Fixed “Not a valid .pst file” in Outlook

MS Outlook is the most popular email client to communicate within the organizations. It also gives the facility to manage calendars, contacts, notes, drafts, journals, etc. Besides all these facilities, MS Outlook is also vulnerable to corruption. It might happen due to various reasons such as virus attack, dirty shutdown, power failure, incorrect software configuration, etc.

MS Outlook PST file is also known as Personal storage table. It contains every mailbox item. Most of the time, while accessing a PST file, users have encountered the following error:

“Not a valid .pst file”

Reasons for getting “not a valid .pst file” error message:

There may be several reasons for getting “not a valid .pst file” error. Few of them are discussed below:

  • Due to virus or malware attack
  • Due to abrupt system shutdown
  • Due to incorrect PST file path
  1. Due to virus or malware attack: Virus or malware attack can damage entire system files including Outlook PST data. To avoid such data loss disaster, you need to keep your system regularly updated.
  2. Due to abrupt system shutdown: If the user does not follow the proper steps to perform shutdown process. You may come across above stated error message or even your PST file gets corrupted.
  3. Due to incorrect PST file path: Users can get the “not a valid .pst file” error message If, MS Outlook couldn’t able to locate the PST file.

Due to the above reasons, PST file can also get corrupted. Hence, it is advised to take the proper precautions.

Solutions to fix “not a valid .pst file” error message?

To fix “not a valid .pst file” error message or corrupted PST file, one can use ScanPST.exe utility or opt for any third party assistance.

To use Scanpst.exe utility follow https://support.microsoft.com/en-in/help/272227/how-to-repair-your-outlook-personal-folder-file–pst