Fixed “Something is wrong with the data files and Outlook needs to close”

Microsoft Outlook is a popular email client. Millions of email users around the world are using it. It has many features that make it more than an email client. But according to Microsoft, in June 2020 after an update for Outlook an error message indicative of a damaged file[OST or PST] which means “Something is wrong with one of your data files and Outlook needs to close” is received. Encountering error messages is a very frustrating situation, ain’t it? While using Microsoft Outlook client, you’re likely to receive an Outlook error message. If you’re using Microsoft Outlook 2019 or below versions, this Outlook error message is most likely to be received, “Something is wrong with the data files, and Outlook needs to close error”.

The problem is attacking systems that updated to Version 2005 Build 12827.20268 or higher for Microsoft 365 Apps. 

Have you ever encountered this Outlook error message? Have you ever tried to find out the real cause of this Outlook error message? If not, let me help you.

Most Common Reasons for Error “Outlook Needs to Close” :

You just can’t fix Outlook errors until unless you figure out the real cause. That’s really very important. I’m showing you the three most possible reasons for this Outlook error message below:

• Maybe you’re using an outdated version of MS Office suite;
• You might not have been installed the network devices correctly;
• Or, maybe an improper activity is going on in the proxy settings of the MS Office suite.

There might be many other reasons apart from these three (aforementioned). Now we’ll find out how to resolve this specific Outlook problem. First, we won’t use any 3rd party professional tool. We’ll try to fix it manually with some basic tips & tricks. If somehow the manual tricks fail or don’t work, then we’ll switch to a professional solution.

DIY Methods to resolve “something is wrong with the data files and Outlook needs to close”

Method 1: Uninstalling and reinstalling the Office suite –

The very first thing you start is checking the current version of your MS Office suite. Make sure you’re using the latest version. But if you’re using an outdated version, you must upgrade it. If you’re using the licensed version of the MS Office suite, you can directly login to your Office account by providing your username and password. From there, you can install the latest version of the MS Office suite with ease. Once you’ve successfully installed it, you can try to use Microsoft Outlook again. I hope this trick will fix the problem. But if the problem still persists, you can switch to trick #2.

Method 2: Disabling firewall and other security applications –

It may happen that the firewall and other security applications are causing this Outlook error message, “Something is wrong with the data files, and Outlook needs to close”. You should disable all the security applications and the firewall. Also, don’t forget to disable the default firewall settings. Even you should disable the Antivirus program for a few minutes to determine whether it’s causing the issue or not. Once you’re done with all this, you can try to use Microsoft Outlook again. This will surely fix the problem. But if the problem still persists, you can switch to trick #3.

Method 3: Updating the Windows registry –

If you’ve already tried trick #1 & trick #2 but the actual problem still continues, it’s the time to use this final approach. If both the above tricks have failed to resolve the problem, this means the issue might be related to the Windows registry. You need to make some changes or updates in the Windows registry. To perform this trick, you need to use the Windows registry where the Microsoft Outlook client is installed on the machine. It’s very easy to do that. Follow the steps mentioned below:

Microsoft has launched a registry fix to resolve this issue:

• Right-click on windows start button to open Registry Editor and press windows+R to launch Run command.
• Now type Regedit and hit enter button.
• After that navigate to registry path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\PST

• Look for LastCorruptStore and PromptRepair values. Delete these two registry values if they exist.
• Now restart Microsoft Outlook client to check whether the problem has been resolved or not.

Method 4: Using Microsoft Scanpst.exe (Inbox Repair Tool)

If none of these tricks work for you, this means the Outlook data file is corrupt and you must repair it. The best thing you should try here is the Inbox Repair tool aka scanpst.exe utility. It comes as a built-in repair tool with Microsoft Outlook clients. The Inbox Repair tool is highly capable of:

• Scanning corrupt PST file for errors
• Fixing the header corruption issues
• Rebuilding the file structure
• Taking backup of PST file

Note: You can also read another post about what to do when Scanpst.exe does not work.

Microsoft Recommended Expert tool to fix Outlook Errors

Sometimes scanpst doesn’t give you a 100% guarantee of success. In a case of severe corruption, it may fail or not work. Also, Microsoft has validated complaints from Outlook users who are viewing the message but struggle to repair the email client using the prescribed Inbox Repair Tool.  In such a situation, you should look forward to a professional solution like PST Recovery software. Such professional recovery tools are designed to handle a high level of corruption within PST files. It can successfully fix Outlook errors including this one, “Something is wrong with the data files, and Outlook needs to close error”.

Time to sum up:

Still, many MS Outlook user reports getting the error on Outlook with OST files. They said, “Outlook stopped working & the .ost file was corrupt and each time they start outlook it offers to repair the ost – but this does not work and outlook does not start”. No need to worry as you can fix the issues with the OST file by using the SysInfoTools OST to PST Converter tool. This tool repairs the corrupt OST file and restores the data into new PST file. Read here how to fix inaccessible OST file by converting it into PST.

More Information: Something went wrong and Outlook needs to close

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