How to Recover PST File on Windows 10/11 [5 Ways]

By Stephanie Ross

How to Recover PST File Easily and Quickly

If your brain has just registered that you accidentally erased your Outlook PST file, you must be out of your head with worry. In the event, you have already removed it from Recycle Bin, the PST file may seem permanently gone. But do not fret, though. This article is going to reveal whether you can recover deleted PST files. And, if yes, how to recover PST files in 5 effective ways. We have also added a bonus tip on repairing a PST file if it’s unusable. Let’s begin PST file data recovery!

Part 1: Overview of PST File Data Recovery

  • What Happens if I Delete a PST File?

When a PST file is erased, all information within it such as Outlook emails, contacts, calendar entries, tasks, notes, and attachments goes away with it. In this way, numerous important information pieces are lost, and this disrupts functioning of Outlook. During such a situation, you may not be able to transfer or receive emails, access your contacts list, or manage your calendar.

  • Can You Recover Deleted PST Files?

The truth is you can actually recover deleted PST files. However, this varies based on certain factors such as whether PST files are erased temporarily or permanently. In case they’re deleted permanently, you can simply restore them from a backup or a previous version if you have them backed up. But if you lack a backup, you can use specialized PST file data recovery software to recover PST files. 

Part 2: 5 Ways to Recover Deleted PST Files

Check out 5 options below to recover deleted PST files from using a Recycle Bin to Windows default features and third-party software. Take your pick based on your situation:

Option A: Recover Outlook PST File From Recycle Bin

When you remove PST files from your Outlook, they go straight to Recycle Bin on your system which holds them until you erase them permanently from there. In the event, you’ve recently deleted these files, here’s how to recover outlook PST file from Recycle Bin:

Step 1: Right-click Recycle Bin on your desktop. “Open” it.

Step 2: Then, right-click PST file you want to recover. Select “Restore.”

Option B: Recover Outlook PST File Using 4DDiG

In a situation where you delete PST files from Recycle Bin, they’re permanently gone. If you haven’t enabled a backup feature also, there’s no chance you can get them back except with help of a data recovery tool like 4DDiG. It can recover data from PST that’s permanently deleted or corrupted without backup with high success. Here is what it can do:

  • Reclaim PST files from numerous cases of loss, including lost partitions, system crashes, accidentally deleted, and more.
  • Restore 2000+ different file formats from programs like MS Office, MS Outlook, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and more.
  • Recover files from countless internal/external storage, such as Recycle Bin, hard drives, SD cards, NAS storage, USBs, and more.
  • It retrieves corrupted, formatted, hidden, lost, etc., PST files.
  • Free preview of PST files before recovery. 

Here’s how you can use this utility to reclaim permanently deleted PST files: 

Step 1: Download, install, and run PST file data recovery tool on your computer. Choose local disk where you deleted PST files. Tap “Start.”

Step 2: You can also select specific file types like PST to scan for. Pause or stop scan if you find PST files you need to recover. Files are categorized under Tree View (e.g., Deleted Files, Existing Files) or File View (e.g., Photo, Video). Use search or Filter options to narrow down your search.

Step 3: Once you find PST files you lost, preview them. If satisfied, hit “Recover” to transfer them to a different place on your computer to avoid overwriting.

Option C: Recover Outlook PST File via Shadow Copies

If you use Windows 8 or above, you might recover data from PST using File History. This feature automatically creates shadow copies of files and folders, from which you can restore previous versions of PST files. However, you must’ve turned on System Restore prior to using File History. If you have, here’s how to recover PST file using this feature:

Step 1: Open folder where your PST file was located. Right-click on empty space and select “Properties.”

Step 2: Head to “Previous Versions.” After this, choose folder which contains PST version you want to restore. Next, click “Restore” or “Restore To”… to transfer it to a different place.

Step 3: To restore individual files, click down arrow on “Open” button. Then, “Open in File History.”

Step 4: Use left and right buttons to find PST file version you want. Then, hit green “Restore” icon and choose where to send that version.

Option D: Recover Outlook PST File by Windows Backup

Backup and Restore was the main Windows backup tool in Windows 7, replaced by File History in later versions. If you had set it up to back up your Outlook directory before deleting PST file permanently, you can use it to restore it. Here’s how to recover PST file with Backup and Restore:

Step 1: Type “con” in Windows search box. Then, open “Control Panel.”

Step 2: Hit “Backup and Restore (Windows 7).” After this, click “Restore my files.”

Step 3: Look for and pick PST file you wish to restore.

Step 4: Click “Next.” Choose a place to restore PST file. Then, click “Restore.”

Option E: Use the AutoArchive Feature

Outlook 2003 and newer versions have an AutoArchive function that moves old PST files to an archive folder. Thus, freeing up space without deleting them. If you’ve turned it on, you can recover Outlook PST file from this archive. Here’s what to do:

Step 1: Open “Outlook.” Choose “File.”

Step 2: Click “File.” Then, tap “Open & Export.”

Step 3: Choose “Open Outlook Data File.” After this, select archive (default location is “Documents\Outlook Files”).

Step 4: Use new “Outlook Data File dropdown” beneath your mailbox to open PST file.

Bonus: How to Recover Corrupted PST File?

If a PST file is not deleted, but you can’t seem to open it, it could be because of corruption. However, you can retrieve it with Inbox Repair Tool, also referred to as SCANPST.exe. It is a free Microsoft Outlook utility that repairs .pst problems like when they won’t open or are corrupted. To recover Outlook PST file that’s corrupted with aid of Inbox Repair Tool, follow instructions below:

Step 1: Open “SCANPST.exe.” The location of this tool depends on your Outlook version.

Step 2: Click “Browse,” and select corrupted PST file. Tap. “Start.”

Step 3: Make certain that “Make backup of scanned file before repairing” is ticked. Then, tap “Repair.” You may need to run SCANPST.exe multiple times to fully fix corruption in PST file.

FAQs about PST File Data Recovery

Q1: Where are Outlook PST files saved?

In Outlook 2013 or later, the PST file is usually saved in Outlook Files folder within your Documents. For Outlook 2007 or earlier, it’s stored in a hidden folder at DRIVE:\Users<USER>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook.

Q2: How to Restore a PST file in Outlook?

You can recover outlook PST file with help of File History, Backup and Restore, or AutoArchiver if you’ve turned on any of them. In the event, you don’t have a backup, a professional data recovery tool can help. 

Conclusion

So, there you have it – that’s everything  related to how to recover PST files. There are lots of methods like checking Recycle Bin, using Shadow Copies, or Backup and Restore. However, they come with certain limitations. For effective PST file data recovery, 4DDiG Data Recovery tool is ideal. It can recover various file types, including PST files, from different data loss situations like permanent deletion without needing a backup.