When working on MS Outlook 2003 or later versions, the user is provided with an enhanced feature for offline folder called – Cached Exchange Mode. This feature offers the smooth synchronization and offline operations between Exchange Server and Outlook. However, due to the sensitive nature of offline folder (OST files), there are frequent chances of corruption. At times, when your Exchange mailbox or offline folders are not in inconsistent state, then the user may face the following error:

“Exchange is currently in recovery mode. You can either connect to your Exchange server using the network, work offline, or cancel this logo”

The above-mentioned error message describes that Exchange Server and Outlook are currently in recovery mode. In this situation, the user is provided two options for recovery, which are:

  1. Online Mode: When you select ‘Connect’, then you can access Exchange Server, but not the old OST files. However, if you wish to access the mailbox data from old OST files, then you need to exit from MS Outlook program and switch to other option offline mode.
  2. Offline Mode: This ‘Work offline’ option lets you to access your old OST file data in offline mode. However, this option does not let you access Exchange Server.

With the above-featured options, the user can successfully access data of OST files or new mailbox data available on Exchange Server.

How to Exit from Exchange Recovery Mode Issue and Get Your Outlook Back to Normal Functioning

    1. Close MS Outlook program and rest of the programs using the old OST file.
    2. Search your old OST file, by using the Search function in Windows bar, or simply find the old OST file in the default location for the offline folders.
    3. Before moving further, it is important to back-up your old OST file for the sake of safety and avoid losing your essential data.
    4. Now, turn off the Cached Exchange Mode option.
      • Launch Outlook program.
      • Reach Tools menu, and click E-Mail Accounts, and then go to View or change existing e-mail accounts option, and click Next to proceed further.
      • When Outlook processes e-mail for these accounts in the following order list appears, then select Exchange Server e-mail account, and choose Change option
      • Select to clear the Use Cached Exchange Mode check box, under Microsoft Exchange Server option.
      • Close MS Outlook application.
    5. Now you can rename or delete your old offline folder (OST) file.
    6. Enable Cached Exchange Mode option.
      • Launch MS Outlook application.
      • Go to Tools menu, select E-Mail Accounts. Go to View or change existing e-mail accounts, and then click Next to proceed further.
      • When this list appears ‘Outlook processes e-mail for these accounts in the following order’, then select Exchange Server e-mail account, and select Change
      • Turn on the Use Cached Exchange Mode check box, under Microsoft Exchange Server.
      • Close MS Outlook program.
    7. Rebuild a new OST File. Restart Outlook and make sure the settings for the new Exchange mailbox account in Outlook are correct, and Outlook can connect to your Exchange server successfully. Then send/receive your emails on the corresponding Exchange mailbox, which will let Outlook create a new offline folder file automatically and synchronize its data with the Exchange mailbox.If this method doesn’t work, then your current mail profile is incorrect, and you must delete it and create a new one, as follows:
      • Exit Microsoft Outlook program
      • Go to Start, and then select Control Panel.
      • Select Switch to Classic View, in case you are working on Windows XP or later versions.
      • Double-click Mail.
      • Under the Mail Setup dialog box, select Show Profiles.
      • Choose the incorrect profile from the list and select Remove option to remove it.
      • Repeat step 6 until all the incorrect profiles have been removed.
      • Select Add option to make new profile and configure email accounts as per their settings on the Exchange server.
      • Launch MS Outlook and then resynchronize your Exchange mailbox. Now exit Exchange Recovery Mode.
    8. You can now import recovered OST data after you have exit Exchange Recovery Mode

However, if the above-mentioned problem is unsuccessful to resolve this issue, then trust a third-party OST to PST software to repair corrupt OST file and then convert it to PST file – in order to make your Outlook mailbox accessible immediately. Recoveryfix for OST to PST is a user-friendly tool to recover lost/inaccessible data from OST files and then convert to PST files successfully in a single attempt.