‘outlook.pst is not compatible’ occurs when the PST file is created in the UNICODE format but a user tries to open it with the ANSI format email client version.

Here at Bobcares, we have seen several such Outlook related errors as part of our Server Management Services for web hosts and online service providers.

Today we will take a look at the cause of this Outlook error and its fix.

Why the outlook.pst is not compatible

Before we get into the solution part of the error, let’s see what causes this error to occur.

When the PST file is created in the UNICODE format but the user tries to open it with ANSI format. Then this error occurs.

It also occurs when a user creates a PST with newer versions of Outlook and tries to open it with the older versions.

As a result, this error shows that the PST you are trying to open is not fit to open due to the wrong format.

How we resolve the error ‘outlook.pst is not compatible’

Now let’s take a look at how our Support Engineers resolve this error message.

In order to fix this error, we need to copy the content of the Outlook 2007 file to a non-Unicode file that is ANSI based file. To do it, we follow the below steps.

1. First, we run Outlook.
2. Next, we locate the file in question by clicking on “Data File Management”, and click “Add”.
3. Now, we choose “Outlook 97-2002 Personal Folder File (PST)” and click “OK” to form an ANSI file. After this, we close the window.
4. At the bottom of the navigation pane, we will see the newly created .pst file in the “Folder List”.
5. After that, we drag the data from the existing folders of Outlook 2003 or 2007 to the new .pst file. As an alternative, it is possible to use an Export Wizard or import for the “File” menu.
6. Finally, we choose the newly created .pst file and click “Close File_Name”.

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Conclusion

In short, this error suggests that PST you are trying to open is not fit to open due to the wrong format. Today, we saw the solution our Support Engineers provide to resolve this error.