DEV Community: Sharad Singh

How to Fix Outlook Keeps Asking for Password Issue?

Sharad Singh — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 12:08:22 +0000

Summary: In this article, we have discussed the issue of Microsoft Outlook keeps asking for passwords and provided several easy fixes to resolve it. We have also mentioned advanced software that can help recover lost PST passwords and fix a wide range of Outlook-related problems.

Sometimes, Outlook users face an issue in which the application asks for passwords again and again. This generally happens due to poor Internet connection or conflict with an antivirus program. You can switch to a stable Internet connection or disable antivirus to try to fix the problem. If this doesn’t fix the issue, continue reading this post to know the fixes to resolve the ‘Outlook keeps asking for password’ issue.

How to Fix the Issue of Microsoft Outlook Keeps Asking for Password?

Some effective fixes to resolve the Outlook password prompt issue are:

Fix 1: Remove Cached Passwords
Clearing the cached passwords stored on the system may help fix the issue. To do this, follow these steps:

Go to Windows Start Menu > Control Panel > User Accounts.
In the new window that opens, click Manage Your Credentials in the left pane.
Then, select Windows Credentials.
Select the Outlook-related credentials and then select the option Remove.
Close Control Panel and restart the system.

Fix 2: Update Outlook Password Prompt Settings

If Outlook 2013 keeps asking for a password, then it’s possible you have configured the settings in such a way. To change these settings, follow these steps:

Open Outlook and go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
Select your email account and click Change.
In the Change Account window that opens, click the More Settings button.
Open the Security tab and unselect the “Always prompt for logon credentials” option.
Click OK and restart Outlook.

Fix 3: Create a New Outlook Profile
If your current Outlook profile is corrupt or damaged, then it can cause the problem of MS Outlook keeps asking for passwords. You can create a new Outlook profile to resolve the issue. Following the below steps:

Close Outlook and open Windows Control Panel.
Click Mail. In the Mail Setup window, click the Show Profiles button.
Click Add and enter the name of your new Outlook profile. Then click OK.
Enter your name, email address, and other details to set up the profile.
After the profile is created, select the profile and enable the “Always use this profile” option. Then click OK. Fix 4: Update Outlook

Some Outlook users have reported that the Outlook password prompt issue is resolved by updating the application to the latest version. To update Outlook, follow these steps:

Open Outlook and then open the File tab.
Select Office Account and then open the Update Options menu.
Select the Update now option and update Outlook.

Fix 5: Stop Using Shared Calendars

If you are using shared calendars, it’s possible that these calendars are interfering with Outlook’s security checks. You can unselect the shared calendars, restart Outlook, and then check if the issue is fixed.

Fix 6: Disable Interfering Add-ins

Sometimes, third-party add-ins in Outlook can affect the normal operations of the application. A particular add-in may cause the Microsoft Outlook keeps asking for password issue. You can identify this add-in by running the application in safe mode, and then remove the add-in to rectify the problem.

To fix Outlook’s password prompt issue by removing problem-creating add-ins, follow these steps:

Close Outlook. Then start Outlook in safe mode by holding down the CTRL key while clicking Outlook’s shortcut.
Go to File > Options.
Open the Add-Ins tab from the left panel.
In the Manage menu, ensure that the COM Add-ins option is selected. Then click Goto open the list of all installed add-ins.
Unselect all add-ins and click OK.
Restart Outlook in normal mode.

If Outlook stops asking for password after the add-ins are disabled, it confirms that the problem is caused by a specific add-in. You can enable all add-ins, one at a time, to identify the interfering add-in. When found, you can remove it to fix the issue of Outlook 2016 keeps asking for account password.

How to Fix Outlook Password Prompt Issue if You Don’t Remember Password?

If you have password-protected the PST file and forgot the password, then it’s difficult to fix Outlook password prompt issue. However, you can use a third-party software program to recover the lost PST password. Stellar Toolkit for Outlook is one such application that can fix all kinds of Outlook-related problems, including lost password.

Stellar Toolkit for Outlook is a comprehensive Outlook-repair utility that offers 8 tools:

Outlook repair
OST to PST converter
PST file splitter
PST compacter
PST files merger
Duplicate Outlook mailbox items remover
Deleted emails recovery
Outlook PST password recovery

Conclusion
Outlook prompts for password problems may occur in almost every Outlook version, including Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, etc. You can try the fixes explained above to resolve the issue. In case you have lost or forgotten the Outlook PST password, you need to use an advanced PST password recovery software such as Stellar Password Recovery for Outlook.

How to Merge PST File?

Sharad Singh — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 07:14:29 +0000

Summary: The Outlook data file (PST) stores all mailbox data, including emails, attachments, notes, etc. If you have multiple PST files, you can combine these files into a single PST. In this article, we have provided two methods to merge PST files with stepwise instructions.

Outlook generates PST files for all POP3 email accounts to store mailbox data. When Outlook users create backups of their email accounts (both IMAP and POP3) or archive emails, then Outlook saves the data in PST file.

If you have several Outlook data files, it becomes difficult to manage the files. You can combine the PST files and move all the data in a single PST file for easy manageability.

Why Outlook Users Merge PST Files?

Outlook users need to merge Personal Storage Table (PST) files for many reasons, such as:

• When MS Outlook users migrate to another email client or platform, they can combine their multiple Outlook data files and create a single PST as a backup of their Outlook data.
• Some Outlook users use different email accounts for personal, work, and social emails. These users can merge the PST files of these accounts to access all emails in a single account.
• Older Outlook versions (Outlook 2007 and 2003) have PST size limit of 20 GB. That’s why, the users of this Outlook edition had to create several PSTs to store the mailbox data. Newer Outlook versions (Outlook 2010 and above) come with a higher PST size limit of 50 GB. So, Outlooks users who want to upgrade to newer Outlook version can merge multiple old PST files into a single file and use the combined PST in the new Outlook.

How to Merge PST File?
There are two ways to merge PST files.

Method 1: Merge PST Files in Outlook

You can merge PST files in Outlook itself. For this, you need to first create a blank PST file and then import the existing PSTs into this file. Here’s the process to do so:

1.1. Create a Blank PST File
To create a new PST file:

Go to Home > New Items > Outlook Data File.
Name the PST file and save it at the desired location.

1.2. Import the Existing PSTs into the New PST

Follow these steps:

Go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
In the Import and Export Wizard, select Import from another program or file option and click Next.
In the next screen, select Outlook Data File (.pst) and click Next.
Browse to the existing PST and select the Do not import duplicates option.
Click Next to initiate the import process.
Repeat the process to import multiple PST files into a single file.

Method 2: Merge PST File with Advanced Software

To simplify the process of combining PST files, you can use a third-party PST merge tool. Stellar Merge Mailbox for Outlook is one such tool that you can use to join PST files with 100% accuracy. This advanced utility can also save the combined PST in your Outlook profile, Exchange server, or Office 365.

The following are some salient features of Stellar Merge Mailbox for Outlook:

• Merges PST files while maintaining data integrity

• Saves merged PST data in a new or existing PST file, Office 365 account, Outlook profile, and Exchange server
• Compatible with Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, 2003, and Office 365
• Allows to remove duplicate items while merging the PST files
• Allows to remove deleted and junk mailbox items while merging the PSTs
• Combines password-protected PST files
• Generates log reports

How to Use PST Merge Software?
To merge multiple PSTs by using the software, follow these steps:

Launch Stellar Merge Mailbox for Outlook and add the PST files that you want to combine.
Select the PST files that you want to merge in a single PST, and click Next.
Select the appropriate options under Saving Options. Then click Browse and select a destination to save the merged PST. Note: You can select Join PST options to save each PST file with a separate folder structure.
Click Merge to merge the PST files as per the selected preferences.

Conclusion
If you need to merge multiple PSTs, you can follow the methods mentioned in this post. Though the manual option is free, it’s time-consuming and requires technical expertise to successfully completing the process. For a seamless and fast PST merge process, you can use the PST merge software that combines multiple PST files in a few simple clicks.

3 Ways to Split PST File [2021 Updated]

Sharad Singh — Fri, 12 Mar 2021 10:58:28 +0000

Large-sized PST files can cause problems, such as sluggish Outlook performance, Outlook errors, etc. Also, oversized PST files are vulnerable to corruption. The best way to overcome such problems is to split the PST file into smaller PST files. In this post, we’ll be discussing 3 ways to split PST file.

Why You Need to Split a Large PST File?

There are many reasons why you need to split large PST file into multiple smaller PSTs. Some of them are:

• Large-sized PST files affect Outlook’s performance.

• When a PST file exceeds its recommended size limit (50 GB for Outlook 2010 and newer versions, and 20 GB for older versions), the user can’t send or receive new emails.

• Large-sized PST files are prone to corruption.

How to Split PST File?

Here are the methods to Split PST file:

Method #1: Split PST Using ‘Move to Folder’ Option in Outlook

To reduce the PST file size, you can move some emails to another PST by using the Move to Folder function in Outlook. For this, follow these steps:

Run MS Outlook and go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
In the window that pops up, open the *Data Files tab.
Then click Add to create a new PST file where you can
transfer some of the mailbox items.
Provide a name for the PST and save the file.

Open the old PST in Outlook, and select the items to move to the new PST.
After selecting the Outlook mailbox items, click Move under the top menu and select Other Folder.
In the Move Items window, select the new PST file and click OK.

Note: You can also create folders in the new PST to organize the emails while moving them.

The emails will be saved in the new PST file, thereby splitting the large PST file.

Method #2: Reduce PST Size with Outlook Import/Export Wizard

Follow these steps to split Outlook PST file by using Import and Export Wizard:

Launch Outlook and go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
In the Import and Export Wizard window that opens, select Export to a file option and then click Next.

Select Outlook Data File (.pst) and click Next.
In the Export Outlook Data File window, make sure that Include subfolders option is selected. Then select the folders you want to export to another PST and click Next.
In the next window, click Browse to provide a location and name for the new PST file. Then click Finish. The selected folders/items will be moved to the new PST file and saved in the provided location.

Method #3: Use Archive Wizard to Split a Large PST

You can use Outlook Archive Wizard to split large Outlook data files. For this, follow these steps:

Open Outlook and follow the appropriate steps: In Outlook 2013, 2010: Go to File > Info Cleanup Tools > Archive.

OR
In Outlook 2016, 2019: Go to File > Info > Tools > Clean up old items

Click Archive this folder and all subfolders. Then select the folder you want to archive (save in the split PST file).
In the Archive items older than field, provide an appropriate date. You can provide different dates for different folders and create multiple PST files.

Note: Select the Include items with Do not AutoArchive checkbox to archive items that aren’t archived automatically.
Click OK. Outlook will transfer the mailbox items to an archive file according to the selected preferences.

Limitations of the Above Manual Methods

The manual methods for splitting PST files are free. However, these methods have some limitations:

• The user needs to be technically skilled to perform the procedures

• The methods are complex and time-consuming

• A mistake or error during the process can lead to irreversible data loss

• Splitting multiple PST files simultaneously isn’t possible
These challenges can be easily overcome with the help of an advanced PST splitter software.

*PST Splitter Tool: Recommended Solution to Split a Large PST *

To split PST files in a safe, efficient, and time-saving manner, you can use a third-party PST splitter software, such as Stellar Splitter for Outlook. It is a user-friendly software that can easily split a large PST file into smaller PST files.

The following are some prominent features of the PST splitter software by Stellar:

• Splits large PST files of any size

• Splits PST files by date, size, email IDs, specific folders, etc.

• Allows batch conversion in which multiple PST files can be split in a single batch

• Creates smaller PST files that are compatible with MS Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, and 2003

• Retains the folder structure of the original PST in the split PST files

Splitting PSTs with Stellar Splitter for Outlook is a simple 3-step process:

Add the PST files.
Select the appropriate splitting options (by Date, Size, email ID, etc.)
Click the Split button to split the files.

Conclusion

Large-sized Outlook data file (PST) can cause difficulties in using Outlook. It can cause frequent Outlook crashes/freezes and also raises the risk of PST file corruption. To prevent these issues, you can split large-sized PST files. You can use the manual methods, mentioned in this post, to split PST. However, these methods have some limitations. The best way to split PST files is by using a dedicated PST splitter software, such as Stellar Splitter for Outlook.

5 Ways to Recover Deleted Email Items in Outlook

Sharad Singh — Sun, 21 Feb 2021 18:20:23 +0000

Summary: In this post, we’ve discussed 3 effective ways to recover deleted email items in Outlook. Also, we’ve mentioned 2 workarounds that can help you get back the purged emails.

You can retrieve deleted emails (in Outlook 2019 and 2016) if they still exist in your 'Deleted Items' or ‘Trash' folder. And in some cases, you can even try recovering the items that have been removed from the Deleted Items folder.

Now let’s discuss in detail the methods to recover deleted email items in Outlook.

How to Recover Deleted Items in Outlook?

Following are the 3 most effective ways to recover your email items in Outlook:

IMPORTANT! Way 1 and Way 2 apply to users with an Outlook account connected to Exchange Server. They won’t work for the users having POP3 and IMAP accounts. Also, the deleted emails automatically get purged from the ‘Deleted Items’ folder when the retention period is expired (depending on the Exchange version you are using). In any such case, you can try to restore deleted emails from backup (.PST file) or using a specialized Outlook email recovery tool.

Way 1 – Recover Emails from Deleted Items Folder

All the deleted items in Outlook (like email message, email folder, calendar item, etc.) get moved to the Deleted Items folder. To recover the emails from the folder, follow these steps:

Step 1: In Outlook (2010/2013/2016/2019), from your email folder list, click on the ‘Deleted Items’ folder.

Note: In Outlook 2007, click ‘Tools’, and then click ‘Deleted Items’.

Step 2: Select the message you want to recover and click Move > Other Folder.

Step 3: In ‘Move Items’ dialog box, select the folder where you want to move the recovered emails and then click ‘OK’. For instance, the below image illustrates moving the deleted emails in ‘Recovered Items’ named folder.

The deleted emails will get restored in the selected folder.

Way 2 – Retrieve Emails Using the ‘Recover Deleted Items’ Feature

If you can’t find the emails you want to restore in the ‘Deleted Items’ folder, look for those emails in the ‘Recover Deleted Items’ folder. If you can find them, do the following:

Note: If you can't find the 'Recover Deleted Items from Server' option on the menu, your Outlook account does not support retrieving an item removed from the Deleted Items folder. In that case, skip to the next solution or try implementing Workaround 1 to resolve the issue.

Step 1: Click the ‘FOLDER’ tab from the menu and then click ‘Recover Deleted Items’.

Step 2: For recovering all the deleted Outlook emails, click on the ‘Select All’ icon (refer to the image below).

Note: Alternatively, to perform selective email recovery, choose the emails you want to restore and then click the ‘Recover Selected Items’ option.

Step 3: Once all the emails are selected, click the ‘Recover Selected Items’ option.

After executing these steps, the deleted emails will get restored in the ‘Deleted Items’ folder.

Way 3 – Use an Outlook Deleted Email Recovery Tool

If the above solutions don’t work for you, using an Outlook deleted email recovery software, such as Stellar Undelete Email for Outlook might help. The software can recover accidentally deleted or lost emails (and other mailbox items) from Outlook. It scans Outlook data files (OST/PST) and restores emails and other deleted items to a new Outlook PST file.

Workarounds to Recover Deleted Emails in Outlook

IMPORTANT! These workarounds require technical knowledge. Don’t try to attempt them if you don’t feel comfortable performing complex procedures.

Workaround 1 – Set ‘DumpsterAlwaysOn’ Registry Value
Caution! Incorrectly setting the registry value can have serious implications on your PC. So, make sure to use this workaround only if you know how to work with registry values.

If the ‘Recover Deleted Items’ option is grayed out and you have administrator privileges, set the ‘DumpsterAlwaysOn’ Registry value to 1. To do so, perform these steps:

Step 1: In Windows search bar, type ‘regedit’, and then click the ‘Registry Editor’ option.

Step 2: When the ‘Registry Editor’ window opens, browse any of these keys:

For 32-bit version of MS Outlook on a 32-bit Windows version:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Exchange\Client\Options
For 32-bit version of MS Outlook on a 64-bit Windows version:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Exchange\Client\Options

For 64-bit version of MS Outlook on a 64-bit Windows version:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Exchange\Client\Options
Note: If you can’t find ‘Options’ key after clicking ‘Client’, you will need to create the Options key.

Step 3: After opening the key, right-click on the right pane and click New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Step 4: Replace ‘New Value #1’ with the name of DumpsterAlwaysOn and then set its value to 1.

Step 5: Restart Outlook to apply the changes you have made. The ‘Recover Deleted Items’ option would now become available.

Workaround 2 – Turn Your PST Corrupt and Run Scanpst
This workaround requires turning the backup of your PST file corrupt. Once the file is corrupt, run the Microsoft built-in repair utility (Scanpst) to repair the file and recover deleted items from it.

Notes:
• Make sure to make a backup copy of your Outlook .PST file before trying this workaround and implement these steps on the backup copy.

• Choose a HEX editor of your choice to perform the recovery procedure.

Step 1: Open the backup .pst file in a HEX editor. Here, we will be discussing about corrupting PST file in the “HxD” hexadecimal editor.

Step 2: In the “HxD” editor dialog box, choose block 7 through 13 from the left column.

Step 3: Click Edit > Fill Selection…> OK. This will fill the selected blocks with “00”.

Step 4: Save the PST file and exit the ‘HxD’ editor.
Now that the PST file is corrupted, run the Microsoft built-in ‘Inbox Repair Tool (scanpst.exe)” to repair the file. Once the file is repaired, open it in Outlook and check the Deleted Items folder to find the recovered emails.

Wrapping Up!

It's common for Outlook users to delete their important emails accidentally. If you're lucky enough, you can find them in the 'Deleted Items' folder. If the emails you want to recover are not in that folder, you can look for them in the 'Recoverable Items' folder. But, if you can't find any such folder, using a professional email recovery tool for Outlook may help. Also, there are a few workarounds you can try to recover deleted Outlook emails, but they require performing a complicated procedure and sound technical knowledge. Also, the workarounds do not guarantee expected results.

How Do I Find Outlook PST File and Move it?

Sharad Singh — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 16:41:03 +0000

Summary: In this post, we have explained what is a PST file and how to find Outlook PST file location. We have provided different methods to change the .PST file location.

When you set up a POP3 email account in Outlook, the application creates a PST file on the local system at a default location. The PST file stores all the Outlook mailbox items such as, emails, calendars, contacts, etc. It is not required to move or change the location of the PST file, but sometimes situations arise that require you to move .PST file to another location.

You may need to change the PST file location if the hard drive partition in which the file is stored has space constraints. You also need to move the PST file when you are moving Outlook to a new computer.

How to Change Outlook PST File Location?

To move Outlook .PST file to a new location, you need to know its current location first. Once you know the location, you can manually move .PST file to the desired location. Alternatively, you can change PST file location by using Registry Editor. The whole process to find and change the PST location is explained in detail below.

Note: Before proceeding, create a backup of your PST file. This is because the PST may get corrupt or damaged when you try to change its location. If the file becomes severely corrupt, you can use an advanced Outlook PST repair software to repair the file and recover all its data.

Step 1: Find the Default PST Location
The .PST is created at a default location on your system. The default Outlook data file location is given below, based on the Outlook versions:

•Outlook 2007 & 2010: C:\users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

•Outlook 2013, 2013, & 2019: C:\users\username\Documents\Outlook Files

If you can’t find the PST in the default location, proceed to step 2. Else, jump directly to step 3.
Step 2: Find PST Location by using Outlook
You can find the .PST file location by using Outlook. To do that, follow these steps:

Open the File tab and click Account Settings.
In the Account Settings menu, select Account Settings.
In the window that pops up, open the Data Files tab and select the PST file in question.
Click Open File Location. Outlook will open the folder in which the PST is located.

Step 3: Manually Move PST File to New Location
Moving PST to a new location is easy. You just need to follow these steps:

Close Outlook.
Manually move .PST file to the new location.
Restart Outlook. The application will notify you that the PST file is missing.
Provide the new location.

If you are unable to manually change the PST file location, go to step 4.

Step 4: Change Outlook PST Location Using Registry Editor
To change Outlook .PST file location, you can also use the Registry Editor and set up the ForcePSTPath registry key for Outlook.

Note: This method works for Outlook 2010 and later versions. Also, it will only work for new Outlook accounts. If you need to change the PST location of an existing account, recreate the account first.

To change PST location by using Registry Editor, follow these steps:

Press Windows + R keys to open the Run utility. In the Run window, type “regedit” and click the OK button.
In the Registry Editor, follow the appropriate path depending on your Outlook version:

o Outlook 2016, 2019, & Office 365:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook
o Outlook 2013:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook
o For Outlook 2010:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook

Right-click the Outlook folder. Click New and then click Expandable String Value.

Type ForcePSTPath and save it as the string value.
Right-click ForcePSTPath and select Modify.
Enter the new location for the PST file and then click OK.
Close Registry Editor and restart Outlook. Now, Outlook will create a new PST file automatically at the new location, when you create a new mail account.

What if PST Becomes Corrupt During Relocation?

Moving large Outlook .PST files, especially across a network, can sometimes result in file corruption. This is usually confirmed by Outlook messages that say that there are errors in the PST or the PST could not be found.

If the PST file has mild corruption, you can repair the file with Outlook’s Inbox Repair Tool. It’s located in Outlook’s installation folder. If the PST file is severely corrupt, you need to use an advanced third-party PST file repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for Outlook. The software can easily repair severely corrupt PST file of any size in a few simple steps.

Conclusion

Sometimes, situations arise when you need to change the Outlook PST file location. For instance, you need to change the PST location when you are moving Outlook to a new computer or there is a space constraint on the hard drive partition where the PST file is saved. You can change the Outlook data file location easily by deleting the file and setting the new location when you relaunch Outlook. Alternatively, you can change the location by using the Registry Editor.