I am using the beta 2010 Office Outlook. When I try receive or send, I get the following error.

1. Outlook Data File Cannot Be Accessed Office 2010

Outlook data file cannot be accessed.

Repairing and reinstalling Office and trying to use any different Outlook data files are not taking any effect.

Peter Mortensen

Locating the Outlook Data Files Select File Account Settings Account Settings. Select the Data Files tab. All Outlook Data Files (.pst) and Offline Data Files (.ost) are listed along with the name of the account the files are associated with. Locating the Outlook Data Files Select File Account Settings Account Settings. Select the Data Files tab. All Outlook Data Files (.pst) and Offline Data Files (.ost) are listed along with the name of the account the files are associated with.

migrated from stackoverflow.comFeb 14 '10 at 14:09

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6 Answers

STOP!! Before you bother creating new PST files/importing PST files or other laborious tasks, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING..

Take a look at where each of your email accounts is delivering mail. I think you'll find that after migrating to Outlook 2010 or Windows 7, the location is missing. So here are two fixes that will depend on your situation.

1. Click File (top left)/Account Settings. Select an account. If you're lucky, you can simply click the button that says Change Folder, select where you want the mail delivered and your done!

2. If you not that lucky as was the case with me, you will have to recreate each account with one important adjustment from what you are accustomed to (I had 6 accounts to re-create, ugggh!). Delete and create each account one by one. When you're creating the new accounts select Manually Configure Server Settings and on the Internet Email Settings page you will see a box in the lower right corner that says 'Deliver New Messages to:' New or Existing Outlook data file. Select Existing, Browse to your file location and select your data file. After completing the account set up process you should be in business!

Good luck!

Jim was on the money with this one, but FYI, there's no need to perform Step 2. Some of you (like me) have multiple accounts and the thought of re-creating each one is just far too much, especially as Microsoft have seen fit to get rid of the Office tool to backup and restore your Office settings. Anyway, here's how:

1. Create a new dummy PST using the same Account Settings window and Data Files tab. Add a new PST file - wherever you like (you won't be keeping it).

2. Go back to step 1 of Jim's instructions where you change the folder where the selected account delivers its email. Choose the new PST then click OK. Immediately go back into that dialog and change the folder location back to the original PST.

3. Do the same for each account, then once done, remove the temporary PST.

Job done.Hope that helps someone.Andy.

Choose a different folder WITHIN your Outlook datafile, click apply, and then change the delivery location back to the Inbox and click apply again. It is a simple solution, but it took me some time to find out:-)

Jim is right. However, for me this solution worked well.

Peter Mortensen

I was getting this error on my exchange account, and my account was also not able to sync the Inbox or Outbox. All fonts for windows xp preview. Changing the delivery location didn't help.

I went into the mail control panel, email accounts, selected my exchange account, and then clicked the 'Repair' toolbar button.

I had to input my credentials a few times, but on next Outlook boot the problem went away.

If you are using Exchange it's easy:

1. Go to your Outlook folder where the OST and PST files are.
2. Delete the Exchange OST file and the OBI files.
3. Then start Outlook again and that's it.

If you are not using Exchange, change the deliver location by editing your account settings.

Peter Mortensen

Solution: Remove all old accounts and create new email accounts (not Outlook data file).

(To kez: I try to use any different Outlook data files, it's not take any effect.SCANPST does not take effect either.)

Peter Mortensen

On Windows 10, whether you're using Outlook 2019, 2016, or an older version, the app stores a copy of your emails, contacts, and calendars using two different data files depending on the account type for offline access.

If you're using an IMAP or POP account, such as those provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP), then your account information is stored inside of an Outlook Data File (PST). On the other hand, if you're using an Office 365, Exchange, or Outlook.com account, the data is stored in the Offline Outlook Data File (OST).

Usually, these data files are very reliable, but they can eventually stop working or get damaged, and for this reason, all desktop versions of Outlook bundles a repair tool to troubleshoot and fix problems with .pst files, as well as the ability to regenerate the .ost file automatically.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to repair corrupted data files, recover missing items from your inbox, problems opening Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016, and older versions using a .ost or .pst file.

How to repair Offline Outlook Data File (.ost)

Whether you're using an Exchange, Office 365, or Outlook.com account, to fix issues with a .ost file, close the email app, and then use these steps:

1. Open Control Panel.

   Quick Tip: If you're using only the default profile named 'Outlook,' you can type this path: %LOCALAPPDATA%MicrosoftOutlook to jump directly to the location of the .ost file, and skip to step No. 12. Otherwise, continue with the steps below.

2. Click on User Accounts.

3. Click the Mail option.

4. In the 'Mail Setup' experience, click the Show Profiles button.

5. Select the profile with the account you want to fix. (The default profile is called 'Outlook.')

6. Click the Properties button.

7. Click the Email Accounts button.

8. Click the Data Files tab.
9. Select the broken account.

10. Click the Open File Location button.

11. Click the close button for the 'Accounts Settings,' 'Mail Setup,' and 'Mail' windows.

12. Right-click the .ost file for the account having issues, and select the Delete option.

Once you complete these steps, open the desktop version of Outlook again to recreate the .ost file for the account you intend to repair.

How to repair Outlook Data File (.pst)

Alternatively, in the case that you're using an email account using IMAP or POP settings, to fix problems with a .pst file, close the Outlook application, and then use these steps:

1. Use the Windows key + R to open the Run command.

2. Type the following path and click the OK button:

   C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficerootOffice16

   Quick Note: The above path applies to Office 2016, Office 2019, and Office 365. If you're running Outlook 2013, use this path: C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficeOffice15. In the case that you have an older version of the app, change 'Office15' in the path to 'Office14' for Outlook 2010, or to 'Office13' for Outlook 2007 in the path.

3. Double-click the SCANPST.EXE file to open the Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair experience.

4. Click the Browse button.
5. Locate the .pst file you want to repair.
6. Click the Open button.

7. Click the Start button.

8. Check the Make a backup of scanned file before repairing option (just in case).

9. Click the Repair button.

After completing the steps, the Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair Tool will scan and repair the .pst file for the email account with problems. Once the repair completes, you can launch Outlook, and the issues with the account should now be resolved.

Extended recovery steps

While the tool can detect and repair many issues with a .pst file, you may still need to use additional steps to recover all the items of an email account.

Outlook Data File Cannot Be Accessed Office 2010

If this is the case, in the left pane, you'll notice a Recovered Personal Folders or Lost and Found folders, which include the repaired items that couldn't be restored.

Recovering missing items from folder

To recover items that couldn't be restored, use these steps:

1. Open the Recovered Personal Folders or Lost and Found folder.
2. Select the items you want to recover.
3. Drag and drop those items into the correct folders.
4. Right-click the now empty folder and select the Delete option.

Recovering missing items from backup

In the case that there are still items missing, you may be able to recover them from the original Outlook Data File using the backup file created by the repair tool.

1. Open the location of the .bak file. (This file is located in the same folder as the .pst file.)
2. Right-click the .bak file and select the Copy option.
3. Right-click in the folder and select the Paste option to create a copy of the file.
4. Select the .bak file.

5. Press F2 the key and rename the file to .bak.pst and press Enter.

6. Open Outlook.
7. Click on File.
8. Click on Open & Export.

9. Click the Import/Export button.

10. Select the Import from another program or file option.

11. Click the Next button.

12. Select the Outlook Data File (.pst) option.

13. Click the Next button.
14. Specify the location of the .pst file.
15. Select the Import option that you want to use.

16. Click the Next button.

17. Select the items you want to import.

18. Click the Finish button.

Once you've completed the steps, Outlook should now include all the account items.

We're focusing this guide on Windows 10 users, but if you're using an older version of Outlook (2016, 2013, 2010, and 2007), it's still possible to use these instructions on Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources: