST File Results in Outlook Corruption?

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You need to know that the PST file size is a primary reason that results in file corruption. And this size problem has already been recognized by Microsoft. Hence, the current versions of Outlook have bigger PST file sizes.

Usually, 50 GB marks the maximum limit of a database file in the Outlook versions of 2010 or 2013. However, if you look at Outlook 2003 or 2007, you will find the size limit set at 20 GB. Even though the recent versions provide an increased PST file size, there are scopes that a corrupted PST file occurs because of the size.

Let’s try and understand the reason for which an oversized corrupted PST file can lead to an issue. For instance, you are making use of the Outlook 2007 version and are working without being aware of the PST file size. And when one day you attempt to connect with the emails, Outlook fails to respond and highlights an error message that reads, “This file outlook.pst is not a personal folder”. And the reason for this error could be the huge PST file.

Simply put, this error message denotes that you have encountered the issue of a corrupted PST. Owing to the vast email storage and various other items, the PST file is huge.

How to resolve the problems with the PST size?

Outlook users need to be aware of the PST file size. That is not all. In fact, they should perform the following activities on a daily basis:

  • Delete unwanted emails
  • Get a backup of the PST files and eliminate unwanted items
  • Archive the emails depending on various criteria

You can use these processes as a preventive method to avert any PST file corruption that can take place because of the enormous size of the PST file. However, it is essential to know and understand that there could be moments where the file can get completely damaged. And in such situations, it is always best to make use of the Outlook PST Repair tool if you wish to retrieve the working emails from the corrupt file. Hence, it is essential to assess the PST file limitations. You can also incorporate reactive and proactive steps to recover the corrupt and oversized PST file.

How can you determine if your outlook file is corrupted?

Generally, the PST file gets used to store the Outlook data like the email folders, contacts, mailbox files, and other various personal data associated with Outlook. There are times that a PST file can get corrupted, and the overall data can get unreadable.

But the Outlook PST files do exhibit some signs of corruption prior to becoming completely inaccessible. You need to keep an eye on the signs and also take the necessary action to repair the same before you lose your crucial data.

A few signs of a corrupt PST file include the following:

  • The initial visible sign that your PST file is corrupted is that it will become unexplainably slow and will take ample time to accomplish a task. Hence, receiving and sending emails will become sluggish in Outlook.
  • The other sign comprises the error message displayed while you use Outlook. It can pop up suddenly while you are using Outlook. It could highlight that the file didn’t get closed correctly or that the information store can’t be opened.

Whenever you find out that your Outlook is becoming very slow or is exhibiting errors as you try to open it, know that it’s a clear sign that the PST file is corrupt.

  • Assess the PST file size and if you find that it surpasses the fixed limit, try and bring down the size.
  • You can update your Desktop Manager and get the recent version. In case it gets damaged, try and re-install the latest Desktop Manager.
  • You can also fix a corrupted PST file by making use of the Inbox Repair tool

How can you use the inbox repair tool to repair a corrupted PST file?

First and foremost, you can exit Microsoft Outlook and operate the Inbox Repair tool because it doesn’t need the Outlook files to stay in the backdrop.

After that, you need to:

  • Locate scanpst.exe file and then double click for initiating the repair process
  • Opt-in for the browse button for selecting the PST file which you wish to fix
  • Click on the start icon for starting the repair process
  • For resolving the issue in the file, you selected, choose Repair
  • Once the repair process is over, there will be a new window that will pop up and you can click on “OK” to complete the process

What to do when the Inbox Repair tool doesn’t resolve the corrupted PST file?

In case, the scanpst.exe is showing an error that needs to get restored in the Outlook file or in case you can’t start Outlook, you can make use of the latest outlook repair software tools to retrieve all the outlook data.

Today, the latest repair tool works safely by creating a new Outlook data file. It effectively copies all the content from a damaged PST file, scans the file, and resolves the problems to extract the Outlook data. You can get some of these repair tools in a free trial version which will provide you a preview of all the restored files from a corrupted PST file.