You may have heard the issue of Outlook or Outlook Web Access (OWA) OST synchronization with Exchange Server does not occur properly. It is one of the most common problems that Outlook users face.
Here Are the Indications Of Synchronization Issues in Outlook and OWA
- There is difference in numbers of emails in folders of Outlook Web Access and Outlook 2003/2007/2010.
- Outlook is not running smoothly but as you disable the cached mode, the problem has fixed.
- Experiencing error messages often while the OST file synchronize with Exchange Server.
- OST inaccessibility issue
- After synchronizing OST with Exchange Server, a few items in the OST file (emails, tasks, calendars, contacts, etc.) and Exchange mailbox go missing.
Fixing the Issue – Synchronization Issues in Outlook and OWA
Do you know Microsoft offers an in-built solution or the OST Integrity Check tool to fix the OST synchronization issues between OST and Exchange Server? With this tool, the locally saved OST file is examined and scanned for the number of items. It is called mailbox comparison.
If the tool (scanost.exe) notices any differences, it settles the issues. If there are no differences, no modifications take place in the mailbox data. The tool records the issues in the scan log under Deleted Items folder. If the add-on tool fails to fix the issue, it will serve the notification about it. You will receive an email notification with the subject ‘OST Integrity Check’.
For Outlook 2003/ 2007 Users
If you are a user of Outlook 2003 or 2007, you can run the Scanost.exe tool to check out inconsistency with .ost files. As you download the OST Integrity Check Tool, it automatically scans the system and fix the OST file not synchronizing issue.
Location: Scanost.exe
- a) Hit twice the ‘Scanost.exe’ icon and provide the Profile Name containing the OST file that you want to target. You have two options to choose: Connector Work Offline. Hit the “Connect” tab.
- b) The above process is manual to let the OST Integrity Check tool works. If you want the OST Integrity Check tool works automatically to fix the differences, enable the check box for ‘Repair Errors’. Click ‘Begin Scan’ and fix the OST file synchronization issue.
For Outlook 2010 Users
For Outlook 2010, the OST Check Integrity Check tool is not available. So, if you experience the same problem, you require resynchronization of the folder. Below are the steps to follow:
- a) Take your cursor on the folder that you want to resynchronize and right-click on it to select ‘Properties’ from the drop-down menu.
- b) Hit the ‘Clear Offline Items’ option and then press OK
- c) Now in the application ribbon, click on the ‘Send/Receive’ tab to start the sync process
- d) After that, press the ‘Update Folder’ tab.
If the above solution fails, you have the only option left is re-building the OST file. The tasks include deleting all data from the folder, and download it again from Exchange Server.
Steps of Re-Building An OST File:
Delete the existing data from the targeted OST file and rename it.
1) Find out the target OST file and navigate the Start button and paste the following path on the run textbox:
Windows XP: C:\ Documents and Settings \ <alias> \ Local Settings \ Application Data \ Microsoft \ Outlook
Windows Vista/7: C:\ Users \ <alias> \ AppData \ Local \ Microsoft \ Outlook
2) If you don’t see the folder, it requires ‘Unhide’ the folder. For this:
- a) Access ‘My Computer’ and from the ‘Tools/Organize’ menu, drop down to ‘Folder Options/Folder and Search Options
- b) Go to the ‘View’ tab to disable the ‘Hide Extensions for Known File Types’
3) By default, the cache copy of the Exchange database will save as ‘Outlook .ost’. If you have an existing OST file, a new OST file will be created with a suffix. Example: ‘Outlook1.ost’. You can rename the OST file.
4) If you notice the ‘File is in Use’ error, confirm the Outlook .exe and Winword.exe processes are not active at the backend. Here, access Task Manager (CNTRL+ALT+DEL) and look if these processes are active or in the running state. If it is in the running process, hit on the processes in the list and press ‘End Task’.
5) After renaming the OST file, restart Outlook. The “Preparing for first use” message will appear. Wait for mailbox synchronization with the new OST file. The process may consume time if the file size is large.
6) After the syncing process is done, confirm whether the problem has resolved. If you notice the problem has fixed, the issues may not be related to the OST file.
Professional Solution to Fix This Problem
OST files are prone to corruption. If you notice the problem has not fixed, you can switch your OST files to Outlook PST file . For this, you can use a third-party application or consider a manual step. If the OST file is damaged or inaccessible, manual conversion of OST is impossible to achieve.
In this situation, you can use a professional WholeClear OST to PST Converter to repair and export OST files. A professional application helps to retrieve data with quality. Complete conversion support you get.