How to Fix Outlook.pst is Not A Personal Folders File Error

We, as a user often use outlook as an email client to access the Microsoft Exchange Server email. It also provides the functionality to store emails, contacts, task, calendars etc. You can also configure outlook with Microsoft’s Share Point which can make it possible to share your data files or reminders etc through it.

Sometimes the Outlook acts weird like it stops working, throwing errors, hanging etc. The reasons could be numerous like internal or external factors, missing data files etc. During Outlooks weird behavior you might have encountered a PST error message saying “Outlook.pst is Not a Personal Folders File”.

Didn’t that make you curious and anxious about the reason behind it?

So, don’t worry, this handout will provide you with the solution to your curiosity for stated error. It will also tell you the best way to resolve error Outlook PST is not a personal folder file.

Why this Error takes place:

The Reason behind this error is affected PST file. PST often get corrupt due to various reasons like malware attack, Windows firewall settings, bad internet connection, Wrong Exchange server configuration, suspicious emails etc. and when it comes to the reason to the stated MS Outlook error the damaged PST file is responsible. Error in PST file often take place and due to that Outlook starts behaving abnormally.

Methods to Resolve Outlook PST File is Not Personal Folder Error:

To fix error “Outlook.pst is Not a Personal Folders File”, we need to fix the origin of the error which is Outlook PST file. Damaged PST file can be resolved using various ways and methods but the best manual method which is in practice and provides the solution is to us Inbox Repair Tool (scanpst.exe). It swiftly scans corrupt Outlook PST file and repairs them. The procedure for repairing PST File needs the file location which can be found on the stated path:
“C:\Users\ \AppData\Local\MicrosoftOutlook”

To use scanpst.exe to repair PST File is not Personal Folder error, you need to follow the below steps:

  • Close MS Outlook.
  • Go to the file manager and search for scanpst.exe utility.
  • From the search result, launch the utility.
  • Provide the file name or path of the file to be repaired.
  • Start the procedure for scanning and repairing PST.
  • Restart MS Outlook.

Limitation of Inbox Repair Tool

Sometimes the corruption to the PST data is so harsh that even scanpst.exe is not able to recover PST file.
These limitations are the drawback of the manual method and the problem also remains the same. To overcome the errors in PST, Outlook PST file can also be repaired using a third-party tool. There is a tool namely Outlook PST File Repair which is capable enough to recover/repair corrupt PST file and able to remove “Outlook PST is not a personal folder file”.

Bottom Lines:

So I’ve tried my best to identify the cause behind the common Outlook error “Outlook.pst is not a personal folders file”. I’ve also described the Inbox Repair Tool to handle corrupt Outlook PST and resolve the error.

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About The Author:

Rohan Wiese is a Technical Writer at Aryson Technologies. He is an expert Email Forensic, Cloud Computing, and a passionate nerd with over 10 years of experience in technical content writing. He writes about Cloud Migration, Database Recovery, Email Backup, Windows, Mac, and Tech.

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