Outlook PST Files

[bartthemustang]

Once installing Windows 10 and a new SSD, I was told I could retrieve the outlook emails and folders from my old windows 7 HDD. I followed the instructions to find the .pst files but there are none to be found. Can anyone help at all? I haven’t done anything for this to happen. I think my old Outlook was Office 2013 and my new one is 2019.

If I installed Windows 10 as a repair and then put new motherboard drivers in, would I be able to access everything then with the normal windows desktop view?

Thanks for your help.

[#2 · Accepted solution]

@bartthemustang 

Normally outlook files are not directly created in PST, you need to export them into PST.Here are the stpes

Open outlook à File --> Open & Export --> Import/Export --> Export to a file.

Outlook Data File (.PST)

Select your mailbox and Next.

Choose location where you want to save the file in Browse. Finish.

Regards,

Akshay

[#3]

@bartthemustang What type of email account do you have configured in Outlook? POP, IMAP, Outlook.com, or Microsoft Exchange?   IMAP and Exchange accounts use ost files only open the account/profile that created the file. You'd only need the IMAP ost file if you have calendar and contacts to recover and would need to use recovery software. 

If you have a POP account or pst files, you can get the files off old drives - you need to attach the HDD to the computer, change permissions on the folders so your new account can open the folders, then look in the old Documents\Outlook Files folder or in [new drive letter]:\Users\older-username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\outlook if you created the pst files in older versions of outlook.  I have an article on this at https://www.slipstick.com/outlook/recover-outlook-files-crashed-computer/