Repair Corrupted Outlook Profile – How to Guide

Updated On - March 4, 2023 by Nasir Khan |

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Outlook is the first preference of businesspersons for the collab and communicating with colleagues and clients. However, like other email clients, Outlook is also prone to corruption, and several instances can lead to corruption in the MS Outlook profile. This write-up will describe working methods to repair corrupted Outlook profile. So let’s elaborate…

What is an Outlook profile?

An Outlook profile is a collection of settings and information that determines how Outlook interacts with your email accounts. It includes information such as your email address, server details, and the location where your emails are stored. When you launch Outlook, it uses this profile to connect to your email accounts and retrieve your emails.

Symptoms of a corrupt Outlook profile

When you have a corrupt Outlook profile, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:

• Outlook crashes or freezes frequently
• You receive error messages when trying to send or receive emails
• You cannot open your Outlook data files or folders
• Your emails, contacts, or calendar entries are missing or corrupted
• You cannot add or remove email accounts or profiles

What Happens If You Didn’t Repair Corrupted Outlook Profile

Suppose your Outlook profile, which stores your configurations, email accounts, and Outlook settings, become corrupted. In that case, you may encounter issues such as the inability to send or receive emails within the Outlook application, the appearance of errors such as “Cannot start Microsoft Outlook.” or “Operation failed” when attempting to launch Outlook or perform a specific task within it, the freezing or slowing down of Outlook’s functions, and so on.

Incorrect Outlook installation, interference from related apps, outdated updates, incorrect Add-ons, malware invasions, and huge or corrupted personal folder files are just a few of the many possible causes of profile corruption in Outlook. Fixing a damaged Outlook profile requires investigating and implementing every potential fix.

Where to start when repairing a corrupted Outlook profile?

To begin, try starting Outlook in safe mode. Press the Windows key plus the R key to bring up the Windows run dialogue box, and then type “outlook /safe” in that window. To prevent Outlook Add-ins from interfering with Outlook’s functionality, it is recommended that you disable or remove them from Options. Also, if that doesn’t work, see if there are any upgrades for your copy of Microsoft Office. If an update is available, you should install it immediately because using an app with an outdated version could compromise its functionality.

If your Outlook profile has become corrupted, try deleting it and creating a new one. Go to the Mail section of the Control Panel, and selecting the Show Profiles button will accomplish this. A new window titled “Mail” will pop up. Once you’ve located your compromised Outlook profile, click the Remove button. Then, give the new profile a name and click OK after clicking Add from the same dialogue box.

In Outlook, a new profile will be created that you can make the default by selecting the profile and clicking the Always use this profile button.

If you still need to do so, try starting Outlook. If there are no issues, then the strategy was successful. But the corruption is likely to reappear in the shape of warnings. Let’s move on to the subsequent (fixed) suggestions on this weblog.

Repair Corrupted Outlook profile in different versions:

Your Outlook profile can be repaired manually if you feel it has been corrupted. To fix a damaged Outlook profile, go to Account Settings in your installed Outlook version, then choose the Repair option. The specifics of this fix vary depending on whatever version of Outlook you’re using. We’ve broken it up into two parts for the convenience of our users.

1. How to Fix Your Outlook 2007 Profile
2. Fix Outlook profile in other Outlook versions

1st method: Repair Corrupted Outlook profile in 2007

• Open the Microsoft Outlook 2007 program.
• Now, from the menu bar, click on the Tools menu, and from the dropdown menu, click the Account Settings option.

• On the Account Settings window, pick the Email tab and select the corrupted profile.
• Once you’re done with the above steps, restart Microsoft Outlook to see if the method has repaired the corrupted Outlook profile.

2nd method: Repair corrupted Outlook Profile in Versions 2010 through 2019

• Open Microsoft Outlook (Versions 2010, 2013, 2016, or 2019 are all supported).
• Go to the File menu, and then click Account Settings.
• Click the Email tab in the Account Settings window that opens, then choose your Outlook profile, and finally, click the Repair button.

• After that, log in to the Outlook account you want to repair and hit the Next button.
• The email server configured for the maintenance procedure will begin to initiate the process.
• The email account has been successfully configured with the Repair of the Outlook profile; At last, click Finish.
• After making the necessary modifications, restart Outlook and verify them.

It is possible that your PST file is corrupted, in which case you can try the manual repair solution, i.e., the in-built utility scanPST.exe, also known as the Inbox Repair tool.

Location:

C\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office (v)

 Or

 C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office (v)

Refer to the appropriate path below, depending on the version of Outlook you’re using.

• Outlook 2019: C:Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16
• Outlook 2016: C:Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16
• Outlook2013: C:Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15
• Outlook 2010: C:Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14
• Outlook 2007: C:Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office12.

Now follow the below-given process to repair corrupted PST file

1. Launch the Scanpst.exe or Inbox Repair utility from its default location.
2. Click the Browse button and select the damaged Outlook profile you wish to fix.
3. Now click on the Start button to start the repair process.
4. Before choosing the repair option, it is recommended that you make a backup copy of the scanned file. Next, select Repair from the menu.
5. You can get back into Outlook’s inbox once the PST/ OST file repair process is finished.
6. Wait until the process gets completed, and then click the OK button.

Drawbacks of the Scanpst.exe tool

While this Inbox Repair tool is successful in fixing a corrupt PST file, it has some drawbacks that make it unreliable overall.

• Forget about trying to fix PST files larger than 2GB.
• You cannot repair Password-protected PST files as well.
• Do not attempt to restore files that have had their contents permanently deleted or destroyed.
• Requires numerous iterations for full maintenance
• It cannot fix severely damaged PST files.
• You cannot fix many PST files at once.
• The possibility of data loss before, during, and after the operation is included.

Reliable way to Repair corrupted PST files

There are several third-party automated PST repair tools available, but one that holds high in regard is Regain Outlook PST recovery tool.

Free Download100% Secure Buy NowPrice: $39

The tool comes with a user-oriented GUI and is compatible with PST files of all Outlook versions. Also, the tool offers several required features which make PST repairing process a cakewalk and desired process. Some of this tool’s features are as follows:

• You can repair PST files in batches, and there is no restriction on adding PST file size.
• The software scans the PST files and recovers deleted folders. Also, you can preview added PST files after the recovery and scanning process.
• It allows you to select specific folders and only move them to the new PST file. Hence, you can get rid of unwanted folders.
• It is a must-have utility if you’re looking to repair business-related data. The tool effectively keeps the folder hierarchy and maintains data integrity.
• You can use the software in all Windows Operating systems, including Windows 11.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, Outlook is ruling the email niche. However, some instances make an Outlook profile corrupt also; sometimes, due to corrupt PST files, you might not get able to send/receive emails in Outlook. You can try the solution mentioned above to repair corrupted Outlook profile. Must try the Regain Outlook PST repair tool to access the corrupt PST files and deleted folders.