How to Fix Error 0x80004001: Failed to add PST file in MS Outlook 2016

Fix Outlook error 0x8004001

MS Outlook error 0x80004001 appears when a user fails to add PST in Outlook 2016. 0x80004001 is the most common error that occurs in Microsoft Outlook. This blog speaks about the simple methods to fix Outlook PST import error when unable to import PST.

Listed below are some of the most important reasons why you would want to import PST files to Outlook.

To move Outlook data from one PC to another or from one email account to another
To move from PC to Mac or from Mac to PC
To move Outlook data between folders and an Exchange Server

If you want to import PST file to Outlook, it is a pretty simple process. All you need to do is go to File menu in Outlook and click Import/Export. Then select your PST file to import and that’s it. In most of the cases, when you try importing the PST file, you may encounter errors like ‘Failed to add PST in Outlook 2016: Error 0x80004001’.

Before heading towards error fixing methods, it is important to know the causes that give rise to the error. Let us move forward to know the reasons that are responsible for “Microsoft Outlook an unknown error occurred code 0x80004001”.

Various causes that lead to error 0x80004001 code system file corruption:

The main cause for 0x80004001 Outlook error is system file damage. Due to which corrupt file entries get stored in the system and give rise to error 0x80004001. Apart from corruption there are other causes that leads to error 0x80004001.

Bug Check Screen: Also known as Blue Screen or stop error screen. Microsoft Windows displays Outlook error code 0x80004001displayes when an unrecoverable fault causes the system to crash subsequently.

DLL Error:

The DLL is considered the most prominent component of any program or system. If the Dynamic Link Library is missing, the application would not run.

Frozen Outlook Application:

Frozen Outlook application can be the alarming sign of the file corruption that leads to the error. To make the Outlook work the error needs to be fixed ASAP.

In the above section, we have discussed almost all the reasons that result in “Microsoft Outlook an Unknown Error Occurred Code 0x80004001”. In the next section, we are going to discuss about the methods to resolve the Outlook error.

5 Easy Methods to Resolve Error 0x80004001: Failed to add PST in Outlook 2016

Disable anti-virus temporarily

Certain anti-virus programs may interfere with some actions that you perform in Outlook. In this case, the anti-virus program could be interfering with you importing the PST file and contributing to the error ‘0x80004001’. In order to resolve this problem, disable the anti-virus temporarily and import the PST file. Now check if the error is resolved. If not, proceed to the next step.

Use Outlook’s safe mode to fix 0x80004001 error

Using Safe Mode allows you to start the application without add-ins and this will help you know that, is it the add-ins creating conflicts between the applications.

To start Outlook in Safe Mode, follow the steps below.

Click on the Start menu and select Run
In the Run window, type ‘Outlook /safe’ and click Ok

If the Outlook starts in Safe Mode, try importing the PST file. If it is successful, we can conclude that add-ins are the source of the problem. In that case, you can disable add-ins in the standard Outlook mode by following the instructions given in next method.

Disable the add-ins

Open Outlook and click File > Options > Add-ins
In the Manage drop down menu, select COM Add-ins and click Go
Make a note of the selected add-ins and clear all checkboxes, then click Ok
Restart Outlook and once again choose File > Options > Add-ins
Select the add-in that was selected earlier (use the notes in step 3) that you want to re-enable
Repeat these steps until all the add-ins that were selected earlier are enabled. Now, if the error re-occurs, then you have found the trouble causing add-in.

If the error failed to add PST file still persists, this could be because of the severe corruption in the Outlook files. To fix corruption in Outlook files, you can make use of Inbox Repair tool. This is a tool, used to fix PST file corruption due to PST size factors, software conflicts, virus/malware etc.

Run the Inbox Repair Tool to fix an error 0x80004001

In order to fix the error ‘0x80004001’, corruption in PST files should be fixed. And this can be done using a built in tool called Inbox Repair Tool. This tool can resolve corruption due to PST size factors, software conflicts, virus/malware etc.

All you have to do is search for Scanpst.exe in File Explorer Search bar and select the PST file to repair. Your file will be repaired and the error ‘0x80004001’ will be fixed.

Important Note: If the process freezes during repairing the file, you might end up losing your PST file permanently. Inbox repair tool works well for minor corruption. If the Outlook file has severe corruption, it is wise to choose a safe and secure tool for repairing and recovering the Outlook PST file.

Remo Repair PST software is the most recommended utility to fix all major Outlook errors including 0x80004001 error. The tool is designed to work on the copy of the damaged or corrupted PST file. Hence, ensures no harm to the original PST file. The tool flawlessly works on all Outlook version i.e. from Outlook 2003 to the 2016 and even on the recent Outlook 2019.