How to fix Error 0x80070002 in Outlook on Windows 11/10

Microsoft Outlook is a widely used email client among enterprise users and regular consumers alike. However, the program is not without its errors. One such error, code 0x80070002, can occur when attempting to create a new email account or when already-existing accounts are having trouble sending or receiving mail. The primary cause of error 0x80070002 is a corrupted file structure or an inaccessible directory where the mail client wanted to create Personal Storage Table files or PST files. This can cause problems when sending or receiving emails, as well as when attempting to create a new account.

If you receive the error message “An unknown error occurred, Error code 0x80070002” when opening or creating a new email account or PST file in Microsoft Outlook on Windows 11/10/8/7, this post will help you resolve the issue.

Fix Error 0x80070002 in Outlook

First of all, I recommend creating a System Restore point just in case you need to roll back to the current state if something goes wrong.

We will verify if the PST files are being created without any issues. For that, you will need to navigate to the following paths-

C:\Users\YOUR USERNAME\App Data\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
C:\Users\YOUR USERNAME\Documents\Outlook Files

Now, to find the App Data folder, start by hitting WINKEY+R, then type in %localappdata% and hit Enter. After that, follow the path above.

In case you are not able to navigate to the path stated above, you will need to create this path manually.

So, navigate to C:\Users\<USERNAME>\Documents and then create a new folder and name it as OutlookNew.

Then, hit the WINKEY + R button combination to launch the Run utility, type in Regedit, and hit Enter. Once Registry Editor opens, navigate to the following key location-

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\

Now, under the Office folder, open the folder named after the version of the Office software installed on your computer.

Refer to this list for your version number-

Outlook 2007 = \12.0\
Outlook 2010 = \14.0\
Outlook 2013 = \15.0\
Outlook 2016 = \16.0\

Now, when you are inside your appropriate folder, right-click anywhere on the right panel, hover over New and then click on String Value.

Name the new key as Force PST Path and then press OK.

Next, right-click on the Outlook New folder and select Modify from the drop-down menu. In the Value Data field, enter the path of the Outlook New folder. Click OK to save the changes and exit the Modify window.

Close the Registry Editor and reboot your computer for the changes to take effect.