Forgot Password for Outlook Data File

Problem

You have forgotten the password to your Outlook Data File which is required to access your email in Outlook.

Solution

  1. Find where the Outlook Data file is located:
    1. Open the Account Settings window:
      • Office 2010:
        1. Click File (in the top left).
        2. Click the Account Settings button.
        3. In the dropdown that appears click Account Settings.
      • Office 2007:
        1. Click File (in the top left).
        2. Click Data File Management.
    2. Click the Data Files tab.
    3. In the Location column, you will see the full path to the file. Take note of this.
  2. Download the NirSoft PstPassword zip file.
  3. Extract the files and run the PstPassword.exe file.
  4. Once the program is open, click File (on the top menu), then click Select PST File.
  5. Find the PST file by browsing to the folder where it is located.
  6. The file will appear in the list in the program. Double click on it.
  7. In the list of Properties that appears, you will see Password 1, Password 2 and Password 3.
    You can use any of these passwords for the Outlook Data file.
  8. Now when you open Outlook and are prompted for a password, enter one of the passwords given by the program.
  9. You can then change your Outlook password.

65 comments

  1. Great little tool for resetting a password from years ago that the old Windows system “remembered” but no one else did! Thank you so much!

  2. chrome flagged it as malicious and both my virus scanners flagged it as malicious. so i installed used it in Acronis Try & Decide mode and I was able to crack my pst files and to unlock them. great tool. 15 thumbs up

  3. Worked like a dream. Accidentally set a password on outlook and I had no idea what I had set it as. This got me right back in no problems.

  4. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

    You have no idea how tense I was. All my mails since 2007 were in that .pst file and I lost the password because I checked that “Save Password in your list” option in Outlook last year.

    I hve no words to show my gratitude Mr. Carl Norton. You are a life saver for me. 🙂

  5. This tool worked like Magic and provided 3 alternative passwords using which I could open my PST in outlook.
    Excellent and very happy.
    Many many thanks to Mr. Carl Norton.

  6. Microsoft: “IMPORTANT Passwords cannot be reset or recovered if lost. If you forget your password, Microsoft cannot retrieve it.”
    but it’s work! best tool!

  7. I don’t normally leave comments, but it would have been an injustice not to 🙂 this has got to be the first truly straightforward solution I’ve tried for anything. Worked a treat and oh yes…i’m back in business.

    Many thanks

  8. Very Good tool, tried so many things nothing helped ….but this one is really good thanks a lot i got my data

  9. Superrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr oooooooooo Superrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

    Thanks a lot.

    Praveen Velpula

  10. How do I find account settings if I cannot get into Outlook?
    1.Open the Account Settings window:
    ◾Office 2010: …….. How do I do this? Is there a command line to start Office 2010?

    1. Hello Confused, If Outlook is unable to open then you will need to open “control panel” then open “Mail”, from here you will be able to follow the steps in the solution.
      Hope this helps!

  11. Dude! You just saved tons of my Data! Tried many options and nothing worked but this! You are “the savior”.

    Thanks a lot.

  12. Thanks a lot this is very simply useful to everybody if they facing this problem amazing dude ………
    thank you so much once again ……..

  13. Thank you so much!!! Microsoft was telling me that they could not help… ugh!
    You are a life saver!

  14. Thanks a lot !!! I tried almost everything, nothing worked – but this did the job..!! I got my 7 GB of mails back!!

    Great thanks buddy 🙂

    Cheers,
    Jithin

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