OST File Corruption Reasons and Their Solutions

No doubt Outlook is the most popular and widely used email client across the world. OST is an Outlook data files used by Microsoft Outlook to allow its users to work offline. Outlook 365 accounts and Outlook.com accounts store their mailbox information in OST files. But sometimes, the Outlook OST file gets corrupted due to various reasons. 

So, in this article, I will describe the common reasons for OST file corruption and what are the best possible solutions to fix these corruption issues. Let’s get started!

Brief About OST File

OST files are replicas of users’ mailbox contents that are stored on the Exchange server. Because of this, Outlook continues to work even when Exchange server is in cache mode. OST files can also work in offline mode even when the user prefers to work offline for some reason. That’s because locally available mailbox copy makes the data accessible.

There is the automatic synchronization of the OST file with the Exchange Server mailbox once the connection is back. It seems so comfortable, but in reality, it is not. Like any other applications and files, corruption occurs with OST files. Now, let’s check out the reasons.

What’s the Reason behind OST file corruption?

If OST is interrupted during the synchronization process due to poor Internet connectivity, there is a possibility that OST files may be corrupted. Once the OST files are disrupted, the performance of Outlook is also affected. 

Apart from these reasons, there are many other reasons behind OST file corruption, and these are categorized into hardware and software reasons.

Hardware Related Issues

These issues are caused by problems such as improper configuration, failure, or malfunction in the external components of a computer. 

• Interruption due to Network Connectors
• Affected Storage Device
• Bad Sectors on the Hard Drive
• Sudden Power Failure

Software Reasons

If there are problems due to logical inconsistencies, they all fall under software related issues. These errors occur due to bug transmission, virus infection, application failure and downloading applications from some untrusted sources. Some of these errors are:

• Insufficiency in Outlook Program
• Abnormal Termination of Outlook
• Incompatible Outlook Add-in
• Specified Storage Limit

Six Most Common Solutions to Fix OST file Problems

Method #1: Start Outlook in Safe Mode

The primary reason for starting Outlook in safe mode is to disable add-ins that can cause errors during the boot process. This enables it to work safely without any corrupted add-ins or files. You can use the “outlook.exe / safe” command to open MS Outlook in safe mode.

Method #2:  Update the Folder

This method allows changing folder properties to fix inaccessible OST file issues. This procedure applies to Outlook 2010.

• Firstly, right-click on the folder and click on Properties.
• A dialogue box will appear. Click on the option ‘Clear Offline Items’ and hit the OK button.
• Next, on the Outlook 2010 ribbon, click on the option Send/Receive.
• Finally, click on the Update Folder to save the changes.

Method #3: Disable Firewall settings

You can disable the antivirus programs and other firewall settings. These programs scan and detect every outgoing and incoming email. Due to this, sometimes, these programs block the normal functioning of MS Outlook. Therefore, it is recommended to disable the firewall settings and restart the MS Outlook.

Method #4: By Compacting the OST file

Large size OST file can cause various troubles and errors like dullness in Outlook performance, OST file corruption etc. Even after the deletion of a data or any item, it still exists in the deleted folder.

To delete items in your “Deleted Items folder”, you need to remove all items individually, which will take a lot of time. Therefore, one option is to compact the OST file. By compressing OST files, the additional space acquired by these files reduces.

Method #5: Use scanost.exe Tool

Microsoft gives users two inbuilt tools, i.e. ScanPST.exe or Inbox Repair Tool and ScanOST.exe or OST Integrity Checker to fix some minor flaws in Exchange OST files. The Scanost.exe tool scans all mailbox items included in OST files and is present on the Exchange server. This tool assures users to fix minor OST file corruption issues.

However, the OST Integrity Checker only exists in Outlook 2007 and earlier versions of Outlook and has been discontinued from Outlook 2010 and later versions. But, you can use the inbox repair tool to resolve errors in both PST and OST files in that version of Outlook.

Drawbacks of Scanost.exe tool

Some types of limitations are associated with ScanOST.exe or OST integrity checker:

• Cannot recover missing emails or other items from the OST file.
• Only minor corruption in OST file can be fixed.
• No security assurance when retrieving data.
• Do not repair Outlook 2010 and later versions.

Method #6: Make Use of Professional Software

If none of the above manual methods works, you can go for a professional tool. The Aryson OST Recovery Tool is the perfect solution to fix OST file corruption. This software is handy because it corrects all types of corruption and restores the data files.

Also, it is capable of exporting the data from corrupt OST files to other file formats. The tool has the fastest scanning speed and is supported by all versions of Outlook. You can even download the demo version of this tool which is free of cost.

Conclusion

Above, I have described the core reasons and the solutions for the OST file corruption. When the corruption in Outlook OST files is unexpected, you can adopt the solutions mentioned above. However, It will be best if you use the OST Recovery Tool as this will recover the data without any hassle. I hope this article will help you out with your queries.

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