%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook To see the message store files, copy and paste: %USERPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook To access the folder holding the toolbar, VBA, rules, and nickname files, copy and paste: Tip: Copy and paste these lines in Windows Explorer address bar to open the folder:
See How to move the IMAP personal folder (*.pst) for the proper way to move IMAP and Internet Subscription folders.Īll other Outlook configuration files are stored in C:\Documents and Settings\ \Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook and cannot be moved. Extend.dat and MSN Connector message stores cannot be moved.
When using Windows 2000/XP, Outlook stores *ost, *.oab, and extend.dat in C:\Documents and Settings\ \Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook. You may need to use Tools | Folder Options | View in Windows Explorer and select Show hidden files and folders. Where do you find these files? You can always start by using your operating system's Search or Find command to locate the particular file types.
Offline Folders File | Personal Address Book | Other Files | Accounts Windows XP File Locations | Vista & Win7 File Locations | Personal Folders Files Video Tutorial: How to create a new profile ost files, but you would need to copy other files to the correct location on the second operating system. If you dual-boot, your profile can point to the same. See How to move the IMAP personal folder (*.pst) for the proper way to move IMAP and Internet Subscription folders. See Moving Outlook to a New Computer for the steps needed to move Outlook files to a new computer. Then use Tools | Account Settings to use the files that you copied. If you have Outlook profiles, name them the same on both machines, so you can use the same files easily.
These files are also the ones that you'd want to copy back and forth between machines if you need to use the same information at the office and at home, for example. Microsoft offers a Personal Folders a backup tool which you can use, but since it can cause Outlook to not close properly or quickly and only supports copying the PST, we recommend copying the files yourself or using a batch file or script to make copies before opening Outlook. Below we provide a chart of Outlook 2007 file locations, followed by notes on particular files. To back up, simply exit Outlook, then copy the files you want to back up. There is no backup process built into Outlook. pst files on your computer.īackup and dual-booting between Windows versions all involve using the same files. Everything, your mail, calendar, and contacts in your Outlook folders are either in a mailbox on an Exchange Server (if you use an Exchange server account) or in Personal Folders.