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Solved: The Set of Folders Cannot be Opened in Outlook
Fixing file corruption gets rid of the error in most cases
13 min. read
Updated onMay 30, 2024
updated onMay 30, 2024
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The set of folders cannot be openis one of those errors, and it will prevent you from starting Outlook.
This suggests you might deal with corrupt files, and it can also happen after a Windows update. Whatever the case may be, it’s fixable. Here’s what our team found to be working:
How do I fix Outlook: The set of folders cannot be opened?
1. Start Outlook in safe mode
After disabling add-ins, try to start Outlook again and check if the problem still appears. Some readers reported that theLABBYY FineReaderadd-in was the cause for this problem, so if you have it, be sure to disable it and check if that solves the issue.
Most Windows users don’t know how easy it is to add Safe Mode to the boot menu. Find out how you can do it in justa couple of steps.
2. Run Outlook as administrator and turn off the Compatibility mode
Is some of our tests, we simply cleared this error by starting Outlook as an administrator. Disabling the Compatibility mode also worked.
After making these changes, try to start Outlook again and check if the error message appears again.
Doesnothing happen when you click on Run as administrator? Don’t worry, we’ve got the right fix for you.
3. Use the /resetnavpane parameter
It seems that the problem was caused by the navigation pane in Outlook, and that caused this problem to occur. Once you run this command your navigation pane will reset to default and hopefully, the problem will be fixed.
4. Use scanpst.exe to fix your .ost file
Some of our readers reported thatThe set of folders cannot be openederror can appear if your .ost file is corrupted. To fix the problem, you need to useMicrosoft Outlook Inbox Repair Toolalso known asscanpst.exe, as shown above.
After you repair your .ost file, the error message should disappear and you’ll be able to use Outlook without any problems.
5. Check iCloud
iCloud could cause theThe set of folders cannot be openederror in Outlook because of add-in conflicts, integration issues, or corrupt data files. Try to:
If the issue persists:
After doing that, start Outlook again and check if the error message still appears.
6. Create a new Outlook profile
7. Repair Office installation
After you repair your Office installation, the problem should be resolved and everything should work normally.
8. Make sure that your .pst file is on the C drive
This error can occur if the .pst file from Outlook is located on a drive other than C. Moving it to the C drive fixed the problem for us, so be sure to try that as well.
If interested, read this quick guide to know how tofind the folder that you accidentally movedor deleted.
9. Make sure that the path to the .pst file is correct
Many readers reported this problem because the path to their .pst file isn’t correct. Some users prefer to save this file in a different location, and that can cause the problem to appear.
To fix the issue, you need to navigate toMailsettings inControl Paneland set the correct path to your .pst files. After doing that, the problem should be resolved and you’ll be able to use Outlook without any problems.
10. Remove .xml files from the Outlook directory
This error may occur due to corrupted XML files in Outlook’s directory. To fix the issue, you need to delete those files manually. Removing these files won’t cause any problems since Outlook will recreate them, so there’s no need to worry.
In our solution, we showed you how to fix the problem in Outlook 2016, but the approach should be the same for older versions of Outlook.
11. Clean Microsoft Office credentials
Credentials Manager holds all your local passwords, and to fix the problem, you need to remove credentials for Microsoft Office as shown above.
After you remove the credentials, the problem should be resolved and you’ll be able to use Outlook without any problems.
12. Use Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant
This error message can be quite annoying and it can prevent you from starting Outlook. However, you might be able to fix the problem bydownloading Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant.
According to Microsoft, this tool can fix various Outlook problems, and several users claim that it fixed this issue for them. The tool is completely free and simple to use, so be sure to try it.
13. Remove the user from delegates and add them back again
This error message can sometimes appear while using a shared mailbox. To fix the issue, users are suggesting removing users from delegates or permission-level access and adding them back again.
After doing that you just have to restart Outlook and the problem should be resolved completely.
14. Delete your account from the Mail app
This error can appear if you have added your email account to the Mail app prior to adding it to Outlook.
After you remove your email account from the Mail app, you should be able to start Outlook without any problems. We don’t know why this problem occurs, but if you’re using the Mail app, remove your email account from it and check if that solves the issue.
15. Export your profile from the registry
Right-click theProfileskey and chooseExportfrom the menu.
Several readers reportedThe set of Outlook folders cannot be openederror message after upgrading from Office 2013 to Office 2016. According to them, they were unable to set their profile in Outlook due to this error.
After doing that, your profile will be added to Outlook and you should be able to use it without any problems. Keep in mind that this is an advanced solution, so if you’re not comfortable editing your registry, you might want to skip this solution entirely.
If youcan’t edit your Windows 10’s registry, read thishandy guide and find the quickest solutions to the issue.
16. Use Google’s DNS
The set of folders cannot be openederror can sometimes appear due to yourDNSconfiguration.
If theDNS server is not responding in Windows 10, you can fix it by following the simple steps from this article.
After you set your DNS, you just need to flush it to complete the process. To do that, follow these steps:
After doing that, your DNS will be changed and any problems with Outlook should be resolved completely.
If you’re havingtrouble accessing Command Promptas an admin, then you better take a closer look atthis guide.
17. Reinstall Outlook and remove its values from the registry
Right-click theOfficekey and chooseDeletefrom the menu.
When your PC restarts, Outlook should be completely removed. Now you just have to reinstall Microsoft Office and the problem should be fixed.
If you want to completely and safely uninstall an app on Windows 10, we recommend you try a dedicateduninstaller tool.
18. Delete the Outlook key from your registry
Keep in mind that this key can sometimes be calledDefault Outlook Profileinstead.
This error can appear if your Outlook Registry key is damaged. To fix the problem, you need to open Registry Editor and delete the problematic key, as shown above.
After doing that, you just need to start Outlook again and the problem should be resolved completely.
Why the set of folders cannot be opened in shared calendar?
File corruption is a common problem in Outlook, and many reported thatThe folder cannot be expanded. This happens if your profile or installation is damaged.
In some instances,new folders aren’t visible in Outlook, and if that happens, you might want to try recreating them.
This problem can also appear ifone or more folders in your mailbox are named incorrectly, so be sure to check that as well.
The set of folders cannot be openederror can prevent you from using Outlook, but you should be able to fix this problem by using one of our solutions.
If any of the emails are damaged in Outlook, you can just fix them quickly usingRepair Toolbox for Outlook. It’s a great tool that repairs all your emails together with all their contents.
For any other suggestions or questions, don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments section below and we’ll be sure to check them out.
More about the topics:email software,Outlook Errors
Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.
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Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s specialized in Windows errors & software issues.
