How to Change the Location of the Windows Address Book (156828)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Outlook Express 5.0 for Windows NT 4.0
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 4.01 for Windows NT 4.0
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 4.0 for Windows NT 4.0
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 5.0 for Windows 98
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 5.0 for Windows 95
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 4.01 for Windows 95
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 4.0 for Windows 95
  • Microsoft Internet Mail and News 1.0 for Windows 95
  • the operating system: Microsoft Windows 98
This article was previously published under Q156828
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SUMMARY

This article describes how to find and change the location of your Windows Address Book.

MORE INFORMATION

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it.

Internet Mail and News

The Windows Address Book used by Internet Mail and News is located in the Windows folder. The Address Book file is named <user name>.wab, where <user name> is the name with which you log on to Windows 95. If you do not have a logon name for Windows 95, the default name for the file is UserMPS.wab.

To move the Address Book file, drag the <user name>.wab file from the Windows folder to a different location on the hard drive.

To rename the Address Book file, right-click the <user name>.wab file, click Rename on the menu that appears, type a new name for the file, and then press the ENTER key.

If you move or rename the address book file, you must update the following registry key to point to the file's new name or location: 
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\WAB\Wab File Name\(Default)
NOTE: The Windows Address Book is not designed to be run on a server. If multiple users attempt to access the file, problems may result.

Outlook Express

The Windows Address Book used by Outlook Express is located in the <Windows>\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book folder, where <Windows> is the folder in which Windows 95/98 is installed.

In Windows NT and in Windows 95/98 with user profiles enabled, the Windows Address Book is located in the <Windows>\Profiles\<Username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book folder, where <Windows> is the folder in which Windows is installed, and <Username> is the name you use to log on to Windows.

To move the Address Book file, drag the <user name>.wab file to a different location on the hard drive.

To rename the Address Book file, right-click the <user name>.wab file,click Rename on the menu that appears, type a new name for the file, and then press the ENTER key.

If you move or rename the address book file, you must update the following registry key to point to the file's new name or location: 
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\WAB\WAB4\Wab File Name\(Default)
NOTE: The Windows Address Book is not designed to be run on a server. If multiple users attempt to access the file, problems may result.

For additional information about how to change the location of mail and news messages, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

175037 Changing the Default Location of Mail and News Folders

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:7/15/2004
Keywords:kbhowto KB156828
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