Scanpst.exe (Outlook Inbox Repair Tool) - How to Find and Use it

To understand how to use scanpst.exe, Microsoft's Inbox Repair Tool for Outlook, you first need to understand a bit about Outlook and how it stores your personal information. Outlook stores all of your information inside a single .pst file. That includes any email messages, contacts, calendar events, journal entries, notes, tasks, etc. Anything you create or receive using Outlook gets stored in one, big PST file. And if anything bad should ever happen to that file, such as getting deleted, getting damaged, or getting corrupted in any fashion, then you run the risk of losing all of your information.
Microsoft's solution to the problem of pst file corruption has been to provide a free pst repair program called the Outlook Inbox Repair Tool (also known as Scanpst). For most situations in which Outlook is not functioning properly, and the problem appears to be the .pst file, the first step they suggest is to run scanpst.exe to see if it can fix things. Unfortunately, scanpst is not very powerful and often fails to fix corrupt pst files. So if scanpst fails, you'll have to move up to better, more powerful pst repair program, such as our advanced Outlook PST Repair.

It's tempting to think that since Microsoft created Outlook and is fully aware of how susceptible it is to corruption, that they would be in the best position to fix the problem. However, that hasn't been the case for years, and there is no indication of this changing any time soon. If you search the Internet for discussions about corrupt pst files you will find that quite often Scanpst (the Inbox Repair Tool) simply doesn't succeed in repairing damaged .pst files. And it cannot recover lost or forgotten passwords. So use it as first step in getting Outlook back up and running, but don't be surprised if it comes up short.

Finding Scanpst.exe On Your Computer

Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn't make it easy to find this program, and its location varies across operating systems (XP vs. Vista, for example). And because the program also varies across versions of Outlook (Outlook 2000 vs. Outlook 2007, for example), it isn't necessarily a good idea to download scanpst.exe off the Internet. Instead, you should always run the version installed on your computer. So be sure you know how to search for files on your computer or get the help of someone who does. Note that scanpst.exe is usually a hidden file, and you may need to check an option to search for hidden files in order to find it. Here are some directory locations where Scanpst typically gets installed:
Windows 2000:
C:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\Scanpst.exe
Windows XP
If you don’t have Microsoft Office installed, look here:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033\Scanpst.exe
If you do have Microsoft Office installed, look here:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\Scanpst.exe
or here:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office12\Scanpst.exe
Windows Vista
If you don’t have Microsoft Office installed, look here:
C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\Scanpst.exe
If you do have Microsoft Office installed, look here:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\Scanpst.exe
or here:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office12\Scanpst.exe

How To Run Scanpst

Before you use scanpst, you'll want to review and understand the basic process for using it, which appears below. Once you know how to find the necessary files and are prepared to make backups, follow these steps:

1. Exit Outlook and stay out of it until all steps are completed.
2. Locate all .pst files on your computer (search for *.pst).
3. Make backup copies of all .pst files.
4. Locate scanpst.exe on your computer and run it.
5. Scanpst will ask for the location of your .pst file(s).
6. Click the "Start" button to scan the file.
7. Scanpst will then report the results of its scan.
8. Select the option to make a backup of the scanned file before repairing.
9. Click the "Repair" button to attempt a repair.

Scanpst.exe Limitations

If the Inbox Repair Tool was able to successfully scan and repair your Outlook.pst file then consider yourself lucky. Quite often this utility will fail to correct the problem. If you search the Internet you will find lots of users complaining that scanpst did not work, and wondering what else they can do. Because scanpst is the only tool Microsoft provides, if it can't fix your corrupt .pst files then you'll have to look elsewhere. Microsoft has more information about scanpst.exe in their knowledgebase support article "How to find and run the Inbox Repair tool in Outlook".

Also note that the Inbox Repair Tool does not solve the problem of a .pst file being corrupt because it has exceeded the file size limits for PST files. For example, versions of Outlook prior to Outlook 2003 cannot open a .pst file that has grown bigger that 2 gigabytes (GB) in size. If you have a 2GB pst problem, Microsoft recommends its PST Crop Tool. However, this tool simply chops off part of your file and places a new header on it. The result is that you will end up losing data, and you'll have no easy way to tell what you've lost until it is too late. Because of that, we do not recommend the Microsoft crop tool. Instead, our Outlook PST Repair software will allow you to intelligently split an oversized .pst file into two or more smaller files so that you won't lose any valuable data.

Try Outlook PST Repair  For Yourself

Download our Outlook repair tool and try it yourself on your .pst files. Click on one of the Free Download buttons to download the installer (pst-repair-t.exe) from our website. Install the software and scan your system for corrupt .pst files.