Outlook Not Recognizing Outlook Data Fail

[RandyS63]

Hello,

I had to reinstall Office 365 on my home PC and now Outlook is not recognizing my Outlook Data File found at C:Users\Dell\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook.

The file type is shown as Outlook Data File.   Yet the file type ends in .com - (I thought it would be .ost)

I ran scanpst.exe and it repaired a few minor errors, still Outlook won't recognize it.

The error message is "The file you chose is not an Outlook Data File.  You must select a new file of this type.

What should I try next please?

Thank you.

Randy

[#2]

Hi @RandyS63,

if the problem still persists after repairing Outlook Date Files, you can try to switch to a new Outlook profile and add your account there to see if it helps.

If you could not open Outlook at all, then go to Control Panel in your Windows and search for “Mail”. Then please click on Outlook and select “Show Profiles” to add a new profile.

Please click Mark as Best Response & Like if my post helped you to solve your issue.
This will help others to find the correct solution easily. It also closes the item.

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Kindest regards,

Leon Pavesic
(LinkedIn)
(Twitter)

[#3]

@LeonPavesic ,

Thank you for the reply, and assistance.   I tried changing my profile, and it didn't solve the issue.

My inbox repopulates as it should, and matches what is on my phone.  All of my subfolders repopulate by name, but they don't fill up.

I still receive the same error message when trying to add the Outlook Data File "The file you chose is not an Outlook Data File.  You must select a new file of this type."

Yet my computer shows it as an Outlook Data File.

I can't understand why it is not recognizing the file type.  I even tried to rename that email address removed for privacy reasons to email address removed for privacy reasons and that didn't work.

Truly appreciate your assistance.

Any other thoughts, or suggestions, please.

Thank you.

Randy

[#4]

If the problem is continuous than try to open the Outlook in the google chrome or any other browser.

[#5]

Hello John,
Thank you for the response.

I am currently opening it from Outlook on my home PC, so I am not using a browser.

Are you saying I should try opening it via an OWA method via browser, rather than desktop?

Again, thank you.


Randy

[#6]

Hi @RandyS63,

thanks for the update.

You can try some more steps to resolve your issues:

Uncheck the File 'Read-Only' Attribute:
Verify if the PST file status is set to read-only.
To do so, right-click on the PST file, and then select Properties. From the Properties window, in the General tab, make sure that the 'Read-only' attribute is unchecked. If not, uncheck it and see if you can open the file.

Copy the File to Another Location:

Try copying the file to another location. For instance, copy the file from the default location and paste it into the Documents folder on your PC, and then go to File > Open for opening the Outlook Data File within Outlook.

Disable Cached Exchange Mode

This can help you fix the issue but you won’t be able to use Outlook when offline.
However, you can enable Cached Exchange Mode later. To disable Cached Exchange Mode, follow these steps:

• Navigate to File > Account Settings > Account Settings and then select your Outlook profile.
• Click Change and then uncheck the ‘Use Cached Exchange Mode‘ checkbox and click ‘Next.‘

• Click ‘OK‘ when a pop-up appears and then click ‘Finish.‘
• Restart Outlook and check if the issue is gone.

Use Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant

Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant runs a few tests on your system, detects what’s wrong with the application or the system, and provides the best solutions to fix the identified issue. You can download Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant setup and launch it.
Then follow these steps:

• Click ‘Install.’ This will download the required files and install the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant.
• after installation, Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant will open. Click ‘I agree.’
• Select Outlook from the options and click ‘Next.’
• Select Outlook Won’t Start or Other problems and click ‘Next.’
• Click ‘Yes‘ and then click ‘Next.‘ Follow the wizard and use options to troubleshoot and fix the problem with the Outlook file.

Please click Mark as Best Response & Like if my post helped you to solve your issue.
This will help others to find the correct solution easily. It also closes the item.

If the post was useful in other ways, please consider giving it Like.

Kindest regards,

Leon Pavesic
(LinkedIn)
(Twitter)