Outlook 2007: The Data File Personal Folders was not Closed Properly

Outlook is a widely used email client. However, this does not rule out the fact that users have to face issues with their Outlook at some point in time. One such prominent issue, as faced by Outlook 2007 users, is:

“The data file ‘Personal Folders’ was not closed properly last time it was used and is being checked for problems. Performance might be affected while the check is in progress.”

Though this message doesn’t stop you from accessing the Outlook, it certainly prolongs the accessibility time and affects its performance.

The whole sequence includes:

• User opens Outlook
• An error message is displayed, “The data file ‘Personal Folders’ was not closed properly. The file is being checked for problems. Performance might be affected while the check is in progress.”
• Then after a few minutes, a new message appears, “Data file check complete”
• Once it completes, you can open and access emails and other Outlook components

If you’re experiencing this problem frequently, then follow the methods discussed in this post to resolve the issue.

Reasons for ‘Outlook Data File was Not Closed Properly’ Error

The error message data file personal folder was not closed properly in Outlook 2007 occurs when the Outlook PST file’s header gets damaged or corrupt. This may happen due to several reasons, such as,

1. Abrupt system shutdown or system crash
2. Virus or malware intrusion
3. Incompatible or faulty add-ins
4. Large or oversized PST file
5. Outlook did not close properly
6. Outlook data file is accessed by other programs on the system

This error may sometimes also be displayed when you try to open Outlook after rebooting the system, without closing Outlook. Though you might be one of those ardent Outlook users who empty the “Deleted Items” folder, close all tabs, and then click the Exit button, yet, the error remains unresolved.

Steps to Resolve Data file Personal Folders was not closed properly Error

The first step is to analyze the cause of the problem. In this case, Outlook is taking too long to respond. Thus, the first thing that you should check is the size of the Outlook data file. Over time, the size of the Outlook PST file becomes too large. As a consequence, it takes longer for users to open and access their Outlook account. Moreover, large PST files become prone to integrity issues and corruption. Thus, it can also be an issue of corruption in PST Files.

You can follow these steps to fix the ‘data file personal folder was not closed properly’ error in Outlook 2007,

Step 1: Reduce the Size of PST File

Most probably, the error is related to the oversized Personal Storage Tables or PST File. In that case, reduce the size of PST file and resolve the error. The steps are as follows,

• Start Outlook and go to the File tab. Click on Data File Management
• Click on the Personal folder (PST) file that you want to compact
• Click on the ‘Compact Now’ button

Step 2: Repair PST by using ScanPST.exe

If compacting PST does not fix the problem, then try to repair the PST with Inbox Repair tool (SCANPST.EXE). The steps are as follows,

• Close MS Outlook and navigate to Outlook 2007: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\

You can also locate the Inbox repair tool in other Outlook versions.

• Double-click on SCANPST.EXE program file to launch it

• Click the ‘Browse’ button and choose the .PST file that requires repair
• Click ‘Start.’ The SCANPST.EXE utility will scan the .PST file and find errors
• If there are errors detected during scanning, the program will display the ‘Repair’ button
• During the process, a backup file is created to avoid data loss. Save the backup file at a preferred location
• Then click on Repair button to start repairing the PST file errors and corruption
• After the repair process gets completed, open Outlook. If the error is fixed, Outlook should open without the error message: “The data file personal folders was not closed properly…”

IMPORTANT NOTE: Repairing Outlook PST with ScanPST.exe utility may result in the loss of unrecognized emails. This may also include important emails as the tool tries to remove damaged items from PST file to fix corruption. To avoid this situation, use a professional and reliable software such as Stellar Repair for Outlook Technician version.

With this software, you can resolve the error when Outlook inbuilt utility fails to perform as per expectations. Moreover, this software avoids data loss and recovers deleted or lost mailbox items.

The steps are as follows,

• Download, install and launch Stellar Repair for Outlook Technician version

• Click ‘Browse’ to choose the damaged PST file and then click on the Repair button to initiate repair process. The software scans the corrupt or damaged file and displays a preview of scanned file

• Click on ‘Save Repaired File’ to save the repaired PST file at the preferred location. Choose the PST as a saving option and Click OK

The software saves a new PST file at your desired location. You can either import this PST file to Outlook or replace the existing PST file with this new PST file after renaming.

Why Use Stellar Repair for Outlook?

• Scans and repairs the corrupt PST file
• Recovers all email components including emails, calendars, contacts, and more
• Provides preview of scanned PST for data verification
• Resolves Outlook related errors, compacts and splits PST file-size for better file management and avoid PST file damaged due to oversize

Conclusion

Though the manual methods may help you resolve the error, it is still not sure whether the performance of Outlook 2007 will be restored. Thus, if the Outlook 2007 still displays data file is not closed properly error and when the Outlook data becomes inaccessible or manual methods are unable to fix the error, then use Stellar Repair for Outlook -Technician software. The software can help you resolve PST and Outlook errors including “The data file Personal Folders was not closed properly.”

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About The Author

Eric Simson

Eric Simson is an Email Platform Consultant and is associated with Stellar Data Recovery from last 6 years. He writes about the latest technology tips and provides custom solutions related to MS Outlook, MS Exchange Server, Office 365, and many other Email Clients & Servers.