The file outlook.ost could not be accessed.

Posted June 23rd, 2009 by Matt Duff & filed under Tech Support.

Problem:

The file C:\Documents and Settings\username\local settings\application data\Microsoft\outlook\outlook.ost could not be accessed.

Unable to display the folder,[path]Outlook.pst could not be accessed, access denied.

Solution:

Errors such as these are most commonly caused by errors in the .OST local cache of an Outlook mailbox.  To resolve this, I’ve had quite a bit of luck with simply deleting or renaming the .OST file to .OLD.  You can find the file, by default, in the following locations:

Windows XP:

C:\Documents and Settings\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlook.ost

Windows Vista:

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlook.ost

Note:  If you don’t see some of the folders, they may be hidden.  To view hidden files, open Folder Options in Control Panel, click the View tab, and select “Show hidden files and folders”

Second note:  The file name for the .OST file corresponds to the name of the Outlook profile.  By default, this is Outlook.ost.  However, your mileage may vary depending on what the Mail Profile was named when initially created.  You can check the name of the Mail Profile by opening Control Panel and clicking the Mail icon.

Matt Duff

Social media junkie, blogger, and E-Nerd. I love Grand Rapids, running, my motorcycle, good beer, and music. Follow me at:

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9 Responses to “The file outlook.ost could not be accessed.”

1. 

   David

   This fixed my issue in a snap! Thanks a bunch!

   June 30th, 2010
2. 

   scott

   fixed it for me too…..THANKS!

   August 9th, 2010
3. 

   boots

   That did it for me too – thanks so much!

   September 15th, 2010
4. 

   Didier

   Thanks, it helped me a lot when trying to sync. an Iphone with Outlook !

   October 27th, 2010
5. 

   bloo

   I tried this but still having the same issue while trying to sync my BB 9630! =( =( =( =( =(

   December 22nd, 2010
6. 

   joe

   try recreated profile but problem still…after install SP3 update for outlook , it seems fix….

   March 31st, 2011
7. 

   Paul

   Excellent fixed in no time..Thanks

   July 19th, 2011
8. 

   Jenny

   Outlook OST file may also give errors when it is corrupt or damaged and as a resolve users rush to use Scanost. But Scanost does not help in every case and can also create a situation of data loss. When nothing else works out trust professional tools that can perform Outlook OST recovery efficiently.

   March 16th, 2012
9. 

   Chris

   This is bad advertising, hence why I removed your link. Your LinkedIn profile says you’re doing SEO for that company, but I’d suggest that you find a better way than looking for websites with articles hardly related to what your product is actually useful for: “converting OSTs to PSTs”. The use case where an OST is corrupt AND Exchange data is gone is infinitesimal.

   OSTs are cached copies of Exchange mailboxes. Data loss is a non-issue.

   March 16th, 2012