Forum Discussion
Unlocking my Outlock file?
I’m using Microsoft 365. I want to unlock the pst file on my hard drive so I can back it up. In earlier days I’d just shut down Outlook, then let the backup copy the file. For the last few years (at least), that DOESN’T work. The file is locked.
To unlock the Outlook PST file, I have to shut down the system, reboot, do the backup, THEN restart Outlook, which is aggravating to say the least.
HOW do I get Outlook to let me back up the PST file?
-> Close Outlook and use Task Manager to ensure all OUTLOOK.EXE processes are ended , Use a PowerShell script to automatically close Outlook and copy the PST file, Alternatively, use third-party tools like PST Viewer to unlock the file.
Microsoft Support: Manage Outlook Data Files (.pst and .ost)
Thanks for the reply. Yup, it was dumb. I was thinking it was some weird, convoluted Outlook thing, but it was just a normal Windows file permission problem. Thanks for the help!
