"New" Outlook data files

Dan Emerson 50

I'm using the "New" Outlook on my new PC. I understand that this app will not read .pst files, for now. For years, I copied and moved my .pst files from PC to PC. I can still read my archived .pst files on my old PC, so not a huge issue.

My question is, what does this New Outlook use for data files, such as for my archives and contacts, and where are they located? Can I create my archive on my storage drive vs my Windows drive, same as I've done forever with my .pst files? I want to be able to copy and move these files same as I did my .pst files. Thanks!

xploitmachine 0 Reputation points

2024-03-21T14:11:31.7633333+00:00

Sure,

I'm using the New Outlook (now Beta) in Windows 11 Professional, the folder for that particular application is placed under *C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Olk*

In my case, the mailboxes are empty, since I only print and keep important mails in hard-file in my office / home and delete the softcopies. I have about 6 email accounts (under Live, Outlook, GMail, Yahoo and AOL). It is possible to copy / move to new computer.

Just start Outlook New in another computer (do not create any accounts), simply just close the Outlook application and copy from old computer to new ones accordingly, attached is my sample screenshot here. Probably you will need to enter password again for mail accounts verification. The size of the folder might reach few GB's depending on the mails stored in the folder.

Hope this helps.
Becky BecTec 0 Reputation points

2024-07-09T02:08:47.6466667+00:00

I just got a new computer and loaded my existing Microsoft apps. Except for Outlook. Without warning, it has (new) after the name. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Now it seems I have two sets of data files going, my real data and the automatically generated new data. But there's no data in the new data: no contacts, no saved folders of emails. The huge problem is that Outlook defaults to the new (empty) data. The only way I can find the real data is to select "Help" and then select to use the old outlook view. It is beyond crazy that changing the"view" totally changes the data that I'm looking at!!!... I'm so glad that I finally found this thread so that I now have a slight understanding of what the heck is going on... Was there no migration provided or offered from the PST data file so the new?
Jim Hicks 0 Reputation points

2024-08-21T18:41:00.5966667+00:00

So does that mean my emails will be in the cloud and unavailable for use when not connected to internet like when traveling? Seems pretty short sided if true.
Barry Suridge 0 Reputation points

2024-08-28T16:54:02.6366667+00:00

The Google Workspace Migration for Microsoft® Outlook® may be a solution for an average user. Outlook .pst files can be imported to Gmail accounts.

8 answers

glebgreenspan 2,245 Reputation points

2024-01-05T13:27:17.5166667+00:00

Hello Dan

About you question

As a result, the concept of ".pst" files, which are local data files used by the traditional Outlook application, is not applicable in the "New" Outlook. Instead, all your data is stored and synced in the cloud, allowing you to access it from anywhere. In terms of creating an archive, you can utilize the Archive feature provided by Exchange Online. This allows you to move emails from your primary mailbox to a separate Archive mailbox for long-term storage. These archived emails will be stored in the cloud, and you can access them just like your primary mailbox. Regarding the location of your data files, as they are stored in the cloud, their specific physical location is not something you need to worry about. However, you can control the storage drive where your local app data is stored. By default, the "New" Outlook app data is stored on your Windows drive in the user's AppData folder. You can change this location by modifying the app settings. In summary, the "New" Outlook uses Exchange Online for storing your data files in the cloud. You can create an archive mailbox and configure your storage drive preferences within the app settings.
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Kenneth W Gourlay 40 Reputation points

2024-05-17T22:25:19.2266667+00:00

While I appreciate that data might be safer stored in the cloud, .PST files allow for archives that can be stored and used at very, very low cost. They can be backed up to, and restored from, any type of media (CDROM, thumb drives, etc.) and they can be moved from machine to machine. Not having access to this functionality means that adoption of the new Outlook will be impossible for some users.

Bill Weber 20 Reputation points

2024-07-08T16:44:34.9766667+00:00

Removing PST files is a major disruption to client workflows. Absolutely sure that my clients will resist if not refuse to move forward with Outlook if they loose years of archived email.

Dave Reid 36 Reputation points

2024-08-18T04:23:44.57+00:00

This is IMMENSELY STUPID on Microsoft's Part that will result in the abandoning of Office completely on my part. What Pencil Necked Cubicle Dweller thought this was a good idea. Microsoft has no right to force private data into the cloud. It is time for the government to get involved with this issue. No Pst support means I will cancel Office 365 in all of my business. We cannot operate with critical data in the cloud.

An Dus 5 Reputation points

2024-09-26T06:31:57.08+00:00

What in God's name makes you think we want ALL our data in the MS Cloud, handing over ownership essentially to Micrososft. I have over 20 years of .pst history... well catalogued, and you want me to hand that over for 'access everywhere' to a Microsoft Server? Are you guys crazy??? Stepford Wives....
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David Alejandro Muñoz Vergara 10 Reputation points

2024-07-02T05:38:22.7733333+00:00

This is, in fact, the worst rebranding for a PWA ever (as the New Outlook app is just a hypervitamined PWA), as this caused a large misleading on people who relies on the PST format for some workloads (like my Python script). Microsoft should been mentioned prominetly in a FAQ about the lack of support for PST and the difference between the "hypervitamined PWA" and the "real" Outlook (from Office/365), and the fact the "real" Outlook still support PST and give that advisory when recommending to change to the New (aka. "hypervitamined PWA") Outlook, specially as the customers are paying for the product/service.
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Mitch Stapleton 15 Reputation points

2024-07-02T20:05:47.5966667+00:00

Is there any kind of hack to allow to mounting of my pst to outlook so that I can save emails locally?
I cant believe that Microsoft would release something with missing functionality. If its something used by almost every user who uses outlook a lot, why would they take it out or release something without it. I got Macros to save my email locally since the ones saved in the cloud are only there for 365 days and managed by my administrator.
Is Microsoft even going to do anything about this and fix it?
I have tons of emails pending in my pst file that I cannot even view anymore
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Paul Roberts 10 Reputation points

2024-07-08T17:22:39.6966667+00:00

I feel your pain, I just don't understand Microsoft's way of thinking, it's like a whole new development team has come in and doesn't understand the last 20-30 years of MS Office product history and has simply started from scratch without considering users needs. It's appalling.

Doug Roberts 0 Reputation points

2024-10-16T13:48:40.7566667+00:00

Indeed. I create and save email in a new pst every year. I can't believe Microsoft only allows me to keep one year of data without a way to download and save locally. For legal purposes, email must be retained for several years.
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Faery Fu-MSFT 18,831 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-01-08T08:14:22.4733333+00:00

Hi @ Dan Emerson ，

The new version of Outlook uses a different file format for storing data files, such as archives and contacts. Instead of the .pst file format, Outlook now uses the .ost file format. The .ost file is similar to the .pst file in that it stores all of your email messages, contacts, and other data. However, the .ost file are always copies of items that are saved on a mail server and don’t need to be backed up like Outlook Data Files (.pst).

For more information about data files, you can refer to these articles:

Introduction to Outlook Data Files (.pst and .ost)

Find and transfer Outlook data files from one computer to another

Currently, the .pst file is not supported in the New Outlook, if you want to copy and move these files same as you did your .pst files, as a workaround, you can switch back to the classic Outlook at any time by clicking the toggle button in the top right corner of the window.

And the developers are planning to release the pst file function in the future, you can follow the official document: Getting started with the new Outlook for Windows

You can mark my reply as an answer, so that other users in the forum who have similar problems can also vote.

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.
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Faery Fu-MSFT 18,831 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-01-11T01:53:22.91+00:00

Hi @ Dan Emerson ， Just checking in to see if above information was helpful. If you have any further updates on this issue, please feel free to post back. If you think my reply is helpful to you, please remember to mark it as an answer. Warm thanks.

Kevin Remde 0 Reputation points

2024-06-05T14:50:26.27+00:00

I would like to ask a related question to this discussion. I have a customer who has moved from a POP3 account over to Microsoft 365. He was using NEW Outlook. In doing so, to add their account to New Outlook we had to delete the original account in New Outlook. Now, because of the unfortunate nature of his POP3 connection (downloading and delete the cloud copy), he has lost access to the original local mailbox content.

My question is: Is this recoverable? If it were OLD Outlook, we'd just reconnect the .PST file and copy the contents into the new mailbox. But so far I have not found any documentation on doing something like that in this NEW Outlook scenario.

We'd appreciate your help!

Kevin Remde
CMIT Solutions

RikBack-8317 5 Reputation points

2024-06-26T09:48:46.07+00:00

I followed your link and it still says "Coming soon", well until it arrives the new outlook is no use to all of us that have carefully curated archives. So no solution but at least a Microsoft statement of direction.

Becky BecTec 0 Reputation points

2024-07-09T02:13:58.1533333+00:00

I have no option on the top right corner of my screen. I have to select "Help" then "Go to Classic Outlook." Am I missing something? Also, is it possible to make it always default to Classic Outlook?

Mitch Stapleton 15 Reputation points

2024-07-09T16:15:55.57+00:00

Just FYI. The .ost file format is not something new with the new outlook. It has been there for many years with also the .pst format. .ost format was always used for your main mail while the pst format was a great way to save your email locally and can view all emails and search for them locally so that I never lose any emails. I used to be able to search on anything before from my local .pst files. I also cannot find the toggle button to switch to outlook classic. Where is it at?

Andrew May 6 Reputation points

2024-07-14T19:08:51.51+00:00

I find your answer incongruous with what I know about outlook, outlook has used ost files for the main local copy of the storage file for a very long time, so your suggestion that this is somehow new is misleading. ost and pst files have been able to co-exist on the local machine for a long time, what you answer lacks is a reason, which, it seems to me is more about making us pay again for storage in the cloud, the other problem is that rather than a representative of Microsoft itself, a vendor is answering this question??
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RobertV_757 5 Reputation points

2024-03-04T20:50:27.5266667+00:00

I have some questions from the support answers given to Dan's original question. Hopefully this is the right place to do this. My first time posting. Hopefully it won't just be viewed as complaining, although there's plenty of that...but there actually some questions in here as well.

Anyway, just got a new PC (not the one I'm using now, but another one on my home network) with Windows11 on it, and I see the 'New Outlook' icon on it, so was online doing some research. Pretty much don't like what I see. I like classic Outlook which I manage with multiple .pst files that I share among several PCs on my home network, and use POP; and I do not like OneDrive or the cloud. I have it turned off on all my PCs. Yeah, I know...old fashioned but I like the control I have over my stuff and don't like it out there for others to potentially look at. So, given that information...if I use this thing which I already know I will hate because I hate webmail and it looks like that's basically what this is and of course forcing you to use their Edge browser with which they've already hijacked your default web browser and are forcing you to use for any email links you click on...I have the following questions.

If I set this up on all 5 PCs on my network (I have a family subscription of 365) are all those individual PCs accessing the same shared mail file in the cloud, wherever that may be located...also can't seem to see anywhere where this mail file is located. I do also see as pointed out above that .pst functionality may be coming in the future. So would that mean that my current local .pst's 'may' be usable? If I wait this out long enough (which I do for any new Microsoft program anyway) might what I have still be usable? It really doesn't look like anything on my local system will be an option going forward. So, not liking web-based mail, I'm not really looking forward much to this new forced Microsoft application. Also, I have a lot of email in both my active .pst's and archived .pst's and it doesn't look like they will do me any good, so I will have lost all this email history.

Ok, I think that's it. Call me frustrated! Thanks, Bob.
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Graham Cain 15 Reputation points

2024-03-06T19:55:51.2433333+00:00

Hi

I would like to Comment on RobertV_757’s question (and rant) by explaining how I have been using .PST files for creating email archives for well over 15 years.

My first reason for providing this explanation is to ensure that the distinction between using a .PST file as a “live” email account file and using a .PST file as an email archive is fully understood. The second reason is to underline the absolute need for any Outlook App (old or new) to continue to support .PST (offline) files as email archives until an equivalent online solution becomes available.

On the basis that my preamble is clear, this is how I have been using the Outlook client App on my personal Windows Laptop for many years.

My Outlook Client (currently the Microsoft 365 version 2401) sends and receives email from multiple IMAP/SMTP and Microsoft Exchange accounts. All of these email accounts are synchronised on my iPhone Outlook App as well. Each of my local (offline) Outlook data files is a .OST file kept somewhere under …/AppData on my Laptop. I never touch these .OST files or try to back them up, I simply let them sync their contents with the servers I connect with each time I send or receive emails.

Aside emails that I simply delete, I always empty the Inboxes and Sent Items of each account when I have finished with specific discussions or action threads. I do this by simply dragging/dropping email messages from Inboxes and Sent Items into a folder (or maybe subfolder) of a .PST file. This means that the “live” Inboxes and Sent Items of each of my accounts are just “work in progress” areas.

I have multiple .PST files, some of which are quite large and with several subfolder levels. Once I have dropped items into .PST files they stay there and become part of my email archive.

I keep my .PST files away from OneDrive by storing them is a special folder (C:/PST for example). I backup my .PST files to OneDrive once a month by copying them into a folder under OneDrive and changing their names to ensure OneDrive does not flag them as “not for backup” (for example: MyEmailArchive_240306_PST.Backup).

Some may feel this is an obsolete methodology. However, albeit it force of habit, it is also because there is no obvious alternative solution (to my knowledge). The .PST file remains a proprietary format, but Outlook has always been there to manage these files…

…that is until “New Outlook” appeared as a shiny new tool and where its developers may be unaware of the critical business value that .PST files have to Outlook users.

So, there is an absolute need for any Outlook App (old or new) to continue to support .PST (offline) files as email archives until an equivalent online/offline solution becomes available.

There are two parts to the future solution, however. Firstly, the content of the .PST files and the fact that .PST is a proprietary format. Secondly, the fact that the .PST files are typically local and therefore not “mirrored” when using Outlook in a Web browser.

Microsoft developers, please rise to the challenge BEFORE any existing Outlook .PST functionality is retired.

Hope this helps.

Graham

Fernando Sorensen 36 Reputation points

2024-03-18T17:33:47.5933333+00:00

@Graham Cain Besides, the PST file remains in "your possession". Is up to you to decide where store it, locally, on a external drive, on a NAS, backed up on cloud (either MS or third party). So basically it gives you a lot of control over your archived data.

It's also common practice to backup e-mails to PST before deleting an account so you don't need to keep paying for E1/E3 license just in case you need those old emails.

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D Goldlist 0 Reputation points

2024-04-18T03:31:55.6866667+00:00

I have several email accounts - Gmail, Outlook, Hotmail and Rogers (Canadian ISP which uses Yahoo). For some reason, Rogers will ONLY work on the new Outlook...

New Outlook doesn't let me use PST files though... and the New Outlook won't let me archive/export anything but Exchange accounts...

Please either support PST in the New Outlook or allow me to check my Rogers email in the old Outlook...

Pretty please!

Paul Roberts 10 Reputation points

2024-06-05T08:56:21.29+00:00

I'm struggling here too. I have several old PST files with important information in them that I need to access. I've just started a new job and the new laptop they've given me has Windows 11 and this new version of outlook. I can't load my old PST files, and if I use the toggle to switch back to "old outlook", it dumps me into the horrific Windows Mail client - this isn't "old outlook" at all. I just want the old functionality back. If Microsoft are going to force us to use new versions of critical tools like Outlook, they should at least support all the old functionality. Now I'm going to have put my old PST files onto another laptop that is running an older version of Outlook and access them there. This is hardly an elegant solution for 2024! I have work to do and don't have time to muck about like this. No wonder UK productivity is in the toilet.

Becky BecTec 0 Reputation points

2024-07-09T02:23:21.34+00:00

I, too, keep vital information in my outlook files. This isn't just for a pretty list of emails! Every portion of Outlook, my calendar, contacts, and saved and organized emails are vital to me. It's terrifying that Microsoft has simply decided to take away my control of my own data and scare the dickens out of me by making the default view be of empty data.
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"New" Outlook data files

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