{"id":1926,"date":"2019-05-31T00:42:35","date_gmt":"2019-05-31T06:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.filerepairtools.com\/tips\/?p=1926"},"modified":"2026-03-07T22:52:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T22:52:00","slug":"instant-methods-to-fix-the-set-of-folders-cannot-be-opened-error-in-outlook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filerepairtools.com\/tips\/instant-methods-to-fix-the-set-of-folders-cannot-be-opened-error-in-outlook\/","title":{"rendered":"Instant Methods to Fix \u2018The Set of Folders Cannot be Opened\u2019 Error in Outlook"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Have you ever come across the error message \u2018Cannot Start Microsoft Outlook, The Set of Folders Cannot Be Opened\u2019? If yes, then the Outlook PST file may be in danger. The error is only a warning to Outlook PST corruption and if it is not handled properly then, Outlook may freeze and fails to function. Thus there could be several outcomes of the error and it can occur in Outlook personal folder or Outlook local folder. To avoid Outlook PST corruption check out the steps to fix \u2018The Set of Folders Cannot Be Opened\u2019 error in Outlook.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/filerepairtools.com\/tips\/instant-methods-to-fix-the-set-of-folders-cannot-be-opened-error-in-outlook\/#Common_Fixes_for_The_Set_of_Folders_Cannot_Be_Opened_in_Outlook_2016_2013_2010\" >Common Fixes for The Set of Folders Cannot Be Opened in Outlook 2016\/ 2013\/ 2010<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/filerepairtools.com\/tips\/instant-methods-to-fix-the-set-of-folders-cannot-be-opened-error-in-outlook\/#Create_New_PST_File_in_Outlook\" >Create New PST File in Outlook<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/filerepairtools.com\/tips\/instant-methods-to-fix-the-set-of-folders-cannot-be-opened-error-in-outlook\/#Disable_Add-ins_by_Starting_Outlook_in_Safe_Mode\" >Disable Add-ins by Starting Outlook in Safe Mode<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/filerepairtools.com\/tips\/instant-methods-to-fix-the-set-of-folders-cannot-be-opened-error-in-outlook\/#Reset_Outlook_Navigation_Pane\" >Reset Outlook Navigation Pane<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/filerepairtools.com\/tips\/instant-methods-to-fix-the-set-of-folders-cannot-be-opened-error-in-outlook\/#Fix_Outlook_Folder_Issue_with_ScanPSTexe\" >Fix Outlook Folder Issue with ScanPST.exe<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/filerepairtools.com\/tips\/instant-methods-to-fix-the-set-of-folders-cannot-be-opened-error-in-outlook\/#The_PST_Repair_Tool\" >The PST Repair Tool<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>A standard way of resolving any error is knowing the cause by which it occurred but the Outlook \u2018Set of Folders Cannot Be Opened\u2019 error has no specific reason. It may be due to failed operation in Outlook or data loss. These common fixes for Outlook application will help to remove the Outlook \u2018The Set of Folders Cannot Be Opened\u2019 error.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Common_Fixes_for_The_Set_of_Folders_Cannot_Be_Opened_in_Outlook_2016_2013_2010\"><\/span><strong>Common Fixes for The Set of Folders Cannot Be Opened in Outlook 2016\/ 2013\/ 2010<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Try these solutions and check the Outlook error is fixed or not<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Create_New_PST_File_in_Outlook\"><\/span><strong>Create New PST File in Outlook<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>PST file is the engine on which Outlook runs. If the settings in Outlook PST are not properly configured it generates the error message. Create a new Outlook PST to resolve the error<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>From your computer go to Start and click on Control Panel<\/li>\n<li>Now, click on the mail icon and a new window appears<\/li>\n<li>Click on Show profiles button and the default mail file properties will open<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-289\" src=\"https:\/\/www.filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/add-owa-account-to-outlook-for-windows.png\" alt=\"add owa account to outlook for windows\" width=\"429\" height=\"274\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Click on Add and name the PST<\/li>\n<li>Click on \u2018<strong>Auto Account Setup<\/strong>\u2019 and enter all the information about email as asked<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-888\" src=\"https:\/\/www.filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/set-as-default-pst.jpg\" alt=\"set as default pst\" width=\"407\" height=\"313\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>As soon as the file created it will appear in the \u2018General\u2019 tab section<\/li>\n<li>In the <strong>When starting Outlook, use this profile<\/strong> option, select \u2018Always use this Profile\u2019<\/li>\n<li>Finally, click on OK<\/li>\n<li>Restart Outlook and it will open without any error<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Disable_Add-ins_by_Starting_Outlook_in_Safe_Mode\"><\/span><strong>Disable Add-ins by Starting Outlook in Safe Mode<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Safe mode enables users to know whether the problem is in Outlook or external factors are affecting its performance. Safe mode uses only Outlook basic features and if it works perfectly in safe mode then there must be a problem with add-ins<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Go to desktop and press \u2018Window+R\u2019 to launch \u2018Run\u2019 Window<\/li>\n<li>Now type \u201c<strong>Outlook \/safe<\/strong>\u201d, remember there is space between Outlook and \/. Press OK to open Outlook<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-817\" src=\"https:\/\/www.filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/outlook-safe-mode-1.png\" alt=\"outlook safe mode\" width=\"413\" height=\"213\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If the Outlook opens without any errors and you can work without interference then the Add-ins must be prevented from running Outlook<\/p>\n<p><strong>Disable Outlook Add-ins<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Go to File then Options and click on Add-ins<\/li>\n<li>At the bottom of the window select \u2018COM Add-ins\u2019 and press the \u2018Go\u2019 button<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1272\" src=\"https:\/\/www.filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/disable-outlook-add-ins-in-safe-mode.png\" alt=\"disable outlook add-ins in safe mode\" width=\"417\" height=\"344\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Add-ins used by Outlook will be shown in the \u2018COM Add-ins\u2019 section<\/li>\n<li>Uncheck all the add-ins and restart Outlook<\/li>\n<li>You can also disable each add-in one by one and start Outlook to know which is causing the problem<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1928\" src=\"https:\/\/www.filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/disable-outlook-addins.jpg\" alt=\"disable outlook addins\" width=\"504\" height=\"207\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>After performing all steps, restart Outlook and check \u2018The Set of Folders Cannot Be Opened in Outlook\u2019 is fixed or not.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Reset_Outlook_Navigation_Pane\"><\/span><strong>Reset Outlook Navigation Pane<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Most of the Outlook folders reside in the navigation pane and custom settings may hamper with these folders resulting in \u201cthe set of folders cannot be opened\u201d error. Outlook Inbox, Drafts, Sent Items, Deleted folder, Contacts, Calendar all are available in the navigation pane, resetting the Outlook navigation pane will fix the issue.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Go to Start and type run. Hit enter to launch run window or simply press window+R<\/li>\n<li>In the run tool, type \u201coutlook.exe \/resetnavpane\u201d and press enter<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1929\" src=\"https:\/\/www.filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/outlook-reset-navigation-pane.jpg\" alt=\"outlook reset navigation pane\" width=\"399\" height=\"206\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The settings of Outlook navigation pane will reset<\/li>\n<li>Start MS Outlook and the error will be resolved<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fix_Outlook_Folder_Issue_with_ScanPSTexe\"><\/span><strong>Fix Outlook Folder Issue with ScanPST.exe<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>ScanPST.exe is an inbuilt tool to repair PST file. Use this utility to fix minor Outlook PST issues and repair.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Launch Windows Explorer and browse to the location where Outlook is installed<\/li>\n<li>Outlook 2016 users can follow the path <strong>C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Microsoft Office\\root\\Office16<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Now look for ScanPST.exe and start it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-732\" src=\"https:\/\/www.filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/scanpst-outlook-repair-tool.jpg\" alt=\"scanpst outlook repair tool\" width=\"363\" height=\"304\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In the Browse, button add the PST file and click on Start<\/li>\n<li>It will look for errors in PST and show the collected errors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1417\" src=\"https:\/\/www.filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/repair-corrupt-pst-with-scanpst.png\" alt=\"repair corrupt pst with scanpst\" width=\"341\" height=\"314\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Now click on Repair to remove PST error and fix \u2018The Set of Folders Cannot be Opened\u2019 in Outlook error<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_PST_Repair_Tool\"><\/span><strong>The PST Repair Tool<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Manual methods are free and expected to resolve the \u2018Cannot Start Outlook. Unable to open Outlook. The set of folders cannot be opened\u2019 error. But, if the PST is highly corrupted then you will require an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.filerepairtools.com\/tips\/review-stellar-ost-pst-converter-pricing-features\/\">Outlook PST Repair tool<\/a>. This is advanced software that deeply scans the PST file and removes all the errors at once. This software is easy to use and highly reliable. One can easily trust on the Outlook PST Repair software as it fixes all the outlook errors without modifying the Outlook data and hence is best to resolve \u2018The Set of Folders Cannot Be Opened\u2019 error in Outlook.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.filerepairtools.com\/outlook-pst-repair.html\"><strong>Download Stellar Repair for Outlook<\/strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-18\" src=\"https:\/\/www.filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/download.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"222\" height=\"60\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>These are some of the solutions to fix Outlook error and users can try any one of them to resolve \u2018The Set of Folders Cannot Be Opened\u2019 in Outlook 2016\/ 2013\/ 2010\/ 2007.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you ever come across the error message \u2018Cannot Start Microsoft Outlook, The Set of Folders Cannot Be Opened\u2019? If yes, then the Outlook PST file may be in danger. The error is only a warning to Outlook PST corruption and if it is not handled properly then, Outlook may freeze and fails to function. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2219,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-outlook"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1926"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7708,"href":"https:\/\/filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1926\/revisions\/7708"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filerepairtools.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}