Top 5 Ways to Fix Outlook Data File Cannot Be Accessed Error on Windows

Microsoft Outlook app on your PC creates PST (Personal Storage Table) files to store your emails, attachments, and other relevant data. If Outlook fails to access these files, it may malfunction and prevent you from sending or receiving emails. When this happens, you may encounter the ‘Outlook data file cannot be accessed’ message and the 0x8004010F error code on your Windows 10 or 11 PC.

There’s no need to worry, though. This guide lists a few effective solutions that should restore Microsoft Outlook’s access to your data files in no time. So, let’s take a look.

1. Change the Default Mail Delivery Location

One of the most straightforward ways to fix the ‘Outlook data file cannot be accessed’ error is to configure Microsoft Outlook to save your emails in a different location. So, let’s start with that.

Step 1: Open the Microsoft Outlook app and click the File menu in the top-left corner.

Step 2: In the Info tab, click on Account Settings and select Account Settings from the resulting menu.

Step 3: Switch to the Data Files tab and click the Add option.

Step 4: Select your preferred location and click OK.

Step 5: Select your newly created data file and click Set as Default.

Restart the Outlook app, and see if you can send and receive emails as before.

2. Change Ownership of the Outlook Data File

Microsoft Outlook may fail to open or configure the data file on Windows is if your user account lacks the necessary permissions to access the file. To fix this, you need to obtain ownership of the Outlook data file on your PC.

Step 1: Click the Windows search icon on the taskbar to launch the Start menu, type control panel in the box and press Enter.

Step 2: Use the drop-down menu in the top right corner to change the view type to Large icons. Then, click on Mail (Microsoft Outlook).

Step 3: Click the Data Files button.

Step 4: Select your Outlook data file and click the Open File Location option.

Step 5: In the File Explorer window that opens, right-click on the Outlook data file and select Properties.

Step 6: Under the Security tab, click the Advanced button.

Step 7: Click the Change option next to the Owner field.

Step 8: Select Yes when the User Account Control (UAC) prompt appears.

Step 9: Enter your username in the text field and click the Check Names button. Then, click OK.

Step 10: Hit Apply and then OK.

Try using the Outlook app again and see if you get any errors.

3. Run the Inbox Repair Tool

It’s possible that Microsoft Outlook is failing to access the data files because they are damaged. Fortunately, Outlook offers a tool that can automatically fix problems with the data files. Here’s how to run it.

Step 1: Press the Windows + E keyboard shortcut to open File Explorer and navigate to the following folder.

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16

Step 2: Double-click the SCANPST.EXE file.

Step 3: Click Start to initiate the scan.

Step 4: If the tool finds any issues, click on Repair.

After completing the above steps, check if the error occurs again.

4. Create a New Outlook Profile

Your Microsoft Outlook profile contains your email accounts, data files, and other important settings. If this profile has become corrupted, you could encounter the ‘Outlook data file cannot be accessed’ error on your Windows computer. In that case, your best option is to create a new Outlook profile and start over.

Step 1: Click the Windows search icon on the taskbar to open the Start menu, type in control panel in the search bar, and press Enter.

Step 2: Change the view type to Large icons and click on Mail (Microsoft Outlook).

Step 3: Click the Show Profiles button.

Step 4: Click the Add button, enter a name for your new profile, and hit OK.

Step 5: In the Add Account window, enter your account details and hit Next.

Step 6: Select your new profile using the drop-down menu and hit Apply.

5. Run the Office Repair Tool

Microsoft includes a dedicated tool for fixing issues with all the Office apps, including Outlook. So, if nothing works, you can run the Office repair tool to fix the error. Here’s how.

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keyboard shortcut to launch the Run command. In the Open field, type appwiz.cpl and press Enter.

Step 2: In the Programs and Features window, select Microsoft Office Suite or Microsoft 365 and click the Change option.

Step 3: Select Quick Repair and click the Repair button to continue.

Wait for the process to complete, then try using Outlook again. If you don’t get any errors, repeat the above steps and perform Online Repair. This might take a bit longer, but it’s more likely to fix the problem.

No More Outlook Woes

Experiencing such Microsoft Outlook issues can disrupt your workflow and occupy your time. Hopefully, that’s no longer the case, and one of the above tips has fixed the ‘Outlook data file cannot be accessed’ error on your Windows 10 or 11 computer.