Outlook Data File(.pst) Usage is Disabled on this Computer

Undoubtedly, Microsoft Outlook is the most popular email client application. However, sometimes Outlook users encounters with some issues while accessing their data files. Outlook Personal Folder file (PST) becomes unavailable due to unknown reasons. And suddenly an error message get pop-up on their screen stated: “Outlook data file(.pst) usage is disabled on this computer”.

The main cause of this error is when adding PST files or adding a new data PST file option is disabled in the Outlook account. Therefore, it is important to fix this issue intermediately to prevent the circumstances that might affect the working functionality of MS Outlook.

Well, in this article we are going to share both the manual and automated solutions to troubleshoot the error in an efficient manner.

Recommendation – To Fix “Outlook Data File(.pst) Usage is Disabled on this Computer”

If you face this “Outlook PST usage is disabled on this computer” error due to a corrupted PST file then you have to use the PST data Repair tool. It will repair the corruption of the file and make it accessible. Moreover, the utility is able to recover deleted data.

Manual Trick to Resolve Outlook Data Files(.pst) Usage is Disabled on this Computer

Here are few manual ways that will help to resolve Outlook data file (.pst) usage is disabled on this computer.

Trick 1: Disable the Outlook Auto-Archive Settings.

This error can be easily resolved by disabling ‘Prevent User from Adding New Data to Existing PST File’ in Outlook settings. Look at the steps required to do so.

1. First of all, install the “Office Administrative 2010 Template” through the MS download center.
2. Next, open the “Policy Management Support” and select the GPO that will be requested Custom settings.
3. Right-click on the Default Domain Policy and click ‘Edit’.
4. Open Outlook settings and keep navigating to get Outlook Options. Now, choose “Other” and click on Auto-Archive.
5. Now Enable the Disable data file & Exit Archive option.
6. Disable the Auto-Archive Settings.
7. Start MS Outlook go to PST Settings.
8. Next, disable the “Prevent User from Adding New Data to Existing PST File” or “Prevent using sharing Exclusive PSTs”.

So now on your local machine, run gpupdate/ force to instantly apply the GPO and log in. After that, you will notice that the final user is not blocked from executing Outlook .pst related operations. Likewise, the ‘Open MS Outlook Data File’ option will be visible when clicking on File in MS Outlook 2010.

So, try to Export and Import Outlook PST data will not result in “Outlook Data Files(.pst) Usage is Disabled on this Computer” error anymore.

Trick 2: By Using Registry Method

Note I: Before using this method, back up the registry for restoration. If you change the registry incorrectly then, you may face a serious problem.

1: Enable users to add new data into existing PST file

To prevent a user from adding new content to an existing Outlook PST data file, do changes in PSTDisableGrow registry entry, asset value to 0. To do that, follow these steps:

1: Open the Registry Editor.

2: Go to the following registry subkey:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office.0\Outlook\PST
[The .0 placeholder states the version of MS Outlook]

3: Under Edit menu, click on New, and then choose DWORD Value.

4: Enter PSTDisableGrow, and press Enter key.

5: Right-click on PSTDisableGrow registry entry that you have created, and then select Modify.

6: Type 0 in the Value data box, and hit OK.

Note II: The PSTDisableGrow registry entry will be set according to the given values:

0 = This is the default value that the user can add new data to an existing PST. file.

1 = User cannot add the new content to an existing PST file.

2: Enable users to add new PST file

The “Outlook data file pst is disabled on this computer” error can be resolved by preventing a user from connecting a single PST file in MS Outlook. In order to perform the same you need to do changes in DisablePST registry entry, as value to 0. Follow the steps carefully to do so:

1: Open the Registry Editor.

2: Locate, and then click the below registry subkey:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office.0\Outlook
[The .0 placeholder indicates the version of MS Outlook]

3: On the Edit menu, go to New option, and then click on DWORD Value.

4: Type DisablePST, and then click the Enter key.

5: Right-click on DisablePST registry and select Modify.

6: Under the Value data box, type 0, and then press OK.

Note: The DisablePST registry entry that can be set to the following values:

0 = User can add PST data files(default value).

1 =User cannot add PST files(PST Functionality).

2 =User can only add exclusive sharing PST data, such as SharePoint PST files.

Remember: If you want to disable PST file usage, then you should follow the above steps to restrict others from using PST files.

The Downside of Manual Methods

1: The above -mentioned techniques are very complicated to performed.

2: You should have technical expertise to perform the above commands.

3: Any incorrect steps may cause huge data losses.

Concluding Thoughts

This blogs resolved one of the most common Outlook issues i.e “Outlook Data File(.pst) Usage is Disabled on this Computer”. In order to mitigate the error, we came up with both the manual and automated solutions. But we have noticed that manual approach is quite difficult to understand. Therefore, to resolve the issue in an easy and efficient way, we have mentioned an automated third-party tool. With the help of this software, users can repair their corrupt Outlook PST files without any data loss.