How to Fix ‘Outlook Data File cannot be Accessed’ Error

Summary:While Microsoft Outlook has proven to be an effective email client, it still comes with its share of problems.‘Outlook data file cannot be accessed’ is one problem that Outlook users often face due to corrupted Outlook profile or data file. Thankfully, there are several solutions to fix the problem, which include creating a new Outlook profile, using the inbuilt utility (scanpst.exe), and PST repair software. The PST repair software is especially effective for dealing with highly corrupt/damaged PST files.

If you’ve been using Outlook for a while now, chances are that you may have encountered “Outlook data file cannot be accessed” error, also known as “Outlook Error 0x8004010F” (as you can see in the screenshot below).

But before we get to learn more of these solutions, let’s first understand what this error is about and the possible reasons behind it. A better understanding of Outlook Error 0x8004010F is vital for any user to be able to resolve it.

Outlook data file cannot be Accessed Error/ Outlook Error 0x8004010F – What is it and possible reasons behind it?

‘Outlook data file cannot be accessed’ error means that Outlook is unable to access the data file. Here are a few probable causes:

Outlook profile corruption
Transferring the Outlook .pst file to another location:

From external storage media to a computer.
From a network drive to the system.
From one computer to another.

Now, without further ado, let’s have a look at the methods to solve the Outlook Error 0x8004010F caused due to the reasons listed above.

Methods to fix the Outlook data file cannot be accessed error

Method 1: Create a New Outlook Profile

A word of caution: Before you begin creating a new profile, make sure to back up your data file before deleting your existing Outlook profile.

Here are the steps to create Outlook Profile:

Step 1 – Go to the Windows Control Panel and click on the Mail option.

Step 2–In the Mail Setup – Outlook dialog box, click on Show Profiles.

Step 3–Select your current profile, and click on Add to add a new profile.

Step 4 – Now, type a new name for your new Microsoft Outlook data file and hit the Ok button.

Step 5 – In the Add New Account dialog box, set up an email account for your new profile and then click on Next.

Step 6–Once your configuration gets completed successfully, click Finish and your account will get created.

Note: This process to create a new Outlook profile is automatic, and it will create an IMAP account by default if your email server supports both IMAP and POP. But, you can also choose to manually configure your email account.

Method 2: Set the Inbox Folder

Creating a new Outlook profile may work in the beginning, but there’s a possibility that you may start getting the ‘Outlook Error 0x8004010F’again after a few days. And, it goes without saying that it is not practically feasible to keep recreating an Outlook profile. So, a better alternative solution is to follow these steps:

Step 1 – Go to the Windows Control Panel and click on Mail.

Step 2 – In the Mail Setup dialog box appears, click on the E-mail Accounts button.

Step 3–In the Account Settings dialog box,check whether the PST file path is displayed adjacent to the Change Folder button or not.

Step 4 – In case, Outlook is unable to access the PST file (i.e you cannot find the PST file path), it means that the PST file path is not displayed here.

In order to select the right PST file, click on Change Folder button, expand the default PST file-folder to select the Inbox folder and then click Ok.

Step 5 – If you’re still unable to find the PST file path, click on Change Folder again.

Step 6 – Now click on New Outlook Data File button once again and create a temporary PST file. Next, enter a name for the data file such as ‘Test’ or any other name you prefer and click OK to return to Account Settings.

Step 7 – In the Account Settings dialog box, check whether the temporary PST file path is visible or not.

Step 8 – Once the temporary data file path is visible, click on the Change Folder once again, choose the default PST file which was earlier linked to your email account and then click Ok.

Step 9 – Now your default PST file will be accessible by Outlook.

Step 10 – Exit the Account Settings, and click on the Close button.

Now when you will launch Outlook, the email client will be able to successfully access the PST file.

Method 3: Repair Data Files

If none of the above discussed methods helps resolve the ‘Outlook data file cannot be accessed’ error, then PST file corruption might be the culprit. In that case, you may try repairing the data file by using any one of the two ways:

Microsoft Inbox Utility

You can use the Inbox Repair Tool(Scanpst.exe), a built-in feature of Microsoft Outlook, to diagnose and repair errors in PST file.

To use the tool, follow these steps:

Step 1 – Exit Outlook.

Step 2 – Open File Explorer (by pressing Windows key + E) and browse the path – C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16

Note:To find the SCANPST.EXEin Outlook 2013, you’ll need to browse the path C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15. And, if you’re usingOutlook 2010 or Outlook 2007, simply change “Office15” in the path to “Office14” or “Office 15” to “Office13”respectively.

Step 3 – Inside the Office16 folder, locate and double-click the SCANPST.EXE file.

Step 4 – Now, in the text field Enter the name of the file you want to scan,type the name of the data file or click the Browse button and locate the file manually.

Step 5 –Click Start to initiate the scanning process.

Step 6– Click on the Repair button to fix the errors found after scanning the file.

Once the repair process is complete, start your Outlook app.

Using any Third Party PST Repair Software

If the PST file is heavily corrupt and Scanpst.exefails to repair it, try using a PST repair software instead.

Wrapping Up!

Hope that the methods covered in this article will help you resolve the ‘Outlook data file cannot be Accessed Error’/’Outlook Error 0x8004010F’.

However, if the problem persists despite using the SCANPST.exe tool, there’s a possibility that your Outlook data file is severely damaged or corrupted. If that’s the case, then its’ recommended to use a Stellar Repair for Outlookto effectively fix the broken or damaged Outlook data file. The software can also help remove ‘Outlook Error 0x8004010F’.

Note: In case, you are an MS Exchange user, then the local Outlook data file (.ost) is a repository of all mailbox items. You can access those emails in any Outlook version (2016, 2013, 2010, and 2007) after the conversion of OST file to PST. Then, you can import into any Outlook version.

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