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How do I recover my old email messages, my contacts and everything else I had in Outlook?

Paul Duchaine 0 Reputation points
2025-10-19T21:52:58.5366667+00:00

Windows crashed, had to be removed and re-installed on my laptop.

Now all my old messages, contacts, folders, etc. have gone.

How do I get these back and NOT us the new Outlook?

Thanks!

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For home
Answer recommended by moderator
  1. Chloe-V 5,920 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-10-20T09:04:22.5166667+00:00

    Hi Paul Duchaine,

    Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum. 

    I understand that your Windows crash caused you to lose access to your old Outlook data. Let's go step-by-step to try and recover your emails, contacts, folders, and other Outlook items.

    Step 1: Locate your old Outlook data file

    • Open File Explorer.
    • Go to the folder:

    C:\Users<YourUsername>\Documents\Outlook Files\

    or

    C:\Users<YourUsername>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\

    • Look for files ending with .pst (e.g., Outlook.pst) – this file contains all your emails, contacts, calendar, and folders.

    If you do not see this file, do you have a backup copy on an external drive, USB, or cloud storage?

    Step 2: Copy the PST file to a safe location

    • Right-click the PST file > Copy.
    • Paste it into an easy-to-find folder, for example Documents.

    Step 3: Open the PST file in Outlook

    • Open Outlook (desktop app, not browser version).
    • Go to: File > Open & Export > Open Outlook Data File
    • Select the copied PST file → click Open.
    • Outlook will add a new folder tree next to your current mailbox. All your old emails, contacts, calendars, and folders will appear.

    Step 4 (Optional): Import into your current profile

    • If you want to merge it into your current Outlook profile:
    • File > Open & Export > Import/Export > Import from another program or file > Outlook Data File (.pst)

    Important Notes:

    • If you only have a .ost file, you cannot open it directly > it requires special software to convert to PST, which is more complicated.
    • PST files are the fastest, easiest, and safest way to restore your Outlook data.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".  

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

    Please feel free to let me know if you have any further updates, thanks.

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  1. Chloe-V 5,920 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-10-23T06:04:56.97+00:00

    Hi Paul Duchaine,

    It has been a while and I am writing to see how things are going with this issue.  

    Have you had a chance to check the replies provided?  

    Any update would be appreciated. 

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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