Office Home & Business 2024

Question

The Outlook program does not have the access to import PST files nor am I able to access the classic look. Keeps giving me a message to subscribe to 365 when I paid 360.00 for the one time payment of the program- have already uninstalled and reinstalled it several times- troubleshooted with videos- and now support wants a payment to be able to speak with a tech- thinking there is a scam somewhere and if this doesn't get resolved I want a refund.

Answer 1

Hi Denise, the message is related to Outlook issue, not a subscription.

For the issue, run the ScanPST tool.

Navigate to these folders- the tool would be in these.

1. Office 365 / 2019 / 2016 (64-bit): C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\
2. Office 365 / 2019 / 2016 (32-bit): C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\
3. Double-click SCANPST.EXE
4. Click Browse and locate your .pst or .ost file (usually in C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\)
5. Click Start to begin the scan
6. If errors are found, click Repair (check "Make a backup before repairing" first).
7. If it does not help, )delete the OST.
8. Go to C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\
   1. Delete the .ost file
   2. Reopen Outlook — it will rebuild automatically

I’m eager to hear back and work together to find a solution.

Answer 2

When trying to open outlook classic I get a message that says cannot start Microsoft Outlook. the set folders cannot be opened. the Outlook data file was not cleanly closed by the last program that used it. It cannot be opened until repaired.

Answer 3

Outlook in Office Home & Business 2024 should be the classic desktop Outlook and should support importing .pst files. New Outlook for Windows does not support .pst import and will prompt for a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Based on the behavior described (no .pst import, prompts to subscribe to Microsoft 365), the system is almost certainly running new Outlook, not classic Outlook.

To resolve this and get .pst import:

1. Switch from new Outlook to classic Outlook
   In new Outlook for Windows there is a toggle in the upper-right area labeled New Outlook. Turn this toggle off to return to classic Outlook for Windows.
   If the toggle is not visible, uninstall new Outlook (see next step) and then open classic Outlook from Office.
2. Uninstall new Outlook if needed
   If new Outlook is installed as a separate app:
   • Open Start → find new Outlook for Windows.
   • Right-click it or use the context menu and choose Uninstall.
     This removes only the new Outlook app, not Office Home & Business 2024.
3. Open classic Outlook from Office Home & Business 2024
   • Use Start → search for Outlook and choose the one that is part of Office (it will open with the classic ribbon UI and will not show “Try the new Outlook” as the only path).
   • If prompted to “Try the new Outlook”, do not enable the toggle.
4. Import the .pst file in classic Outlook
   In classic Outlook for Windows (part of Office Home & Business 2024):
   • Go to File → Open & Export → Import/Export.
   • Choose Import from another program or file → Outlook Data File (.pst).
   • Browse to the .pst file and complete the wizard.
5. About support asking for payment
   Office Home & Business is a supported home product. For supported home products, Microsoft provides chat support and limited callback support without an extra per-incident fee beyond the product purchase. Use the official Microsoft support entry point and sign in with the account that owns Office Home & Business to reach support if needed.

If classic Outlook is not installed or cannot be found, install or repair classic Outlook using the official guidance for installing classic Outlook for Windows, then repeat step 4 to import the .pst file.

For a refund of a one-time Office purchase, or if the product sold does not match what was advertised, contact the original seller or use Microsoft’s official account/billing support; community forums and this channel cannot process refunds.

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References:

• Export emails, contacts, and calendar items to Outlook using a .pst file
• Troubleshoot Outlook for Windows issues
• Microsoft 365 Customer Service and Support
• Fix problems importing an Outlook .pst file
• Cannot download full desktop apps for Microsoft 365 (Family) - Microsoft Q&A