I have a 5gb pst file, but when trying to open it in Outlook Classic, all that appears is 'Recovered Data File'

Question

So I have a .pst file that I need to access as it has a lot of emails that I need. I created the .pst file back in 2022. However, when I try to attach it to Outlook Classic, the actual file is not accessible and shows as 'Recovered Data File' in the side pane - with no content. Any idea why this is happening and perhaps if there is a work around?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Hi, are you opening the PST in the same Outlook profile or a new profile?

Create a new Outlook profile and open the PST there to isolate profile corruption. Go to Control Panel, select Mail, then Show Profiles, choose Add and create a new profile, set it as default, then open Outlook. After it opens, go to File, Open and Export, Open Outlook Data File, and select your PST. If the data appears, it confirms the original profile is causing the issue, and the new profile will load the PST correctly.

Answer 2

"Recovered Data File" usually indicates Outlook detected issues with the .pst and tried to auto‑repair it, but the file is still corrupted or not being opened correctly. For a 5 GB .pst that opens empty, the next step is to repair it explicitly with the Inbox Repair Tool (SCANPST.exe) and then re‑attach it.

Use this sequence:

1. Locate the .pst file
   • If the location is unknown, follow the guidance in "How to locate, move, or back up your .pst file" from the repair article (see reference). Typical locations include:
     • C:\Users<username>\Documents\Outlook Files\
     • C:\Users<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\
2. Run the Inbox Repair Tool on the .pst
   • Start the Inbox Repair Tool (SCANPST.exe) that comes with Outlook.
   • In the tool, browse to the 5 GB .pst file.
   • Select Start to scan and repair the file.
   • The tool may need to be run several times until no more errors are reported.
   • Be aware the tool cannot fix every problem; items that are severely corrupted or permanently deleted may not be recoverable.
   From the documentation:
   • In the Inbox Repair tool, type the path and the file name of the .pst file or select Browse to locate it, then select Start.
   • The Inbox Repair Tool may need to be run several times to fully repair the .pst.
   • Some items may not be recovered if they are corrupted beyond repair.
3. Re‑open the repaired .pst in classic Outlook
   • In classic Outlook, select File > Open & Export > Open Outlook Data File.
   • Browse to the repaired .pst and select Open.
   • The data file should appear in the Folder pane (usually at the bottom). If the repair was successful, the folder tree and items should now be visible instead of an empty "Recovered Data File".
4. If the file opens, consider importing or backing it up
   • Once accessible, copy or move important items into the main mailbox or another healthy .pst to avoid future issues.

If, after multiple SCANPST runs, the file still only shows as an empty "Recovered Data File", the corruption may be beyond what the Inbox Repair Tool can fix, and some or all content may not be recoverable with built‑in tools.

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References:

• How to repair your Outlook personal folder file (.pst)
• Open and close Outlook Data Files (.pst)
• Open and find items in an Outlook Data File (.pst)