A PST file, or personal folder file, is used in Microsoft Outlook to store a user's email, contacts, and other data. In this capacity, the storage limit for a single user's PST file is 2GB. Additionally, when used as a cache for Outlook's Cached Exchange Mode feature, it may be referred to as an Off-line Storage Table (.ost) or an Off-line Folder (File).
As Microsoft Outlook's popularity grows, data losses in PST files can occur. If you've lost your PST files, follow the steps to recover them. However, if your PST file has become corrupted, you'll need to take a different approach to salvage your data.
To recover deleted Outlook PST files, use an email recovery tool with strong data recovery capabilities, such as Deep Data Recovery Free Edition, which supports all Windows systems and can handle various PST data loss situations.
This software can also help you recover lost office files, such as documents or Excel spreadsheets, in addition to recovering lost photos and other data.
Step 1. Run Deep Data Recovery on your computer. Select the file types you want to recover and click "Next" to begin the process.
Step 2. Choose the drive or partition where you lost email files, and click "Scan" to begin the recovery process.
Step 3. The software will automatically start scanning, and once it's done, you can quickly find the email files by clicking "Others" in the left panel and looking for PST files or Outlook files in the file type list.
Step 4. To recover corrupted email files, select the desired files and click "Recover". Save the files to a different location, avoiding the original one, to ensure they are restored correctly.
If you're unable to open your Personal Folders file (.pst) or suspect it's corrupted, you can use professional PST repair tools to fully repair it. If your PST file is damaged or inaccessible, a tool like Qiling Email Recovery Wizard can help fix it.
Step 1. Download and install Qiling Email Recovery Wizard, then launch it. Select the "Recover Deleted Email/Repair PST File" option and press the "Next" button.
Step 2. Select the corrupted PST file by clicking "Select source file" and either browsing to it or searching for it with the "Search PST file" button, making sure to choose the correct one before proceeding with the repair.
Step 3. Choose a destination location to save the new, healthy PST file and ensure there is enough free disk space, then click "Next" after configuring recovery options.
Note: If you're not getting the desired results, select Intensive Scan.
Step 4. During the process, recovered Outlook items are visible in the list, allowing you to preview emails.