Unable to Open PST File Access Denied – Repair Damaged Outlook File

Most of the users may face the “Unable to open PST file access denied" error. This might be a surprise to you that the Microsoft Outlook you have been using for years is now showing access denied. There could be several reasons that lead to such errors. In this article, we will be discussing the reasons for this error and what could be the solutions to fix the error.

Users Query

“I am a technical analyst, and when I open Microsoft Outlook it shows the error such as MS Outlook cannot be started, cannot open default email address, unable to open PST file access denied, cannot access and open Outlook file and, etc. Please someone suggests me a solution to fix these errors”.

“I am working in a company for many years where I am using Microsoft Outlook 2016 application and I tried to open PST file for the past two days but, I got an error message - “access path is denied”. You don’t have the permission to access and open the PST file. Is there any solution to fix the error if anyone knows how to fix unable to open PST file access denied error then please help me out”.

We have the solutions to these errors, but, before going to the solutions, let’s know the reasons behind these errors.

Reasons of Unable to Open PST File Access Denied Error

Numerous reasons may lead to Outlook PST file access path is denied -

• You are trying to open the PST file in the old Outlook version.
• There are chances when you don’t have full access to administrative privileges.
• Corrupted or damaged Outlook file you have configured.
• Importing the PST file in old Windows versions.
• Outlook might run in compatible mode, due to which you are unable to open the PST file.

Methods to Fix Unable to Open PST File Access Denied Error

Well, if you are having trouble while opening the PST file then, now, you don’t have to be worried because here we are providing solutions to your problem. We have categorized the solutions into four methods. These are-

1. Copy PST file in other location
2. Change properties of PST files
3. Remove Antivirus plug-ins
4. Repair Damaged Outlook File

Copy PST File in Other Location

1. Copy the PST file (which you are unable to import)
2. Don’t forget to ensure that the checkbox for Read-only is not selected
3. Now, paste the PST file to another location
4. Lastly, Import the PST file into the Outlook profile and open it.

Change Properties of PST Files

1. Go to Control Panel > Mail> E-mail Accounts
2. Then, Account Settings > Settings. After that, right-click on the PST file, that you want to open/import and select the Properties tab
3. Now, uncheck the Read-only box. Click OK
4. Try to open the PST file again
5. If the problem again persists: Right-click on the PST file and open Properties again
6. Security tab > Edit
7. Then, click the Add button, type Everyone, and hit the OK button
8. From the Permissions for Outlook Data File box, select the checkbox for Full control and tap the "OK" button
9. Lastly, open Microsoft Outlook again and import the PST file.

Remove Antivirus Plug-ins

Many times you may use third-party applications on your computer and to protect them you also install antivirus software. Because of these plug-ins, some chances can cause the PST file access denied. If it happens then you have to change the settings of Firstly, temporarily disable the antivirus software and then check if it is still able to access the Outlook application without antivirus or having any trouble.

If this works, then add Outlook with the exception of the application list. You will have to change the settings so that the program does not identify the PST file as virus-infected.

Repair Damaged Outlook File

Even if applying all the above methods could not fix the ‘unable to open PST file access denied” error then that means the PST file has been corrupted or damaged. IN this situation, you will need a reliable method to fix this error. You must use the FreeViewer PST Repair Tool to repair the file. Microsoft Outlook has an in-built tool named an Inbox repair tool, that can be useful but it is useful to a limited extent. The automated tool will be able to repair highly damaged Outlook files.

You can download the software from the button given below -

Download Now Purchase Now

Features of the Utility

This tool has many amazing features that can help and be useful to repair the even highly corrupted and damaged Outlook file. A few of them we are listing below-

• In this application, you can restore PST file lost data easily.
• It previews deleted Outlook data items separately.
• You can save Outlook PST files in multiple file formats such as PST, MSG, MBOX, PDF, HTML without any hassle.
• By using this tool, you can view the file in different types like Hex, MIME, Message Header, HTML, RTF and, etc.
• The most important and amazing feature is that you don’t need to install Microsoft Outlook to perform PST file recovery.
• The utility can restore recovered PST files in Office 365 account.

Step by Step Guide to Fix “Unable to Open PST File Access Denied” Issue

First, download and install the application on your computer. Run the program and follow the steps to know how to use the tool-

1. Secondly, click on the “Add File” that you want to recover

2. Then, Preview he recovered PST file data

3. Now, click on the “Deleted Items” and view the deleted data

4. Lastly, hit the “Export” to recover PST file data.

Conclusion

As Windows 10 is important to use to secure data more efficiently, however, by the update of the Windows most of the users face the unable to open PST file access denied error. To rectify this error we have mentioned manual and automated methods above.

Manual methods can be used but are not useful when it comes to repairing the severely damaged Outlook PST file. Hence, you need to use the FreeViewer Software that we have discussed above. There is a saying “Better safe than sorry”, so it's better to take access to all your important files again.

FAQ

1. Q – Will I be able to recover any size of the corrupted PST file?
   
   Yes, you can easily recover any PST file of any size. There is no limitation on the size of the corrupted files.



2. Q – Will my data be protected or not while using this software?
   
   Yes, your data is fully secure and protected while using this software. 



3. Q – Is it compatible to recover Microsoft Outlook 2016 files?
   
   This application is compatible to recover any version of Microsoft Outlook damaged and corrupted files.



4. Q – Can I convert my damaged file into MBOX file format?
   
   Through this tool, you can easily convert any damaged Outlook file into MBOX and different file formats.