Encountering the “Outlook data file cannot be accessed” issue is a common error that may arise after updating your computer or installing a Windows update. This problem can manifest when attempting to launch the Outlook program, leading to difficulties in accessing the Outlook data file.
In this article, we will describe five reliable methods to fix the 0x8004010F error and address the “Outlook data file cannot be accessed” issue.
Table of Contents
Introduction
For remote workers, email serves as their primary mode of communication. Hence, if you encounter the error code 0x8004010F or receive the message “Outlook data file cannot be accessed,” there’s no need to assume that all your data is lost. You can manually resolve this issue using one of five methods, without relying on a system administrator or requiring specialized skills.
Instead of immediately resorting to changing your Outlook delivery location or creating a new Outlook profile to recover your emails, we recommend exploring alternative solutions. One such option is utilizing the Recovery Toolbox for Outlook error code 0x8004010F repair service, which includes an online tool designed to address the “Outlook data file cannot be accessed” problem.
Microsoft Outlook regularly displays the error message 0x8004010F. Typically, it will appear while using Outlook to send or receive messages. For example, it may display the following error messages:
- 0x8004010F: Access to the Outlook data file is denied.
- 0x8004010F: Indicates a failed operation. No object could be located.
Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the causes behind Error 0x8004010F, “Outlook data file cannot be accessed” is crucial as it enables you to prevent future issues with Microsoft Outlook. Therefore, it is essential to go through an understanding of these causes:
• Incorrect or damaged Windows installation file on your computer.
• Your computer’s hardware, such as a failing hard drive or RAM, is malfunctioning.
• The File’s location may be incorrect on your computer’s OS.
• Your hard drive may be full and cannot hold any more files.
• Your computer is compromised by malware or viruses.
Now, let’s discuss the five alternative methods and solutions to fix the error 0x8004010F in Outlook.
// See Also: How to Convert OST to PST for Free.
Method #1: Change Outlook Delivery Location
Occasionally, refreshing Outlook settings can be achieved by temporarily changing the message delivery location to a different folder and then reverting it back. This approach may resolve the error, eliminating the need to create a new Outlook profile for fixing the Outlook error 0x8004010F.
To address the PST/OST file error, you can follow the steps outlined below:
1. Click the Start button, navigate to the Control Panel, and click the Mail (Microsoft Outlook) icon. Then select Show Profiles.
2. Select the active profile, select the Properties menu, and then click on the Data Files… tab.
3. Select the account and then click Open File Location to open the folder containing the PST/OST in Windows Explorer.
4. Move the PST/OST to the desired location. The PST files used by POP3 accounts can be renamed. (Default name for pst files Outlook creates for email accounts is email@address.pst).
5. Reopen the Data Files window and double-click on the account’s data file.
6. Now you’ll get a (can’t find data file) error message, like this: The file C:\Users\username\Documents\Outlook Files\email@domain.com – email@domain.com (POP3).pst cannot be found. After you click Ok, you can show Outlook where to find it.
7. Last, close the dialogs and you are ready to restart Outlook.
If you are still unable to access the Outlook data file after trying this method, proceed to the next one.
Method #2: Make and Use a New Outlook Profile
If your Outlook continues to experience the 0x8004010F issue, you can create a new profile. This method can be done manually or in an automated fashion.
If you choose the manual option, you can follow the steps outlined below:
1. Click the Start button, navigate to the Control Panel, and click the Mail (Microsoft Outlook) icon. Then select Show Profiles.
2. Then on the General tab, ensure the “Always use this profile” checkbox is selected, and then click the Add… button. In the box labeled “New Profile“, you can enter the desired profile name.
3. Next, select the OK button. The email address will be displayed in the newly opened window.
4. Then click the Manually Setup or additional server types option as shown in the figure below and click Next.
5. Next, enter your email address into the new “Choose Your Account Type” page and then click Next.
6. Fill up the “Internet Email” settings area with your account information.
7. Next, enter your account details and click Test Account Settings to check your account.
8. Last, select the “Existing Outlook Data File” option and click Browse to select the existing “Outlook Data File”. The data files that appear will be listed. Select the data file that was located earlier in the search process.
9. Click Next and then click Close > Finish.
After following the steps described above, hopefully, you will no longer get the “Outlook data file cannot be accessed” error message.
Method #3: PST file recovery with the Microsoft Inbox Repair tool
If you are still unable to open your Outlook data file or suspect that the File is damaged, you can use the Inbox Repair Tool (SCANPST.EXE) if you need to identify and fix issues in your Outlook data file under the following circumstances:
- Outlook cannot open your data file.
- Outlook is unable to open the collection of folders.
- Outlook data files might be corrupted.
The Inbox Repair Tool does not connect to or analyze any data within an Exchange mailbox. Its sole purpose is to search for errors or corruption and, if found, it provides the necessary capability to fix those errors.
Before fixing corrupt PST/OST files, you may need to find your Outlook Data Files in Microsoft Outlook by taking the following steps:
1) Within Outlook, select File, then Account Settings, and click on Account Settings.
2) Next, click the Data Files tab.
3) All Outlook Data Files (.PST) and Offline Data Files (.OST) will be listed, along with the account name associated with the files.
Now to fix an Outlook (.PST) or (.OST) file, close Microsoft Outlook first, and then navigate to one of the following locations based on the Outlook versions that you have:
> For Outlook 2019: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16
> For Outlook 2016: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16
> For Outlook 2013: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15
> For Outlook 2010: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14
> For Outlook 2007: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12
Next, find and launch the SCANPST.EXE tool:
Next, click ‘Browse’ and select the PST or OST file. The default OST file location is: C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
Click ‘Start’. If the tool finds errors, click the ‘Repair’ button to fix and repair the corrupted File(s).
After the repair is complete, open Outlook and then follow the command prompts to recover the repaired File(s).
Please note that during the repair process, a backup file is generated. If you would like to modify the default name or location of the backup file, please either enter a new name or click “Browse” to locate the desired file.
The Inbox Repair tool creates a backup copy of the original file in the same folder, with the same name but with a .bak extension. If you want to retrieve items from the backup (.bak) file, you should make a duplicate of the backup file and rename it with the bak.pst extension. For example, you can rename it as jack.smith01@outlook.com.bak.pst.
Next, open Microsoft Outlook and import the bak (.PST) File. Go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export > Import from another program or File as shown in the figure below.
You might have to run the tool numerous times to repair your Outlook Data File. If an object was corrupted or erased permanently, it might not be possible to retrieve it. In these situations, you might need to look at a well-known tool for fixing Outlook PST files, called Recovery Toolbox for Outlook.
Method #4: Consider using Outlook Repair Tool
If you tried all the methods described above and are still not able to open your Outlook data file, then consider using the Recovery Toolbox for Outlook.
You may recover any emails, attachments, tasks, calendar events, Outlook contacts, and WAB contacts from healthy and damaged Outlook databases with the help of the Recovery Toolbox for Outlook.
The Recovery Wizard will walk you through each step to successfully finish the procedure. A preview option is available before recovery, and using it is cost-free. All of the tasks are fully automated by the tool. The time required to locate data is thereby significantly decreased.
To resolve the “Outlook data file cannot be read” issue using Recovery Toolbox for Outlook, take the following steps:
Step 1: Download and run the Recovery Toolbox for Outlook software.
Step 2: Search for the corrupted PST file on your computer.
Step 3: Select the location and then press the Search Now button.
Step 4: Select a corrupted PST file and press OK, then click the Next button.
Step 5: Select Recovery Mode and then press Next.
Step 6: Click the Yes button to begin the recovery procedure.
Step 7: Review the data preview before moving the recovered File to a new location by clicking Next.
Step 8: Choose where to save the PST File and then Click Next.
Step 9: Save the restored data into a new PST file.
Step 10: After verifying that the recovery file was successful, click Finish to exit the Recovery Toolbox for the Outlook tool.
Last, you need to replace the damaged File with the recovered one or add the recovered (.PST/.OST) File to Outlook’s list of data files. It is done as follows for the Outlook versions 2021, 2019, 2016, and 2013:
1. Select File | Info from the menu.
2. Next, click the Account Settings icon.
3. Finally, in the pop-up menu, select Account Settings.
4. Select the Data Files tab and then click Add.
5. Choose the recovered File and click Open File Location, then select Set as Default.
That’s it there you have it! The issue with the corrupt (.PST/.OST) file has been resolved.
Method #5: Consider using the Online Recovery Toolbox
Another method to fix the 0x8004010F error is using the Online Recovery Toolbox.
With the help of the online Outlook repair service, you can quickly fix the issue on any device, decrypt encrypted PST files, and restore OST files of any Outlook version.
1. Click the Select file button, then choose an Outlook data file with the (PST or OST) extension.
2. Enter your email address and then click the Next Step button.
3. Wait for the PST/OST file to be repaired.
4. Save the recovered Microsoft Outlook PST File to your computer.
It is feasible to recover the data from a corrupted Microsoft Outlook file since it will be stored as a new Microsoft Outlook file with the PST extension. You can do that on any device with a browser, and access Microsoft Outlook Personal Folder files.
Bonus: Convert a Corrupt OST File to a Different Format
As a bonus tip, you can try to convert an OST file to another format (like PST) if Outlook won’t open it. To solve this problem, you can utilize the OST to PST file converter found in the Recovery Toolbox for Outlook.
You can convert the corrupted OST file online on any platform (PC, Mac). Following that, you can start the conversion process; the data will be exported in a format compatible with PST without any problems.
Once the procedure is completed, you will be able to view your recovered data, export the PST file, and open it in any other program, such as Thunderbird, Mail Spring, Mail Bird, Airmail, and so on.
// See Also: How to Recovery Corrupted PDF files.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed all five methods and solutions that you can use to fix the 0x8004010F error in Microsoft Outlook.
When Outlook cannot access a PST or OST file, you can use the manual approach described in this article, or you can use Recovery Toolbox for Outlook to try to repair or convert it to PST format automatically. This tool allows you to easily access critical data stored on Microsoft Outlook or any other email service.
The newly recovered data from the corrupted Microsoft Outlook file will be saved as a new Microsoft Outlook file with the PST extension in Unicode format, allowing recovery of PST Microsoft Outlook Personal Folder files that can be accessed from any device that has a browser.
Recovery Toolbox for Outlook is a powerful tool that can repair corrupted OST/PST files of different versions of Microsoft Outlook and it can fix any damaged OST/PST file, regardless of the cause of damage.
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Thank you for reading my blog.
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-Charbel Nemnom-
