How to Repair and Restore PST Data with Stellar Repair for Outlook? 

Those days are gone when people were bound to email or Gmail. Now there are many other media as well, and a vast number of them use Microsoft Outlook worldwide. It offers various benefits, which is why this vast community favors it; however, it still has some drawbacks. Have you ever opened your PST file only to hit that dreaded “PST file is corrupt” error, and ScanPST freezes or crashes? 

I have faced this once, and it’s infuriating when deadlines loom and your emails vanish. Nowadays, with Outlook PST files holding everything from client emails, attachments, contracts, to family photos, knowing how to restore them without ScanPST is a lifesaver. 

Microsoft’s Inbox Repair Tool is excellent for minor glitches, but for severe corruption, large files, or encrypted PSTs, it often fails. And if you don’t know what to do in that case, then I am here for you. 

In this blog post, I will discuss in depth how to restore PST data without Microsoft’s ScanPST Tool. 

PST files are Outlook mailboxes that store emails, calendars, and attachments. Corruption happens from crashes, malware, or oversized files over 50GB, which often break ScanPST. Keep in mind that ScanPST struggles with severe structural damage, deleting inaccessible data, or freezing on large PSTs. For encrypted files, you need a password or decryption key first; if you forget it, you are stuck.

You may have seen that this also happens. ScanPST creates BAK backups, but leaves a specific percentage of data unreadable. Some experts say it only fixes minor issues, failing to address B-Tree corruption. Microsoft Support confirms it’s for basic errors, delete and recreate OSTs for Exchange, but PSTs need more. In results, you can lose attachments, have vanished folders, or spend weeks recovering.

Method 1: Using Stellar Repair for Outlook – The Advanced Recovery Powerhouse

Stellar Repair for Outlook is the go-to third-party tool for restoring PST files without using ScanPST. It handles oversized (50 GB+), encrypted, and severely corrupted PSTs with no data loss, using advanced algorithms to rebuild their structures.

How It Works and Step-by-Step Recovery

• Launch Stellar Repair for Outlook on Windows.
• Select “List Profiles” to auto-fetch PSTs, or “Choose Manually” for external files.

• Click “Repair”; it scans in Quick (minor corruption) or Advanced (severe damage) mode.

• After that, carefully previewed and repaired items: emails, contacts, calendars in multiple formats (Normal, Hex, MIME). Deleted items show in red; recover them selectively.

• Export to Mailbox data to PST, MSG,  EML, ETF, HTML, or Office 365/Live Exchange ( Technician Edition). 

•  If Outlook is running in the background, you must close it before you can proceed with the saving option.

Advantages Over ScanPST

Stellar repair for Outlook excels where ScanPST fails. It repairs without data deletion, handles large encrypted PSTs (provide password), gives a preview of the mailbox, and processes multiple files at once. No Microsoft Outlook install needed, runs standalone. A preview ensures no surprises; export options, like Office 365 direct upload, save time.

Cautions and Best Practices

Backup first; Stellar creates copies during repair. Run on a parallel machine. 

Full license unlocks unlimited exports, demo limits to preview entire mailbox data. Avoid if PST is less than 1 GB or if there are minor issues, as ScanPST suffices. Test exports in a new Outlook profile.

Method 2: Manual Methods for Minor Corruption – Free Fixes Without Tools

For light damage, manual tricks restore PSTs without ScanPST. Close Outlook, locate PST (File > Account Settings > Data Files), then repair via third-party if needed—but for free, try these.

Copy and Paste to New PST

Create a new PST (File> New> Outlook Data File). Copy items from old to new via drag-and-drop or export/import. For corrupted folders, export as CSV, clean in Excel, and import back.

I have seen people salvage their data this way, with emails and contacts intact. Works for 20GB files; skip for severe corruption.

OST Recreation for Exchange (If Applicable)

For OSTs (Exchange-linked), delete and recreate. Close Outlook, delete OST (Data Files tab), restart Outlook, and rebuild from the server.

You can do this for 10GB OSTs, which will full sync in 30 minutes. Not for PSTs, but hybrid users save time.

Warnings for Manual Methods

Microsoft Support cautions that backing up first reduces the risk of permanent loss. Copying skips deleted items; use for accessible data only, not for encrypted/large files, third-party needed.

Not every corruption is equal. Here’s how I decide which method to deploy based on file size, damage level, and urgency.

Minor corruption (under 1 GB, some folders open, no encryption)

You should go manual, simply copy/paste to a new PST. This preserves most of the data when ScanPST stalls on minor issues. You can rescue 90% of emails this way in under 30 minutes.

Large or moderately corrupted files (2GB–50GB+, slow loading, missing items)

Use Stellar Repair for Outlook. It handles oversized and moderately damaged PSTs with zero data loss, splitting output if needed. You can restore a 42GB file in 90 minutes, with every attachment intact.

When ScanPST fails completely

Skip it entirely. Stellar outperforms it in advanced corruption cases. I’ve stopped recommending ScanPST unless the file is under 2GB and lightly damaged.

I always ask three questions:

1. How big is the file?
2. Is it encrypted?
3. How much data can you afford to lose? The answers point to the right tool 99% of the time.

Restoring PST data without the ScanPST Tool is possible. From personal experience, using Stellar Repair for Outlook can save precious emails, attachments, and contacts with ease, compared to manual PST recovery methods. Always remember to back up your mailbox data, evaluate file size, and consider encryption before choosing a recovery option. 

Outlook users worldwide can recover corrupted PST files and restore their inbox efficiently. Take control of your email recovery. Don’t let corruption disrupt your workflow or important communication again.