So, are you having issues opening your PST files lately? Are you getting a ‘File Access Denied’ error? This error seems to be doing rounds at the moment as many users are now upgrading to Windows 10 OS. Some possible causes of this error are:

  • You forgot to set the permission to access the PST file.
  • You logged in to the old Microsoft account on their newly updated Windows account.
  • Your Outlook PST is in use by some software.

Cannot Start MS Outlook
Apart from the ‘File Access Denied’ issue, many other issues are also possible, once you upgrade to Windows 10. It might be a bit of a shocker, but it is quite easy to get past this error.

Fix # 1: How to regain access of your PST file?

Please follow the steps mentioned below to regain access of your PST files

  1. Go to the file location as mentioned in error, this is basically the location where your Outlook PST files are stored (here)-

    2. C:\Users\User Name\Documents\Outlook Files

  2. Next, right-click on the PST file and select Properties.
  3. Now select the ‘Security’ tab and select your user account.
  4. Next, click on ‘Edit’; this will open a new dialog window.
  5. Again, select your account and check on ‘Allow’ in Full Control.

Go to ‘Security

Fix # 2: Run Outlook as Administrator

  1. Try running the Outlook application as Administrator.

    2. Run Outlook as Administrator

  2. Next, try opening the PST file.

Fix # 3: Copy and paste PST file(s) to a different location

  1. Copy the PST file(s) to a clutter-free location
  2. Then copy the Outlook PST file(s) to the following location depending on the version of Outlook-
    • For Outlook 2013, 2016, 2019 and Office 365:
      • C:\Users\siddharthr\Documents\Outlook Files
    • For Outlook 2010:
      • C:\User\%Username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\
  3. Next, try to Open/import the PST file(s) to Outlook

Fix # 4 Use a professional PST repair tool

It is often a case that ‘File access denied’ error or other permission related errors are due to severe PST file corruption. So, if you have tried all of the above methods and had no luck, then you should consider using Outlook PST repair tool. It comes equipped with powerful algorithms that can quickly repair damaged Outlook PST files. The file size is not an issue for this tool as it can repair large sized PST files. There are many impressive features in this tool that are far superior in comparison to those available in other tools. This tool can quickly recover even deleted messages and attachments.

Moreover, it can also repair the older ANSI format PST files and the newer UNICODE PST files with ease. There are a lot of saving options to choose from, such as DBX, MBOX, MSG, EML, TXT, RTF, HTML, and MHTML formats. The most important feature of this tool, which makes it a complete package is that it can easily export the PST files to Office 365 , email servers, and webmails. It also supports Office 365 Outlook, 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007.
The user interface is not overwhelmingly complicated even for a non-technical person or a newbie.
Outlook PST repair - Home Screen

Conclusion

PST ‘File Access Denied’ error is pretty common as it is linked to the Windows 10 update. In this blog post, we have discussed the reasons and root causes behind this error. We have also discussed a total of four different fixes for this issue. The first three fixes fall in the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) category, and the last one is a professional PST repair tool (the last resort). If you have tried all the four DIY fixes but are unable to solve this issue, then we recommend you try the exceptional PST recovery tool. One can download the trial version, but it only lets you save the first 25 items from each folder (worth a try!).

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