Where is the pst file for outlook email? outlook data file migration tips

Most people know that Outlook stores emails for each account in a Personal Table Store (PST) file, but figuring out where that file is depends on which version of Outlook you're using. This is where Outlook stores your files and how to move them when needed.

Outlook remains one of the best desktop email clients for Windows and is the de facto client in most businesses that use Microsoft Exchange email servers. Outlook also works well for personal use. It has always provided good support for regular POP3 and IMAP accounts, but has also made great strides in recent years in working with email services like Gmail and Outlook.com. It also provides a fully integrated reliable calendar and reminder system. In most cases, you don't need to worry about the location of your Outlook data files. However, if you want to be sure to back up your files, or want to move them to another hard drive to save space, find and use them as follows.

What is a PST file?

If you've been using Outlook for a while, you've probably heard of PST files. Each email account you set up in Outlook gets its own database in the form of a Personal Storage Table (PST) file that stores emails, calendar items, contacts, and reminders. The data in the PST file may or may not be encrypted and encrypted, depending on your Settings. You may notice that Outlook slows down as more data is stored in the PST file. Sometimes Outlook offers the ability to archive your old emails to help alleviate this problem, just to reduce the amount of old emails you have to deal with in a day.

You may also notice files with the.ost extension in your Outlook data folder. OST files are in the same format as PST, but are often used as temporary offline storage for emails on Exchange servers and webmail hosts such as Gmail and Outlook.com. The idea is that when you disconnect from your email server (for example, when you don't have an Internet connection) and then when you reconnect to the server again, you can still interact with the messages stored in the OST file, and then Outloook will sync everything.

This means that if you are using a standard POP3 or IMAP account, or an Exchange account that is not configured for offline storage, the data will be stored in a PST file. Gmail, Outlook.com and other Webmail hosts will instead get OST files. Exchange accounts can even use OST files for offline access and PST files for data backup.

Where are my PST and OST files saved?

Where Outlook saves the data file depends on which version of Outlook you are running. By default, Outlook 2007 and 2010 store PST files in the following locations in the AppData folder:

C: \ user \ user name \ AppData \ Local \ Microsoft \ Outlook

Outlook also stores all OST files in the same AppData location, no matter which version of Outlook you are running.

Since Outlook 2013, the location of PST files has been moved to the Documents folder. Outlook 2013 and 2016 now store PST files in the following locations:

C: \ user \ user name \ Documents \ Outlook file

You can also find out exactly where PST files for your email account are stored from within Outlook. In Outlook 2010, 2013, and 2016, click the File menu, select the Account Settings drop-down menu, and then click Account Settings. In Outlook 2007, you can find the "Account Settings" option on the Tools menu.

On the Data Files TAB of the Account Settings window, select the account you want to survey, and then click the Open File Location button.

Outlook will open the File Explorer window, showing folders containing PST files (or OST files, if you choose to use one account's folder).

How do I move my PST file?

You can use this method if you want to move your Outlook files off your main hard drive or simply put your Outlook files in a more manageable location. However, you can't simply use file Explorer to move them to a new location. If you try to do this, Outlook will only create a new PST file in its default location, and you may not be able to access some files stored in the actual PST. Instead, you need a brief introduction to the Windows registry to change the default location where Outlook stores data files, and then move existing PST files in File Explorer.

Standard warning: The Registry Editor is a powerful tool, and misuse of it can make your system unstable or even inoperable. This is a very simple trick, and as long as you follow the instructions, you won't have any problems. That said, if you've never used it before, consider reading the information on how to use the Registry editor before you start. And be sure to back up the registry (and your computer!) before making changes. .

First, make sure Outlook is not running. Then, open the registry editor by clicking Start and typing "regedit". Press Enter to open the registry editor and grant it permission to make changes to your PC.

In the registry editor, use the sidebar on the left to navigate to one of the following keys, depending on the version of Outlook you are using:

• Outlook 2016： HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Office \ 16.0 \ Outlook \
• Outlook 2013： HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Office \ 15.0 \ Outlook \
• Look ahead to 2010: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Office \ 14.0 \ Outlook \
• Outlook 2007: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Office \ 12.0 \ Outlook \

Next, you will create a new value exterior key in it. Right click on the outer key and select New > Extend String Value. Name the new value ForcePSTPath. Note that if you are using an OST file instead of a PST file, you can create a file called ForceOSTPath instead. In fact, it is best to create two values so that all Outlook data files are in one place.

Double-click the new ForcePSTPath (or ForceOSTPath) value to open its properties window, then enter the location where you want Outlook to store the new data file in Outlook's Value Data box. When finished, click OK.

You can now exit the registry editor. Outlook should now create the new PST file in the location you specified, and you can also now drag the PST file from your old location to the new location using File Explorer. When you reopen Outlook, everything should continue to work as before.

Whether you're a professional who has used email in Outlook for years, or an individual who wants to back up their Gmail account offline, Outlook is a standard tool in our daily lives. Now you know more about Outlook data files and how to use them. Today's inboxes are large, and PST files can often be some large personal data files, but the methods shown in this article can help you store your data files where you need them.

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