When the Send/Receive process fails in Outlook, a common reason is the "Outlook data file cannot be accessed" error.
The error may occur because an Outlook .pst file has been moved from one disk location to another, and it may occur if the Outlook profile has become corrupted.
Determine the type of account
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Choose File and then open the Account Settings dialog box.
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On the Email tab, select the problematic account, and take note of what it says in the Type column. If the type is POP/SMTP, use the first procedure below to try to fix the error. If the type is IMAP, use the second procedure below, Repair the error for IMAP accounts to try to fix the error.
Repair the error for POP accounts
In this procedure, we temporarily create a new Outlook data file, switch to that Inbox briefly, and then switch back to the Inbox in your actual Outlook data file.
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From the Account Settings dialog, choose the Email tab.
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Select the problematic account , with the problematic account selected, click Change Folder.
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Choose New Outlook Data File.
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Type a name for the new data file, such as Temporary, and then choose OK.
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Expand the new data file that you just created, and choose the Inbox folder under it. Choose OK.
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On the Email tab in the Account Settings dialog box, choose Change Folder again.
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In the New Email Delivery Location dialog box, choose your real data file, rather than the temporary one you created a few moments ago. Expand it and choose the Inbox folder under it. Choose OK.
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Close Account Settings and try the Send/Receive command again.
Repair the error for IMAP accounts
In this situation, you remove the account and then create a new one with the same email address and password. Removing the account does not cause you to lose your email messages, because with an IMAP account, the messages are stored on a server, rather than on your computer.
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In the Account Settings dialog box, select the problematic account.
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Choose Remove.
Now you can re-create the account.
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Click New.
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In the Add New Account dialog box, under Choose Service, ensure that Email Account is selected, and then choose Next.
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Type your name, the email address, and the password of the account you want to recreate in Outlook.
A progress indicator appears as your account is configured. The setup process can take several minutes.
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To close the Add New Account dialog box, click Finish.
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Try the Send/Receive command in Outlook again.
For information about other possible solutions to the "Outlook data file cannot be access" error, try the following links.
See Also
Error occurs when you send or receive an email message in Outlook or Outlook Express
