Instant Methods to Fix ‘The Set of Folders Cannot be Opened’ Error in Outlook

Have you ever come across the error message ‘Cannot Start Microsoft Outlook, The Set of Folders Cannot Be Opened’? 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 ‘The Set of Folders Cannot Be Opened’ error in Outlook.

A standard way of resolving any error is knowing the cause by which it occurred but the Outlook ‘Set of Folders Cannot Be Opened’ 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 ‘The Set of Folders Cannot Be Opened’ error.

Common Fixes for The Set of Folders Cannot Be Opened in Outlook 2016/ 2013/ 2010

Try these solutions and check the Outlook error is fixed or not

Create New PST File in Outlook

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

  • From your computer go to Start and click on Control Panel
  • Now, click on the mail icon and a new window appears
  • Click on Show profiles button and the default mail file properties will open

add owa account to outlook for windows

  • Click on Add and name the PST
  • Click on ‘Auto Account Setup’ and enter all the information about email as asked

set as default pst

  • As soon as the file created it will appear in the ‘General’ tab section
  • In the When starting Outlook, use this profile option, select ‘Always use this Profile’
  • Finally, click on OK
  • Restart Outlook and it will open without any error

Disable Add-ins by Starting Outlook in Safe Mode

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

  • Go to desktop and press ‘Window+R’ to launch ‘Run’ Window
  • Now type “Outlook /safe”, remember there is space between Outlook and /. Press OK to open Outlook

outlook safe mode

If the Outlook opens without any errors and you can work without interference then the Add-ins must be prevented from running Outlook

Disable Outlook Add-ins

  • Go to File then Options and click on Add-ins
  • At the bottom of the window select ‘COM Add-ins’ and press the ‘Go’ button

disable outlook add-ins in safe mode

  • The Add-ins used by Outlook will be shown in the ‘COM Add-ins’ section
  • Uncheck all the add-ins and restart Outlook
  • You can also disable each add-in one by one and start Outlook to know which is causing the problem

disable outlook addins

  • After performing all steps, restart Outlook and check ‘The Set of Folders Cannot Be Opened in Outlook’ is fixed or not.

Reset Outlook Navigation Pane

Most of the Outlook folders reside in the navigation pane and custom settings may hamper with these folders resulting in “the set of folders cannot be opened” 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.

  • Go to Start and type run. Hit enter to launch run window or simply press window+R
  • In the run tool, type “outlook.exe /resetnavpane” and press enter

outlook reset navigation pane

  • The settings of Outlook navigation pane will reset
  • Start MS Outlook and the error will be resolved

Fix Outlook Folder Issue with ScanPST.exe

ScanPST.exe is an inbuilt tool to repair PST file. Use this utility to fix minor Outlook PST issues and repair.

  • Launch Windows Explorer and browse to the location where Outlook is installed
  • Outlook 2016 users can follow the path C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16
  • Now look for ScanPST.exe and start it

scanpst outlook repair tool

  • In the Browse, button add the PST file and click on Start
  • It will look for errors in PST and show the collected errors

repair corrupt pst with scanpst

  • Now click on Repair to remove PST error and fix ‘The Set of Folders Cannot be Opened’ in Outlook error

The PST Repair Tool

Manual methods are free and expected to resolve the ‘Cannot Start Outlook. Unable to open Outlook. The set of folders cannot be opened’ error. But, if the PST is highly corrupted then you will require an Outlook PST Repair tool. 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 ‘The Set of Folders Cannot Be Opened’ error in Outlook.


Download Stellar Repair for Outlook


These are some of the solutions to fix Outlook error and users can try any one of them to resolve ‘The Set of Folders Cannot Be Opened’ in Outlook 2016/ 2013/ 2010/ 2007.

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