Microsoft Outlook 2010: Although mostly identical to Outlook 2007's files, a few things have changed, including the default location for a POP3 pst file is in the My Documents folder and the nickname cache (NK2) is not used by Outlook 2010. See Microsoft Outlook 2010 Backup and Dual Boot File Locations for specifics.
We often get questions like "Where is my Outlook data stored?" "Where are my contact?" "How do I backup my calendar?"
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 .pst files on your computer.
Backup and dual-booting between Windows versions all involve using the same files. There is no backup process built into Outlook. To back up, simply exit Outlook, then copy the files you want to back up. Below we provide a chart of Outlook 2007 file locations, followed by notes on particular files.
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.
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. If you have Outlook profiles, name them the same on both machines, so you can use the same files easily. Then use Tools | Account Settings to use the files that you copied.
See Moving Outlook to a New Computer for the steps needed to move Outlook files to a new computer.
See How to move the IMAP personal folder (*.pst) for the proper way to move IMAP and Internet Subscription folders.
If you dual-boot, your profile can point to the same .pst and .ost files, but you would need to copy other files to the correct location on the second operating system.
Video Tutorial: How to create a new profile
Windows XP File Locations | Vista & Win7 File Locations | Personal Folders Files Offline Folders File | Personal Address Book | Other Files | Accounts Tools | Notes | More Information
Windows XP File Locations
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. You may need to use Tools | Folder Options | View in Windows Explorer and select Show hidden files and folders.When using Windows 2000/XP, Outlook stores *ost, *.oab, and extend.dat in C:\Documents and Settings\
All other Outlook configuration files are stored in C:\Documents and Settings\
To access the folder holding the toolbar, VBA, rules, and nickname files, copy and paste:
%USERPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
To see the message store files, copy and paste:
%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\OutlookNote: Storing Personal Folders on an network file share is not recommended and may cause corruption and data loss.
| Type of File | Name or Extension | Outlook Profile Specific | Folder Location under the User Account path (C:\Documents and Settings\ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Folders | .pst files | Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook (default, but .pst files can be anywhere on system) | |
| Offline and Cache folders used by Exchange server, MSN's Outlook connector. | .ost files | Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook(default, can be moved to anywhere on the system) | |
| Nicknames for AutoComplete | .nk2 files | \Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook | |
| Customized print settings | OutlPrnt | \Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook | |
| Customized toolbar settings | Outcmd.dat | \Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook | |
| Macros and VBA programs | VbaProject.otm | \Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook | |
| Navigation bar customizations | .xml files | X | \Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook |
| Send/Receive group settings | .srs files | X | \Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook |
| Signatures | .rtf, .htm, and .txt files | X | \Application Data\Microsoft\Signatures |
| Stationery | .htm files | \Application Data\Microsoft\Stationery | |
| Templates | .oft files | \Application Data\Microsoft\Templates | |
| Dictionary | .dic files | \Application Data\Microsoft\Proof | |
| Installed Add-ins | extend.dat | Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook Do not backup or copy this file, Outlook will create a new copy. | |
| Safe and Blocked senders lists | Stored in mailbox as a hidden message | Can be exported from Tools, Options, Junk E-mail. Export each list separately. |
Vista and Windows 7 File Locations
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. On Vista you may need to browse to Windows Explorer's Organize | Folder and Search Options | View tab and select Show hidden files and folders.Vista replaces Documents and Settings folder path with a Users path. As a result, in Vista you'll find Outlook stores the PST and OST, in C:\Users\ Live Connector message stores can not be moved but POP3 and Exchange offline or cache storage can be moved to other locations. See How to move the IMAP personal folder (*.pst) for the proper way to move IMAP and Internet Subscription folders. All other Outlook configuration files are stored in C:\Users\ To access the folder holding the toolbar, VBA, send & receive settings, and nickname files, copy and paste: To see the message store files, copy and paste: If you are not connecting to Microsoft Exchange Server, all your Microsoft Outlook data is stored in one or more Personal Folders (.pst) files. Check the properties for Personal Folders in Tools | Account Settings to determine the exact location on your system. Some people like to export a folder, such as Contacts, to a separate backup .pst file. That's fine for the data, but it does not back up any folder customizations such as views and custom forms. If you want to back up those, too, copy the entire folder to a new .pst file instead of using the export feature.Also see: Tools%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
Note: Storing Personal Folders on an network file share is not recommended and may cause corruption and data loss. Type of File Filename or Extension Outlook Profile Specific Folder path under
C:\Users\Personal Folders (including SharePoint Lists) .pst Local\Microsoft\Outlook Offline and Cached mode folders used by Exchange server and the Outlook connector. .ost Local\Microsoft\Outlook RSS feeds in Outlook 2007 .sharing.xml.obi X Local\Microsoft\Outlook Installed Add-ins extend.dat \Local\Microsoft\Outlook
This file does not need to be backed up, Outlook will create a new copy. Nicknames for AutoComplete .nk2 X Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook Customized print settings OutlPrnt Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook Customized toolbar settings Outcmd.dat Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook Navigation bar customizations .xml files X Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook Send/Receive group settings (Outlook 2002 and later) .srs files X Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook Macros and VBA programs VbaProject.otm Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook Signatures .rtf, .htm, and .txt files X \Roaming\Microsoft\Signatures Stationery .htm files \Roaming\Microsoft\Stationery Templates .oft files \Roaming\Microsoft\Templates Dictionary .dic files \Roaming\Microsoft\Proof Outlook 2007 Safe and Blocked senders lists Stored in message store as a hidden message Can export each list to a text file as backup. Tools, Options, Junk Email options. Export each list separately. Personal Folders Files
Offline Folders File
If you use Microsoft Exchange Server, you may have an offline or cache mode folders (.ost) file. You shouldn't need to back it up, since you can always refresh it by synchronizing with the server. However, be sure you understand the procedure for Convert an Exchange Offline file (OST) to a Personal Folders file (PST) . If something ever goes wrong with your Exchange Server mailbox, this technique can save time and information, but you must apply it before you try to connect to the server again.Personal Address Book
Most Outlook users no longer have a PAB because the Personal Address Book (.pab file) is deprecated. If you still have a PAB, the contents need to be imported into your Contacts folder. The *.pab will not open in an Outlook 2007 profile.To Import the *.pab, go to File | Import and Export. Choose Import from another program or file, then scroll down and choose Personal Address Book.Other Files
Outlprnt file contains your custom print settings.Some other miscellaneous files, not necessarily worth backing up:Accounts
Account information is held in the user's Windows registry, not in a file, at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem\ProfilesWhile you could export this key, its not generally recommended because it contains absolute paths to files (in your user account folders) and information about installed add-ins. If the path is not exact when you restore it the profile will be corrupt.4Team Folder Backup for Outlook A free tool to back up a single Microsoft Outlook folder whenever needed. Create an almost instant Outlook folder backup or restore selected Outlook folder data straight from the Outlook toolbar. Restore Outlook folder to the exact state of any previous backups. Back up Outlook folder in just a few clicks, the program will proceed even is Outlook is closed. Instant backup and recovery of a selected Outlook folder in just a few clicks. Restore only those items that have been removed or updated. 4Team Safe PST Backup Using Safe PST Backup, you can back up your Outlook in any situation. Use Safe PST Backup for migration and the whole Outlook data files you have created will be backed up to the last date. Back up Email archive, Contacts, Calendar and other folders automatically. Incremental backup will be done regardless if Microsoft Outlook is running or not. Updated Safe PST Backup 3.00 allows to filter data by more parameters. Added single panel to set backup rules without configuration file ABF Outlook Backup Backup and restore Outlook data files, interface options, and settings. Backup and restore operations can be run from the command line, with your favorite Windows scheduling program for unattended operation. Supports Outlook 2010, 2007, 2003, 2002, and 2000. BackRex Outlook Backup BackRex Outlook Backup is a backup and restore tool for Microsoft Outlook. It allows you to backup address book, mail and other folders, mail accounts, message rules, signatures, stationery, and all personal settings. Backup jobs can be scheduled to run on a regular basis. Supports Outlook 2000, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2010. BackupOutlook Save all your Outlook settings including Emails, Contacts, Tasks, your Calendar, Notes, Journal entries, Email accounts, Outlook rules, Signatures and many more MessageExport for Outlook MessageExport for Outlook is an add-in that helps you get your email out of Outlook in particular way. MessageExport lets you save selected or new email messages to different formats, including PDF, EML, MSG, GIF, TIF, HTML, MHT, CSV, txt, and others. MessageExport can convert, name and save Outlook email in a single operation. Includes a timer function, so MessageExport can run every xx minutes to process new emails in a specific Outlook folder and save it in text format on a network folder. Stellar Mail Backup An mail back up utility which allows to backup all the objects like emails, contacts, notes, calendars etc. Take incremental, differential and full backup to save backup at any location. Some of the other main features of backup software are: schedule backup process, preview of emails which could be recovered, feature to restore complete as well as selected emails etc. Software works with Outlook 2010 (32 bit), 2007, 2003, 2002. Syncsi Portable Syncsi for Outlook allows synchronizing, share or backup Outlook data in an easy way. Use portable storage devices (USB flash drives, memory cards, external hard disks) to transfer Outlook data. Notes
If your network is set up so that you can use Outlook at any machine ("roving profiles"), your Outlook files may be in a different location. Try using Start | Find to locate each type of file. If you don't see any .pst files after you search, you may need to adjust the settings in Windows Explorer to show hidden and system files. Choose Tools | Folder Options, then switch to the View tab, and select Show hidden files and folders.Personal Folders .pst files are among the files that are normally not included in a Windows 2000 (or later) offline files synchronization. However, you can edit the system policy that controls the file types so that .pst files can be included. See Error Message Files of This Type Cannot Be Made Available Offline.More Information
The .PST File Has a Different Format and Folder Size Limit in Outlook 2003
Synchronizing Outlook on two machines -- including links to web-based services that can store your Outlook data online
Master Category List
XADM Steps to Move User and Inbox Assistant Rules
Housekeeping and Message Management Tools for Outlook
Outlook and Exchange/Windows Messaging Backup and Dual-Boot
Moving Outlook to a New Computer
We use public folder contacts and would like enable 50 or so public folder contacts with the "show this folder as an e-mail address book" setting in each contact folder. We want to do this across all our machines. Do you know which file or registry key controls that?
It's in the registry, but I think it is a different key for each profile. I'll have to check on that. You can use a utility called regshot to get before and after shots of the registry then compare them.
Thanks for this! I keep using it!