Microsoft User Data - Redundant??

Question

I have two Macs, a MacBook Pro and a Mac Pro.  I did a clean install of OS X 10.10.5 (Yosemite) on the MacBook about 9 months ago and reinstalled Office 2011 at that time.  The Mac Pro was installed by the Apple Migration Assistant from an older Mac Pro 2 years ago and the older Mac Pro had about 10 years of evolution in its applications.

On the MacBook Pro, there is a Microsoft User Data Folder in the Documents folder.  BUT, the with one exception same folders and files are also present in <user>:Library:Application Support:Microsoft:Data.  The Microsoft User Data folder also has a Office 2011 Identities folder.  The Office folder in the Library also has some additional folders and files: DRM, MeContact.plist, Preferences, User Templates.  There are two user accounts on the MacBook Pro.  Both seem to be configured the same way.

The Mac Pro also runs 10.10.5 and has 4 user accounts.  The account in which I use Office most frequently has a Microsoft User Data folder, but that folder has no Script Menu Items folders.  They are only found in the Library.  The second account where I use Office regularly has no Microsoft User Data Folder at all!  The third account were I use Office infrequently has the same configuration as the MacBook Pro.  The fourth account in which I have never run Office has no Microsoft User Data folder nor does it have a Microsoft folder in Application Support. (Make sense to me).

The varying configurations have me concerned for two reasons.  1: Is something damaged?  2: Where do I put new script menu items where they are duplicated in two places?

Should I clean house to remove the redundancies?  If so, which folders should be removed?

I'm about to upgrade to OSX 10.11.2 and this would be a good time to clean house.

Answer 1

Over the years the default location of user files has changed for Microsoft Entourage and Outlook.

The data in Documents > Microsoft User Data > Office 2011 identities is what Outlook is using for mail/calendar/tasks/reminders, etc. Think of each folder in Identities as a discreet unit that should not be touched inside. 

Since your email and apps are working as expected, nothing appears to be broken.

If you have identities that will never used again you can safely delete them, as they can take up a lot of drive space.

Answer 2

Mr. Jones,

You're reply has confused me.

Re: If everything working okay I would worry.

I should worry if Office 2011 is working properly?   So far as I can tell it is working properly.  Word, Excel and PowerPoint all open blank documents.

From what you are saying I think you're recommending that I don't try deleting the duplicate folders.  That still leaves the question of where to put a new AppleScript.

Answer 3

If everything working okay I would worry. Several years ago in one of 2011 updates Microsoft got a wild hair and moved certain files and folders out documents and put them in User Library and main Library. And they forgot to remove all traces of the MUD from the documents folder. Don't though know whether Apple to them to move it or they were getting ready for introduction Office 365.

I do know although Office 2011 works well. Word and Excel Open funny. For instance in Excel 2011 when it opens doesn't automatically open to a new document. You go to File menu and choose open new document. In world several system files kept duplicating themselves in two different system locations. I ended up quit trashing them and just locked one set. Word started opening like it was supposed to. 

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