3. Remove Password from Outlook

How to Unlock Password Protected PST File?

MS Outlook is recommended due to its simple usage and easy interface. The features available in this desktop email client are innovative and gives a list of privileges to their users apart from sending or receiving emails. One of the privilege known as password protection is also from the list of that features that allow an Outlook user to secure their PST file from unwanted access.

Encryption over an Outlook PST file gives a better and enhanced privacy level of your Outlook data. Means, a person without having credentials will not have the rights to open password protected PST file.

Securing Outlook emails is a good practice, but fails when a user forgot the password which he had applied to the PST file in order to make it secure or private. For example, your network administrator might have input a password on your data file while configuring an account for you. And now when you are trying to access the same data file, Outlook is prompting a pop-up to input password which network admin has defined earlier.

To unlock password protected Outlook PST file, a user should be familiar with the multiple functions of MS Outlook, which is used to break or change encryption.

Method #1 For Removing Password:

Note: For this method password must be known.

Open MS Outlook application and go to "Account Settings" option from the "Tools" menu.

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For MS Outlook 2010, you can go to "Account Settings" option under the "File" menu.

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Now, go to "Data Files" tab and select the Outlook PST file from which you want to remove the password. Hit twice to open a Outlook Data file or use Settings button location in the above.

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In Personal Folders window, choose "Chane Password" option.

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Now, start assigning a new password to protect PST file and click on "Ok" button.

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Method #2 Remove PST File Password:

This method (tool) only works with the old format of PST file (ANSI).

The tool called "pst19upg.exe" was introduced by Microsoft in order to upgrade old version of PST file is can become accessible in newer versions. However, this application had a downside that it was also able to unlock the password protected PST file so it could be upgraded. But, this downside changed into a new way to remove PST file password. People start enforcing this application on their encrypted ANSI PST file rather than using it for upgrade process. This process of removing the encryption password from a PST file is only possible with the help of "scasnpst.exe".

  • Close Outlook and create a copy of the PST file before moving on to the next step.
  • Run Inbox Repair Tool on the copied PST file and click repair button prompted by it.
  • Hit “Win+R” command to get a Windows command prompt on your screen and input the entire location of “pst19up” along with the PST file name and again press “Enter” button.
  • The path would be like: "C:\My Documents\pst19upg.exe" -x outlook.pst
  • It will make a copy of Outlook PST file with a name “filename.psx”.
  • Rename original Outlook Data file in order to avoid confusion, once the above given step will be implemented.
  • Again, type “pst19upg” – path of your PST file (filename.psx).
  • By using this, a new password free will be created from the PSX file.
  • Open this decrypted PST file in Microsoft Outlook freely.

The above given method is only workable if you are dealing unlocking password protected ANSI PST file. In case of UNICODE PST file, removing password from an encrypted Outlook PST file becomes the cumbersome task and user has to rely on third party utility like Outlook Recover Software.