SCANPST (or Inbox Repair tool) is a utility in MS Outlook that helps repair corrupt Personal Storage Table (PST) files. It allows to recover and restore the mail items, such as emails, contacts, attachments, etc. that might seem lost or inaccessible due to PST file corruption. While using SCANPST, you may find that the repair button is missing. This can prevent you from repairing the damaged or corrupted PST file.
In this blog, you will learn the common reasons behind the ‘Repair’ button is missing or not visible issue in ScanPST and the ways to troubleshoot the issue.
The SCANPST ‘Repair’ button may disappear or may not work due to one or more of the reasons shared below:
- Outdated Microsoft Outlook or Windows version/edition
- Corrupt or damaged SCANPST (Inbox Repair tool)
- Lack of permissions to run SCANPST
- System errors or conflicts with other software
- Incomplete or incorrect Outlook installation
- Temporary glitches in the system
- Wrong file selection
- Severely corrupt or damaged PST file
- Oversized or large Outlook PST file
While trying to repair the PST file if you’ve encountered the missing repair button in SCANPST, then follow the solutions given below to troubleshoot and resolve it.
1. Reboot the System
Sometimes, temporary glitches or issues in the system can prevent certain programs from working properly or lead to inconsistencies. These include graphical glitches or problems with the tool due to conflicts. One easy way to troubleshoot such problems is to restart the system. After the restart, make sure your graphic settings, such as screen resolution and scaling settings are correct. You can set them to default.
If you have never used the SCANPST or Inbox Repair tool earlier, you may misinterpret the functioning of this utility and may be looking for the ‘Repair’ button where it isn’t supposed to. When you launch the utility, it displays the option to browse and select the PST file and displays the ‘Start’ button that you need to click to analyze the selected PST file for errors and inconsistencies.
If you don’t see any errors or inconsistencies found message after the scan on the SCANPST tool, you don’t need to proceed further as the PST file has no errors. However, if you see errors but the Repair button is not visible or greyed out, then follow the next solutions.
3. Run the Correct SCANPST.EXE Program
The SCANPST.EXE file is usually stored in the installation directory of Microsoft Outlook under Program Files or Program Files (x86). If you are using a downloaded SCANPST.EXE program to repair your PST file, then it might not work and as a result, you may find that the ‘Repair’ button for fixing the damaged or corrupt PST file is either missing or greyed out. You can find the correct SCANPST location and then run it.
4. Update Outlook to the Latest Version
Outdated Outlook and Microsoft Office apps may lead to compatibility issues and errors. So, you can check and update your Microsoft Outlook client to the latest version. The steps to check and update Outlook manually are as follows:
- Open Outlook and go to File > Office Account or Account. This may vary based on the Outlook version you have installed.
- Click Update Options and then select Update Now.
- You need to follow and complete the onscreen instructions to apply updates to Outlook.
- Once the update is complete, you can restart Outlook and check if the ‘Repair’ button is available in SCANPST.
If you don’t see an update option in the Outlook client, it may be locked or prevented by the administrator. In such a case, you can check, download, and apply Windows updates, which also bring patches and hotfixes for Microsoft Office programs, including Outlook.
Follow the below steps to install the Windows updates:
- Open Settings in Windows 10 or Windows 11 and click ‘Windows Update.’
- Click Check for Updates and then download and install all the available updates.
- While installing Windows updates, you may need to restart your system a few times for the changes to take effect.
5. Repair/Reinstall Outlook
If updating Outlook doesn’t help, you can try to repair or reinstall the Outlook application as that might fix the issue. The steps to repair Outlook are as follows:
- Open the Control Panel and go to Programs and Features > Uninstall a program.
- From the list of programs, find and choose Microsoft Office (or Outlook) and click the Change button at the top.
- From the available repair options, choose Quick Repair or Online Repair and then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the repair process.
- After the repair is done, restart the system.
If this doesn’t help, try reinstalling the MS Outlook. Since Outlook is a part of the MS Office suite, you need to uninstall and install the MS Office suite.
After this, find and launch SCANPST.EXE and check if the ‘Repair’ button is now visible or not.
6. Run ScanPST as an Administrator
Sometimes, permission-related issues also prevent SCANPST from displaying the ‘Repair’ button as you may only have read access permission to the location where the PST file is stored. You can either copy the original PST file and then repair the copy or run the SCANPST or Inbox Repair tool as an administrator to resolve any permission-related issues.
For this, simply find the SCANPST.EXE file, right-click on it, and choose Run as administrator. Once the SCANPST starts, try to repair your PST file again.
7. Check for System Errors
Issues with the Windows operating system or damaged/missing library files (.dll) may also lead to SCANPST not showing the ‘Repair’ button. In such a case, you can close all programs and follow these steps to check the system and fix any underlying issues with the system.
- Open Command Prompt as an administrator and then type sfc /scannow.
- Press the Enter key. This will start scanning the system for damaged, missing, or corrupt system files and replace them with healthy version.
- This scan may take longer. So, wait for the scan to complete and follow any prompts to fix the detected issues.
What to do if the Issue Persists?
If the ‘Repair’ button is still missing after trying the above solutions, you can use a more advanced PST repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for Outlook to repair the corrupt PST file. The software can repair severely damaged, encrypted, and large-sized PST files with complete integrity and precision. It saves the recovered mail items from the repaired PST file to a new PST file. It can also save individual mail items in HTML, RTF, PDF, EML, or MSG format. The software can also directly export mail items from corrupt PST files to Microsoft 365 or live Exchange Server.
Conclusion
The missing ‘Repair’ button in SCANPST for Outlook 2021 is an unusual issue. However, you can apply the solutions discussed above to resolve the issue. However, if the issue is not resolved, then use an advanced Outlook repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for Outlook, to recover mail items from the damaged or corrupt PST file with complete integrity.
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