How to fix “PST File doesn’t show Sub-folders under Inbox”

Manisha Rawat

Updated On - March 14, 2024

When you open Outlook, are you unable to see subfolders in your Inbox? Well, you might think that restarting Outlook may provide you a solution and you do it, but nothing happened. Don’t worry, this blog is going to explain how you can recover or find them.
Missing subfolders happen when a PST is corrupt, its view settings changes or its subfolders are deleted accidentally or deliberately. Read ahead to know the complete solution for this issue.

Reset the Outlook View Settings

Changes in the View settings may lead to such issues where you cannot see the subfolders. So, try resetting them for once. To change the View settings, you can try this method:

1. Start with closing all the instances of Outlook if running.
2. To open run window press Win + R key
3. In the Run Bar, type ‘outlook.exe/resetvpane’ and click on OK.
4. Now create an Outlook profile and migrate files to it.

Reset the Folder View

Resetting folder view may also help you to achieve the desired result. It is very easy to change the folder view. For this, select the folder, click on the View tab on the top of the screen, click on Change View button and select the view from the given options that are Compact View, Single View or Preview. Try this and see if it solves your problem. If not, then proceed to the next method.

Recover Deleted Items

It may also happen that you have deleted subfolders of that particular folder, and this is the reason why you are not able to see them. In this case, you need to recover deleted items by clicking on the Folder option on the top of the screen (make sure that you have selected the concerned folder). In the folder section, locate the Recover Deleted Items option and click on it. A new window will open right after that, and you can proceed with the recovery of deleted items.

But, if you have deleted the whole PST, then you can go for the last method.

Run Scanpst.exe

Scanpst.exe is an inbuilt utility, also known as the Inbox Repair Tool, designed specially to fix and repair corrupt or damaged PST. If you are not able to see the Sub-folders due to corruption in PST, then you can try this method to fix PST and achieve desired results. To run scanpst.exe on your system, you need to follow a few steps:

1. Exit from Outlook and search for Scanpst.exe in the Search bar.
2. Once you locate the Scanpst.exe file, click on it to run it.
3. Now, click on the Browse button and select the PST, which is having issues.
4. Click on the Start button to start the process.
5. Once the scanning process is over if the tool detects error and it is listed there. Click the Repair button.
6. By doing this, the repairing process will take place.
7. Click on OK button to finish the process finally and Run Outlook again to check if the problem is solved.

Scanpst.exe is a free and inbuilt utility that comes with Outlook, and hence, it is not always necessary that you get the desired results every time. So what is next if Scanpst.exe fails to deliver correct result.

Recoveryfix for Outlook

Recoveryfix for Outlook PST Repair is an automated third-party tool that can easily process and repair a corrupt PST file. Not only this, but this tool can also recover the deleted items, so whether it is due to corruption or because you have deleted the subfolders, this tool can fix them all. Let’s check out how this tool works:

1. Click on the Browse button to add the corrupt PST file. Click on Next once you add the file.



2. Once the scanning process is over, you will have the list of items that your PST contains. Click on them individually to have the preview of each item.



3. In the next step, select from the various saving options like where you want to save the recovered file, the preferable formats, split options, the saving destination, and much more.



4. Wait for the saving process to get over or click on Stop to discard the process.



5. Once the saving process is over, you will get the notification of it; click on OK.

How was Experience using the tool?

Well, being a user, I must say that the tool was quick and smooth. It was so easy to perform the action, and every step directed me towards the next one, leaving no scope for confusion. The recovery process is short, and the recovery time is very less, but it doesn’t make the results less reliable. The recovered data was as accurate and structured as it was earlier. Every feature of the tool makes it unique and commendable; I would recommend this tool to everyone who is looking for PST solutions.