What to do right now
- Check first whether the mail account still exists on the server. If it does, an OST is simply downloaded again.
- If the PST existed only on the PC, keep use of that drive to a minimum and scan for PST files.
- If the recovered PST will not open, check a copy with Outlook's Inbox Repair Tool.
Step by step
Tell PST and OST apart
An OST is an offline copy of an Exchange, Microsoft 365 or IMAP account, so Outlook rebuilds it if the mail is on the server. A PST is often an archive or POP account data that exists only on the PC, and that is the one to recover.
Check the usual location and the bin
PST files usually sit in the Outlook Files folder in Documents, OST files in AppData under Local\Microsoft\Outlook. Check the Recycle Bin, keeping in mind that large files are sometimes deleted without going there.
Close Outlook and prepare
Close Outlook and run the FileFix Ultimate portable ZIP from a USB stick. The PST was most likely on drive C:.
Scan for the PST
Scan the drive with deleted file recovery and filter by name or the PST type. With surviving file records it returns with its name and folder; from version 1.0.4, PST and OST files are also found by signature when records are gone.
Save to another disk and check it
Save the recovered PST to another disk. Before opening it in Outlook, run the Inbox Repair Tool (scanpst.exe) on the copy to clean up damaged parts.
File recovery is not mailbox repair
FileFix Ultimate finds and extracts the deleted PST or OST file itself. It is not a mailbox repair tool that fixes the mail structure inside the file or extracts individual messages. Once you have the file back, check internal errors with Microsoft's Inbox Repair Tool.
PST files are often several gigabytes and easily stored in pieces on the disk. With surviving file records, the pieces can be gathered in order; when found by signature alone, only part of the file may be intact.
When recovery will not work
- Time has passed since deletion on an SSD with TRIM.
- Large files saved to the same drive after deletion overwrote part of the PST.
- A password-protected PST cannot be opened without the password.
- FileFix Ultimate does not repair individual messages inside a PST.
How FileFix Ultimate helps
- Restores deleted PST and OST files with their names and folders from NTFS records.
- From version 1.0.4, finds PST and OST files by signature when records are gone.
- Also finds the previous user folders in Windows.old after a reinstall.
- Never writes to the source drive.
FileFix Ultimate is free, works offline and never writes to the drive you are recovering from. Check the signature before you run it.
Frequently asked questions
Can a deleted Outlook PST file be recovered?
If it has not been overwritten, the file itself can be brought back. Chances are good on a hard drive and shrink over time on an SSD.
Do I need to recover the OST too?
If the mail is still on the server, Outlook rebuilds the OST. Recovering it only matters if the server account is gone or there was offline-only data.
The recovered PST gives an error in Outlook.
Check the copy with the Inbox Repair Tool (scanpst.exe). Always work on a copy, not the only one you have.