Resolve Outlook Error “Your Outlook Data File Cannot Be Configured”

In this blog, I am going to discuss the step-by-step method on how to deal with the “your Outlook data file cannot be configured” error. Here we will also know the reasons behind this error.

MS Outlook is one of the well-organized email clients in many corporate organizations. This application enables the usage of mail accounts in offline mode by creating the OST file. It is very favorable for Outlook users to securely carry out remote access emails & other mail attributes from their mail accounts.

Microsoft Outlook 2016 has included many advanced features that were not present in its previous versions. But, while using the Microsoft Exchange Server OST file many users have come across the error message saying that your Outlook Data file has not been configured. With this error message, the users are unable to figure out what triggers this error message. So, let us know in short about the error message data file (.pst & .ost) in Outlook that cannot be configured.

Error: Outlook Data File Cannot Be Configured

This type of error is usually seen with Microsoft users which have roaming profiles connected to Microsoft Exchange Server in an organization. The roaming user profiles are saved on the shared network wherein, the users can easily access their Outlook profile from any computer which is connected to that shared network. Thus, while executing this action many times users get errors displaying your Outlook data file (ost/pst) cannot be configured roaming profile.

Causes of This Error:

The most common reason for your Outlook Data cannot be configured including missing OST & PST files on the system where MS Outlook is running. If the system gets crashed while importing data files in Outlook, then the process will get dismissed & Outlook may not configure the profile which you are looking for.

Moreover, when the OST & PST file gets corrupted due to a virus attack, logical error, synchronization error, abrupt termination, etc. It can display this error message “Your Outlook Data File Cannot Be Configured” when the users try to access their Outlook profile again.

Remedies to Fix Outlook Data Cannot Be Configured Error

To eliminate the “your outlook data file (.ost & .pst) cannot be configured” error, you can follow the below-mentioned tips:

1. Recheck the path of Outlook data files in the system
2. In the case of the OST file, delete the .ost file & download it from Exchange
3. Reinstall Outlook & try to open Outlook data files
4. Use the inbuilt Inbox repair tool (Scanpst.exe) to repair the OST file also.

Solve Your Outlook Data File Cannot Be Configured Error Manually

Repair The Data File (.ost) in Outlook

There are some account types like MS Exchange Server which uses an Offline Data file (.ost). This type of data file is a replica or copy of the information that is saved on your mail server. If you encounter any problem with the .ost file, the file can be deleted & recreated by downloading a copy of your items again. But, we don’t recommend repairing Offline data files using the Inbox Repair Tool, because sometimes this Outlook Inbox Repair Tool does not respond so if your .ost file is not usable then you should recreate it.

1. Exit Outlook
2. Now, open Control Panel, in the search control panel box, write Mail and then select Mail
3. A Mail Setup dialog box will appear, choose E-Mail accounts.
4. Now, choose the data Data Files tab & then select the Exchange account, after that select Open File Location on the mini toolbar.
5. Close the Account Settings & the Mail Setup box, & return to the File Explorer window.
6. In the corresponding File Explorer Window, right-click the Exchange data file (.ost) & then choose delete.

Note: The next time when you start Outlook, a new .ost file is created for the account.

Use Professional Tool

If the above method does not help to configure the .ost file in Outlook then you can fix the OST file using a third-party utility i.e OST Recovery Tool. It will help you to fix the error and restore your communication.

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There are situations when your Outlook shows an error saying “your outlook data cannot be configured” pointing towards the .nst file extension. Many Outlook users are unaware of this file format. So, let us explore this through one of the user queries. After that, we will discuss how to repair the .nst file which is displaying an error Outlook 2016 data file cannot be configured.

“I recently encountered the error message “your Outlook Data file cannot be configured in Office 365” when I was configuring my Office 365 account in Outlook 2007. The error message was indicating towards the .nst file. As I’m not a technical person I don’t know how I can overcome this issue. I will be glad if anyone helps me out with this problem.”

Both the files (OST & NST) are created when the user is in offline mode. You can traverse to the data where your OST file has been stored, there you can also find a file of the same size as the .ost file. Now, to fix this error you can follow the below-mentioned steps.

How to Fix Outlook Data file (.nst) Cannot be Configured Error

Step 1: Verify the System for Corruption

Run System scan

• Press Windows + R
• Now, type cmd & press Enter
• Type “sfc/scannow” & then press enter (Require Admin Privileges to run this command)

Step 2: Update the Most Up-to-Date Windows

Check for Windows update

• Click the start button
• Type Update & hit enter
• A Windows dialog box will appear
• If the updates are available, then click on the install updates option

Step 3: Clean Up Junk Files

• Press Win + R
• Now, type “Cleanmgr” & press Enter
• Pick the OS partition & click OK
• Now, click on Clean Up System Files

In most of the cases when an error like your Outlook data cannot be configured .nst file occurs then these errors must be resolved on time. If however, the problem still comes then please get your system checked by an expert.

Steps to Solve PST File When Data File Error Arises:

To use ScanPST.exe first you have to locate where is Scanpst.exe located to eliminate the “Outlook data file cannot be configured in Windows” error:

1. Exit Outlook & perform one of the following:

• Browse to C:/Program Files:
  or
• Browse to C:/Program Files (x86)

2. In the Search box, type scanpst.exe

3. Open scanpst.exe

4. Now, a window will appear, enter the name of the .pst file which you want the tool to check, or you can browse to select the file.

5. Hit Start to begin the scanning

6. If the scan finds the error then you can choose Repair to start the process to fix them

7. When the fixing process gets completed, start Outlook with the profile associated with the data file that you just repaired.

An Alternative Approach:

The above section gains the attention of the users regarding the limitations of the manual method to solve the “Your Outlook Data File Cannot Be Configured error”. The manual method is very time-consuming, so the users can opt for an expert solution. We have in our kitty a tool which is Outlook PST File Repair Software.

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The tool works in such a way that it captivates the users. Moreover, the tool has the potential to fix the Outlook PST files & save the PST data in PST, EML, MSG & Office 365. The beneficial feature of this tool is that it also supports the .nst file. Along with this, you can easily fix your file in a few minutes.

Approach to Repair Mac Outlook

To repair or recover Mac Outlook OLK14, OLK 15, and OLM files you can try the Mac Outlook, then try Mac Outlook Repair Tool.

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Conclusion

After examining the issues which are faced by the users while eliminating the error: your outlook data file cannot be configured using manual tricks. We have discussed an expert solution that can be used to eradicate the error in Outlook. The users can use these tools to perform the task as per their needs without the threat of data loss or data corruption.