Volume 31 Issue 3

Issue Date: February 12, 2026 « Previous Issue | Next Issue »

The following articles were included in our Exchange Messaging Outlook (EMO) newsletter published on February 12, 2026.

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Missing IMAP Contacts and Calendar

A user reinstalled Windows. He uses an IMAP account in classic Outlook and did not export his contacts. He wondered what happened to them.

When contacts and calendar are in an IMAP account, they are not backed up anywhere. They are only in this data file and if anything happens to it, the contacts and appointments are lost. That’s why the folders are named “(This computer only)".

While the user did not export his contacts, he used “Backup and Restore” to make a copy of his hard drive. He can mount it in File Explorer and get the IMAP data file out but will need to use a third-party utility to get the contacts out as the IMAP data file can only be opened by the account and profile that created it.

If by “contacts”, the user means the autocomplete list, that is easy to restore as long as you have a copy of the Stream_Autocomplete file from the old computer. It’s at [drive letter]: > Users > [username] > AppData > Local > Microsoft > Outlook > RoamCache. If there is more than one, check the last modified date. It should be the newest autocomplete file. If there are more than one, it should be the largest.

Copy the file to the new computer. I always paste a couple of copies, just so I have them if needed. Close Outlook and change the file name to the name of the autocomplete file the new profile created. Restart Outlook.

Sometimes Outlook won’t use the new autocomplete file. When this happens, I blame “user error” and try again. If all else fails, I use NK2Edit to export the addresses to a CSV and then merge the old autocomplete file with the new one.

To recover lost calendar events, you need to use OST to PST software. However, if all of the missing items are meeting invitations, they should repopulate the calendar as the messages sync. If not, see Convert an .OST to a .PST for recommended third party software.

For more information, see these articles:
Using IMAP Accounts in Outlook
Moving Outlook's auto-complete address list to a new account

Features Missing in New Outlook?

A user said they were missing junk mail and other settings from new Outlook. He shared that he was using an IMAP account.

If the only account(s) in new Outlook are IMAP, the settings will only list the options that are available for IMAP accounts.

Among the mail options missing are Rules, Junk email, and Quick Steps. Forwarding is also missing – if you want to forward all IMAP mail automatically, you need to set it up in your web mail.

When an Outlook.com account is added to the profile, more settings are available, even if the IMAP account is set as the primary account. Microsoft 365 business accounts will have a few additional options not supported by consumer accounts.

When a Microsoft account is in the profile, if a feature is not supported for some accounts, such as Junk email, you’ll see a message like this when you select the account in the settings dialog: “[Feature] settings are not supported for the selected account”.

Clean up Large Data Files

A client received an error message that his PST file reached the maximum file size, and he wanted to know how to fix it. He tried deleting mail but received the error too.

The maximum data file size is 49 GB. When it’s full you can't delete mail using the Delete function. This is because Delete copies the message to the Deleted items folder then permanently removes it from the original folder. If you want to delete mail, you need to permanently delete it. Hold Shift and the click Delete. Ok the dialog that asks if you want to permanently delete the message(s).

You can (usually) archive mail or manually move it to a new PST when the data file is full. You can use the manual archive function in File > Tools > Clean up old items. This will allow you move mail in specific folder (and subfolders), or the entire data file, to a new PST. Select a date to archive older items than the date and run it. Note that it uses the messages last modified date, not created date, so some older mail might not be archived if you changed a flag or category, replied, or even marked it read as those will change the last modified date.

After you delete some large messages, archive or move messages to a new PST, or empty the Deleted items, you should compact the PST so you have some breathing to download new mail or delete mail (to the Deleted items folder). Right click on the PST name in the folder list, choose Data file properties then Advanced button and click Compact.