Export WLM Emails to Outlook - Where is the pst file?

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Export WLM Emails to Outlook - Where is the pst file?

RobDev 406

Jul 25, 2023, 3:14 PM

Hi All,

I'm trying to export all of my Windows Live Mail emails to Outlook (which I've only just purchased). So far I've managed to export all the folders and their emails from one of my email addresses on WLM. When I tried importing what I thought was the .pst file into Outlook I was told the the file was in use - I don't think it was the right .pst file. So, where has WLM put the .pst file that it has created and what id the file called? I've tried searching for it but, so far, I've been unable to find it. WLM doesn't give me the option of choosing a location for the .pst file (or if it does I didn't see it).

Can anyone help, please?

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SokiGuo-MSFT 31,036 Microsoft External Staff

Jul 26, 2023, 2:58 AM

Hi @RobDev

Welcome to our forum!

Please first understand here we mainly focus on general issues about Outlook desktop client. As far as I know, Widows Live Mail is no longer supported, and we don't have resources such as test environments, so I'm afraid we can provide limited help.

According to the search, Windows Live Mail defaults to files in ELM format, not PST, (refer to the documentation: Where are the Windows LIve Mail files saved? - Microsoft Community).

To better solve this problem, I found the following similar document about Windows Live Mail importing to Outlook.

Migrate from Outlook Express or Windows (Live) Mail to Outlook - HowTo-Outlook [f10e-3288-1bf-00e5].

Importing eml-files into Outlook - HowTo-Outlook [cbc2-4683-f55-ada3].

Note: Microsoft is providing this information as a convenience to you. The sites are not controlled by Microsoft.

Hope this helps!

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RobDev 406 Reputation points

Jul 27, 2023, 1:42 PM

Hi @SokiGuo-MSFT ,

you are right WLM doesn't create a PST file, my mistake. I did manage to export emails from one of my WLM accounts to Outlook. It created a folder containing those email as a subsidiary folder to my Hotmail account in Outlook, not as a subsidiary folder to the actual account I wished to export to (if you see what I mean). Is this the way it works?

Also, there's one other thing you might be able to help me with regarding Outlook; the account names of each account I've created on Outlook are the actual email addresses of those accounts. However, it seems that I can change the account names to something else. Is that so and, if it is, where among the account details is the actual email address of the account stored?

Many thanks for any help you can give.
SokiGuo-MSFT 31,036 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

Jul 31, 2023, 1:26 AM

Hi @RobDev

If you add an alias to your account in Outlook, the alias uses the same inbox, contact list, and account settings as your primary email address. You can use any alias to sign in to your Outlook.com account because they all use the same password. For more details, please refer to:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/add-or-remove-an-email-alias-in-outlook-com-459b1989-356d-40fa-a689-8f285b13f1f2
RobDev 406 Reputation points

Jul 31, 2023, 1:33 PM

Hi @SokiGuo-MSFT

many thanks for your reply. I don't think an alias is what I need in Outlook. I don't have an additional email address that needs to be added. The email account I was wondering about is a third party email address and I was just wondering what changing the account name from the email address to something else would do - is the actual email address stored elsewhere or will changing the account name mess up the email address?
SokiGuo-MSFT 31,036 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

Aug 2, 2023, 2:45 AM

Hi

The email account I was wondering about is a third party email address and I was just wondering what changing the account name from the email address to something else would do

As far as I know, the effect of changing your account name from an email address to another depends on the email service provider you use. In general, the account name is the name you use to log in and identify yourself, while the email address is the address you use to receive and send emails. Changing your account name doesn't affect your email address.
RobDev 406 Reputation points

Aug 2, 2023, 1:55 PM

Hi @SokiGuo-MSFT

many thanks for your reply. I was only asking because I'm not at all familiar with Outlook but I thought it time I moved on from Windows Live Mail and, also, in WLM the 'account name' equivalent is just "the name by which you would like to refer to these servers" - their words not mine. I didn't know if Outlook was the same or the account name was the single reference to the email address. Anyway, it's probably not that important.

By the way, I'm going to mark your 'Answer' as the Answer.

Many thanks.

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Export WLM Emails to Outlook - Where is the pst file?

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