Article ID: 287456
Article Last Modified on 10/25/2002
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Outlook 2002 Standard Edition
This article was previously published under Q287456
SUMMARY
Personal folders (.pst) files are folders that you create to store messages on your hard disk or on another server. You can add a main .pst file as a service to the Messaging Profile and give it a file name.
MORE INFORMATION
The .pst file contains folders, messages, contacts, appointments, tasks, notes, journal entries, posts, forms, and files. You can save, copy, and move a .pst file to another location on your hard disk, a floppy disk, or a server with a .pst file as you would with any other file. You can also designate a .pst file as the delivery location for your incoming messages.
NOTE: If you use Microsoft Outlook with .pst files as your delivery point, it does not allow for advanced workgroup information sharing. This workgroup functionality is available only when the default delivery is set to the Microsoft Exchange Server mailbox.
How to Set the Default Delivery Location
Use the following steps to set the delivery location:
- On the Tools menu, click E-mail Accounts.
- Click View or change existing e-mail accounts, and then click Next.
- In the Deliver new mail to the following location box, click to select the .pst file where you want to send and receive messages.
- Click Finish.
- Quit and restart Outlook.
How to Back Up Your Personal Folders File
Use the following steps to back up your entire .pst file:
- In Outlook, click the File menu, then click Data File Management.
- Select the Personal Folders name that you would like to back up.
- Click Open Folder.
- Select the desired .PST file.
- Right-click on the .PST file and click Copy.
- Right-click in a blank area of the folder and click Paste.
You can now rename and/or move the copy to another location. Also, you can use the Personal Folders Backup Utility to automatically back up your PST. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
238782 OL2000: How to Automatically Backup Your Personal Folders File
How to Back Up Outlook Folders
Outlook folders, such as Calendar, Contacts, Journal, Tasks, and message folders are components of the .pst file when you use them as the default delivery location. This procedure backs up an individual Outlook folder in a different .pst file. Use the following steps to individually back up your Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, and Journal folders:
- On the File menu, click Import and Export to open the Import and Export Wizard.
- In the Choose an action to perform box, click to select Export to a file, and then click Next.
- In the Create a file of type box, click to select Personal Folder File (.pst), and then click Next.
- In the Select the folder to export from box, click to select the Outlook item folder that you want to back up. For example, select your Contacts folder to back up your contacts in a different .pst file.
- Click Next.
- In the Save exported file as box, type the path and file name of a destination .pst file or click Browse and select a destination .pst file.
- Under Options, click to select how you want duplicate items treated, and then click Finish.
How to Export Outlook Folders to Another File Format
Use the following steps to export your Outlook folders to a different file format:
- On the File menu, click Import and Export to open the Import and Export Wizard.
- In the Choose an action to perform box, click to select Export to a file, and then click Next
- In the Create a file of type box, click to select another file format, such as Tab Separated Values (Windows), and then click Next.
- In the Select the folder to export from box, click to select the Outlook item folder that you want to export. For example, select your Contacts folder to export your contacts in a different file format.
- Click Next.
- In Save exported file as, type a path and file name, or click Browse to select a destination file, and then click Next.
- Click Finish to start the export.
NOTE: The fields in the exported file match the Outlook internal field names. If you want to change these names, you must change the name in the program that can open the file that it has been exported to.
How to Determine the Location of your Personal Folders Files
Use the following steps to determine the location of your .pst files:
- On the File menu, click Data File Management.
- Select the name of the .pst file that you want more information on.
- Click Settings.
- Click OK, and then click Close.
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