old outlook is missing

Question

My outlook is now just the google version with no send history, How do i get my old outlook back?

Answer 1

Hi richard silva,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum. 

To help move things along a bit faster, could you please let me know whether you’ve had a chance to try the steps suggested by Q&A Assist?

If you have, please share whether the issue was resolved. If not, just let me know, and I’ll be happy to guide you through the next steps.

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Answer 2

In classic Outlook for Windows, old mail, folders, and send history are stored in Outlook data files on the PC (usually .pst files). When Outlook is reconfigured to use only a Google (Gmail) account, the old data file may no longer be attached, so Outlook appears “empty.”

To restore the old Outlook content, the Outlook data file must be located and opened again in classic Outlook:

1. Locate the old Outlook data file (.pst)
   • Open File Explorer.
   • Browse to:
     • C:\Users<YourUserName>\Documents\Outlook Files\ or
     • C:\Users<YourUserName>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\
   • Look for files ending in .pst (for example, Outlook.pst). These contain old emails, folders, contacts, and send history.
2. Copy the PST file to a safe, easy-to-find location
   • Right-click the .pst file → Copy.
   • Paste it into a folder such as Documents so it is easy to select from Outlook.
3. Attach the PST file in classic Outlook
   • Open the classic Outlook desktop app (not the new Outlook for Windows and not the browser).
   • Go to File → Open & Export → Open Outlook Data File.
   • Browse to the copied .pst file and select Open.
   • A new folder tree will appear in the left pane with all old mail, folders, and send history.
4. (Optional) Merge old data into the current mailbox
   • In Outlook, go to File → Open & Export → Import/Export.
   • Choose Import from another program or file → Outlook Data File (.pst) and follow the wizard to import items into the current mailbox if desired.

If no .pst file exists on the machine or in backups, the old Outlook data cannot be restored from the local PC.

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References:

• How do I recover my old email messages, my contacts and everything else I had in Outlook? - Microsoft Q&A
• What version of Outlook do I have?