Outlook 0x80070057 Error: What It Means and How to Fix It

Outlook error 0x80070057 means “the parameter is incorrect”: Outlook passed a value to Windows or the mail server that was rejected, and Microsoft maps it to the MAPI error MAPI_E_INVALID_PARAMETER. In practice it is almost always fixed by refreshing your account sign-in (especially for Gmail), repairing your Outlook data file, creating a fresh profile, or, on company Exchange accounts, a server-side change to how the offline address book is delivered.

The code itself is generic. As the IONOS Digital Guide points out, 0x80070057 also shows up in Windows Update, backup and disk formatting, and it never tells you which setting is wrong. So the trick is to match the fix to what you were doing when the error appeared.

This guide covers classic Outlook for Windows, where this code is reported. Steps reflect Microsoft’s documentation as of November 2026 and may change.

Match the error to its likely cause

Fix 1: Refresh your Gmail sign-in

Many recent reports of 0x80070057 come from Gmail accounts in classic Outlook. Several threads on Microsoft Q&A describe the error appearing when Outlook’s saved Google sign-in stops refreshing correctly. Note that these are community answers, not an official Microsoft article, and some users say the steps did not help them.

The suggested approach is:

1. Close Outlook completely.
2. Open Credential Manager from the Windows Start menu and choose Windows Credentials.
3. Under Generic Credentials, find the entries that start with MicrosoftOffice16_Data:OAUTH2 and contain tp_google_imap_OAuth2. There may be two or four for one Gmail account.
4. Remove only those entries. Leave other Office credentials alone.
5. Reopen Outlook and complete the Google sign-in when prompted.

This forces Outlook to get new authentication tokens without removing the account or its mail.

If the error persists, the same threads suggest removing the Gmail account from Outlook and adding it again. During the Google sign-in, make sure the permission to read, compose, send and delete Gmail is checked. Also confirm IMAP is enabled in Gmail’s Forwarding and POP/IMAP settings, and, if you use a Google app password, that Outlook has the Google app password rather than a Microsoft one.

Answers in those threads also recommend updating Office, but they disagree on which minimum build is needed, so simply install the latest update for your channel via File > Office Account > Update Options.

Fix 2: Repair your Outlook data file

If Outlook can’t read or write its local data file correctly, it can throw 0x80070057 during Send/Receive. Microsoft’s Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe) is the official fix.

1. In Outlook, go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings > Data Files and note the path of the file for the affected account.
2. Exit Outlook.
3. Open File Explorer and go to the Office folder. For Outlook 2016, 2019 and Microsoft 365 Click-to-Run installs, Microsoft lists C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16 (or the same path under C:\Program Files).
4. Double-click SCANPST.EXE, browse to your data file, and select Start.
5. If errors are found, make sure the option to back up the file before repairing is selected, then select Repair.
6. Restart Outlook.

A few details from Microsoft’s .pst repair article worth knowing:

• Older versions keep the tool elsewhere (for example an Office15 folder for Outlook 2013 and Office14 for Outlook 2010). If you can’t find it, search your drive for scanpst.exe; the folder may be hidden.
• Microsoft does not support .pst files stored on a network share. Copy the file to a local drive first.
• You may need to run the tool more than once until it reports no errors.

Scanpst.exe works on both .pst and .ost files. For an Exchange or Microsoft 365 account, the .ost is only a local copy of mail stored on the server, so a damaged one is generally less of a risk to your data than a damaged .pst, but always confirm your mail is visible in Outlook on the web before deleting any local file.

Fix 3: Create a new Outlook profile

A damaged profile can make Outlook pass bad settings to the server. Building a fresh one is a clean test. Microsoft’s profile guide describes the steps:

1. Close Outlook.
2. Open Control Panel > Mail (it appears only if Outlook is installed and has been run once), then select Show Profiles.
3. Select Add, give the profile a name and select OK, then add your account.
4. Back in Show Profiles, choose Prompt for a profile to be used.
5. Start Outlook and pick the new profile.

You can also reach the profile picker by holding Shift while starting Outlook, or by typing Outlook.exe /profiles in the Run dialog (Windows key + R).

One caveat from Microsoft: the Mail applet can’t add Microsoft 365, Outlook.com or other Exchange accounts that require Modern Authentication. For those, create the empty profile, then start Outlook with it and add the account from inside Outlook.

Keep the old profile until you’re sure the new one works. If it does, you can delete the old one from the same dialog.

Fix 4: Rule out add-ins with safe mode

If the error started after installing something, test without add-ins. Microsoft’s troubleshooting article gives the method:

1. Exit Outlook.
2. Press Windows key + R, type Outlook /safe, and select OK. Choose a profile if asked.
3. Try the action that failed.

If it works in safe mode, go to File > Options > Add-ins, choose COM Add-ins, select Go, and turn add-ins off one at a time until you find the culprit. While you’re there, check the Outbox for a large message that’s stuck; deleting or resending it can clear repeated send errors.

Fix 5 (work accounts): The offline address book problem

On corporate Exchange, 0x80070057 has one well-documented cause that you can’t fix from your PC. According to Microsoft’s support article, the error appears and no Offline Address Book (OAB) downloads when the Exchange server is set to distribute the OAB through public folders only. Outlook 2013 and later don’t support downloading the OAB from public folders.

The fix is for your Exchange administrator to enable web-based OAB distribution and make sure Autodiscover is configured correctly. Microsoft also notes that Outlook 2013 and later support only OAB version 4. If you see this error only when the address book updates (for example via Send/Receive > Download Address Book), forward that detail to IT.

What about sfc /scannow and reinstalling?

Many generic guides suggest running System File Checker (sfc /scannow in an administrator Command Prompt) or reinstalling Office. These are reasonable last resorts, and IONOS lists System File Checker as a fix when 0x80070057 comes from damaged Windows system files. But for Outlook specifically, they rarely address the real cause. Work through the account, data file and profile fixes first.

Be wary of guides that push paid “PST repair” software as the first step. Many top results for this error come from vendors of those tools. Microsoft’s free Inbox Repair Tool should be your first attempt.

Quick checklist

1. Gmail account? Clear the Google OAuth entries in Credential Manager and sign in again.
2. POP/IMAP or local folders? Run Scanpst.exe on the data file.
3. Still failing? Create a new profile and test.
4. Started after an add-in? Test with Outlook /safe.
5. Work account and address book errors? Hand it to your Exchange admin.