You come across this error message, especially when you are working offline. But if you try to close it, you then run into another error such as “Cannot start Microsoft Outlook…The set of folders cannot be opened.” While it may be a minor glitch causing the issue and restarting the application or the PC can fix your problem. But, most often than not, you need to apply multiple fixes to resolve the issue.
How to Fix Outlook OST Cannot Be Opened?
From using the already existing tools like the Inbox repair tool to re-creating the OST, we have covered a range of solutions that you can go through to get rid of the error.
End All the Outlook Processes
An Outlook process can stop the Outlook app from launching and instead give you an OST error message. So to resolve the problem, you need to end all the Outlook-related processes from the Task Manager.
Delete the OST File
If you are facing an error message such as “Errors have been detected in the file,” the OST file is most likely corrupted. So, you can try deleting the problematic OST file as mentioned inside the error message dialog box. This way, Outlook will download a fresh copy of the information from the server (Microsoft Exchange Server). In case you cannot open the Outlook app, directly delete/move the file as follows.
Run the Inbox Repair Tool
Outlook has a built-in tool called the Inbox Repair Tool that can automatically detect and fix errors inside an Outlook data file like the OST file. If you get an error message saying Outlook cannot open the OST file, you can run this tool to resolve it. Here’s how to use it.
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office
Create a New Outlook Profile
The Outlook profile contains information about various email settings, messages, tasks, etc. Also, it can include data files like a PST or OST file. Unfortunately, sometimes the whole profile can get corrupted, due to which you can run into various types of errors. In this case, you can create a new Outlook profile to resolve the issue.
Disable the Add-Ins
Sometimes the add-ins can conflict with the Outlook application and cause several issues. They may even stop Outlook from loading or starting up. But first, open the Outlook app in safe mode, and if it opens without throwing any error message, the add-ins are most likely responsible. To disable/remove the add-ins,
Disable the Cached Exchange Mode
Enabling the Cached Exchange Mode helps access emails on the Exchange Server despite having network connection issues by caching them into the OST file. If you run into an error message stating that Outlook cannot open or access the OST file, you can try disabling it.
title: “Fix Outlook Ostcannot Be Opened On Windows” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-07” author: “Geraldine Vix”
You come across this error message, especially when you are working offline. But if you try to close it, you then run into another error such as “Cannot start Microsoft Outlook…The set of folders cannot be opened.” While it may be a minor glitch causing the issue and restarting the application or the PC can fix your problem. But, most often than not, you need to apply multiple fixes to resolve the issue.
How to Fix Outlook OST Cannot Be Opened?
From using the already existing tools like the Inbox repair tool to re-creating the OST, we have covered a range of solutions that you can go through to get rid of the error.
End All the Outlook Processes
An Outlook process can stop the Outlook app from launching and instead give you an OST error message. So to resolve the problem, you need to end all the Outlook-related processes from the Task Manager.
Delete the OST File
If you are facing an error message such as “Errors have been detected in the file,” the OST file is most likely corrupted. So, you can try deleting the problematic OST file as mentioned inside the error message dialog box. This way, Outlook will download a fresh copy of the information from the server (Microsoft Exchange Server). In case you cannot open the Outlook app, directly delete/move the file as follows.
Run the Inbox Repair Tool
Outlook has a built-in tool called the Inbox Repair Tool that can automatically detect and fix errors inside an Outlook data file like the OST file. If you get an error message saying Outlook cannot open the OST file, you can run this tool to resolve it. Here’s how to use it.
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office
Create a New Outlook Profile
The Outlook profile contains information about various email settings, messages, tasks, etc. Also, it can include data files like a PST or OST file. Unfortunately, sometimes the whole profile can get corrupted, due to which you can run into various types of errors. In this case, you can create a new Outlook profile to resolve the issue.
Disable the Add-Ins
Sometimes the add-ins can conflict with the Outlook application and cause several issues. They may even stop Outlook from loading or starting up. But first, open the Outlook app in safe mode, and if it opens without throwing any error message, the add-ins are most likely responsible. To disable/remove the add-ins,
Disable the Cached Exchange Mode
Enabling the Cached Exchange Mode helps access emails on the Exchange Server despite having network connection issues by caching them into the OST file. If you run into an error message stating that Outlook cannot open or access the OST file, you can try disabling it.
