How to manage .pst files in Outlook 2002 and in Outlook 2003 (287070)

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How to make a backup copy of a .pst file

If you are not using Outlook with Microsoft Exchange Server, Outlook stores all of its data in a .pst file. If you want to back up or to export a particular folder, such as a Contacts or a Calendar folder, go to the "How to export .pst data." section .

Use the following steps to back up the whole .pst file:

1. Quit any messaging programs such as Outlook, Microsoft Exchange, or Microsoft Windows Messaging.
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
3. Double-click the Mail icon.
4. Click the Show Profiles button.
5. Click the appropriate profile, and then click Properties.
6. Click the Data Files button.
7. Click the Personal Folders Service that you want to back up. By default, this service is called Personal Folders. However, this service may have been named something else.
   
   Note You may have more than one Personal Folders service in your profile. If this is true, you must back up each set of .pst files separately.
   
   If there are not any Personal Folders services in your profile and you have been able to store information such as messages, contacts, or appointments in Outlook, your information is most likely being stored in a mailbox on an Exchange Server. If this is true, see the "Data on a Microsoft Exchange Server" section.
8. Click Settings, and then note the path and file name that is listed.
   
   Note The .pst file contains all data that is stored in the MAPI folders that are used by Outlook in that file. If the file may be too large to place on a floppy disk. If this is true, use a CD-ROM or other portable drive device. You can reduce the size of a .pst file when you click Compact Now.
9. Close all of the Properties windows.
10. Make a copy of the file that you noted in step 5 by using Windows Explorer or My Computer.

You may have to restore a .pst file from a removable media, such as a floppy disk drive, a portable drive device, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape drive, or any other storage media. To do so, copy the backup copy of the file that you just created from the storage media back to the computer hard disk drive.

When you do this, make sure that the Read-Only attribute is cleared. If this attribute is selected, you may receive the following error message: back to the top

How to export .pst file data

Use the following steps to export an individual folder:

1. On the File menu, click Import And Export. If the menu item is not available, hover your pointer over the chevrons at the bottom of the menu, and then click Import and Export.
2. Click Export To File, and then click Next.
3. Click Personal Folder File (.pst) , and then click Next.
4. Click the folder that you want to export the .pst file to, and then click Next.
5. Click the Browse button, and then select the location to save the .pst file.
6. In the File Name box, type a descriptive file name for the .pst file, and then click OK.
7. Click Finish.

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How to import .pst file data into Outlook

Use the following steps to import a .pst) file into Outlook:

1. On the File menu, click Import And Export. If the menu item is not available, hover your pointer over the chevrons at the bottom of the menu, and then click Import and Export.
2. Click Import from another program or file., and then click Next.
3. Click Personal Folder File (.pst), and then click Next.
4. Type the path and the name of the .pst file that you want to import, and then click Next.
5. Select the folder that you want to import, or select the top of the hierarchy to import everything, and then click Finish.

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How to transfer Outlook data from one computer to another computer

You cannot share or synchronize .pst files. However, you can use the steps in the "How to import .pst file data into Outlook" section to copy data from Outlook to a .pst file. You can use a CD or DVD-ROM, portable media, or copy files to another system over a LAN/WAN link for use on another computer. Remember the following requirements when you work with .pst files:

• When you copy .pst files from a CD- or DVD-ROM, verify that the Read-Only attribute is not set on the .pst file. To verify this setting, right-click the .pst file that you copied from the CD- DVD-ROM, and then clickProperties. Make sure that the Read-Only" check box is not selected.
• Connecting to .pst files over LAN/WAN links is not supported and problems connecting to .pst files over such links can occur. See the following for more information:
  297019 Personal folder files are unsupported over a LAN or over a WAN link

If you need to make a secondary .pst file to store data for transfer between two different computers, or for backup purposes, use the following steps:

1. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Outlook Data File.
2. Type a unique name for the new .pst file, for example, type Transfer.pst, and then click OK.
3. Type a display name for the Personal Folders file, and then click OK.
4. Quit Outlook.

If you just want to copy a .pst file that is in Outlook, use the following steps:

1. In Outlook, right-click the folder you wish to copy and click Copy "foldername". For example, to copy the Calendar, right-click the Calendar folder, and then click Copy "Calendar".
2. In the Copy Folder dialog box, click your Transfer Folders, and then click OK.
3. You can repeat the steps as needed for other folders.

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How to back up .pst file data that is located on a Microsoft Exchange Server

When you use Outlook with a Microsoft Exchange Server, the default Delivery location for messages is your Exchange Server mailbox. This data is typically backed up on the server-side. For more information about how backups are handled for your Exchange Server, contact your Exchange Server administrator.

If you use Outlook with Exchange Server, you can choose to have Outlook store information on the Exchange Server or in a set .pst files on your hard disk drive. Use the following steps to determine where Outlook currently stores your data.

1. On the Tools menu, click Email Accounts
2. Click View or Change Existing Email Accounts, and then click Next.
3. Verify the Deliver new mail to the following location. option. If the option contains the word "Mailbox" followed by an e-mail name, Outlook stores data in folders on the Exchange Server. If the field contains the words Personal Folder or another name of a set of personal folders (.pst) file, Outlook stores new messages, contacts, appointments, and such in the personal folders (.pst) file on your hard disk.

If your data is being stored in a set of personal folders (.pst) file on your hard disk drive, and you want to back up the data, see the "How to make a back up copy of a .pst file" section .back to the top

How to back up Personal Address Books

Although contact information can be kept either in an Exchange Server mailbox or in a .pst file, and is accessed through the Outlook Address Book, the Personal Address Book creates a file that is stored on your hard disk drive. To make sure that this address book is backed up, you must include any files with the .pab extension in your backup process.

Use the following steps to locate your Personal Address Book file:

1. If you are running Microsoft Windows 95 or Microsoft Windows 98: Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
   
   If you are running Microsoft Windows 2000 or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me): Click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.
2. Type *.pab, click My Computer in the Look In box, and then click Find Now.

Note the location of the .pab file, and include it in your backup.

If you need to restore this address book either to the same computer or a different computer, use the following steps:

1. Close any message-related programs such as Outlook, Microsoft Exchange, or Windows Messaging.
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
3. Double-click the Mail icon.
4. Click the Show Profiles button.
5. Click the appropriate profile, and then click Properties
6. Click the Email Accounts button.
7. Click Add a New Directory or Address Book, and then click Next
8. Click Additional Address Books, and then click Next.
9. Click Personal Address Book, and then click Next.
10. Type the path and the name of the Personal Address Book file that you want to restore, click Apply, and then click OK.
11. Click Close, and click then OK.

For more information about how to configure profiles and services, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
The Outlook Address Book is a service used by the profile to facilitate using a Contacts folder in a Mailbox, Personal Folders File or Public Folder as an e-mail address book. The Outlook Address Book, itself, contains no data that needs to be saved.back to the top

How to automate the back up of .pst files with the Personal Folder Backup utility

Microsoft has released a utility to automate the backup of your personal folders (.pst) file. The utility can be downloaded from the following Microsoft Web site: For more information about the Personal Folder Backup utility, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

How to back up Outlook settings files

If you have customized settings that you want to replicate on another computer by using Outlook, you may want to include the following files in your back up as well as the personal folders (.pst) file:

• Outcmd.dat - This file stores toolbar and menu settings.
• <Profile Name>.fav - This is your Favorites file that includes the settings for the Outlook bar.
• <Profile Name>.nk2 - This file stores the NickNames for AutoComplete.

Note If you use Microsoft Word as your e-mail editor, signatures are stored in the Normal.dot file as AutoText entries. You should back up this file also.

Folder design properties include permissions, filters, description, forms, and views are integrated into the folders on which they were created. If you export items from one personal folders (.pst) file to another, design properties are not maintained. To back this information up, see the "Copy the design of a folder" topic in Microsoft Office Outlook Help.

If you have created customized signatures that you want to replicate to another computer by using Outlook, you may want to back up all custom signature files located in the following folder: where Drive represents the drive that Outlook was installed to and Username represents the user name that Outlook was installed under.

Each individual signature has its own file and uses the same name as the signature you used when you created it. For example, if you created a signature named MySig, the following files are created in the Signatures folder: For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: