Where are my Outlook Files?

Outlook stores your email (and attachments), calendar and contacts together in one file that uses the extension "PST". Unless you tell Outlook to use a different pst stored somewhere else, Outlook creates the *.pst under your Windows user account directory.

In Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013, the default *.pst location for POP3 accounts in new profiles is My Document\Outlook Files. If you upgraded to Outlook 2010 or 2013 and kept the old profile, the *.pst file is not moved. IMAP and Outlook Hotmail Connector data files remain in the local appdata \microsoft\outlook folder.

If Outlook is open, you can open Windows Explorer to the pst location from the File, Data File Management menu. (File, Account settings, Data files tab in Outlook 2010 or 2013.) Select the PST and click Open folder. You can close the Data File Management dialog (and Outlook, if desired) once Windows Explorer is open.

Windows 7/8 and Vista:

If you are using Windows 7, 8 or Vista, the default location for the PST is

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

Instead of browsing for the folders, you can copy or type the following lines into Windows Explorer address bar or in the Start menu's search folder and press Enter to open Explorer to the correct folder. (This method does not require you to change the Hidden Files and Folders setting.)

In Windows 7/8 or Vista, use this shortcut to access the pst file and other files in the local app data folder:

%localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook

Outlook support files (xml, srs, outlprnt, VBA, etc):

Other Outlook files, like the Navigation pane customization file (*.xml), toolbar customization file (outcmd.dat), send and receive customizations (*.srs), and print customizations (outlprnt) are at

C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook

To access the folder holding the toolbar, Outlprnt, VBA, navigation pane, and nickname files in Windows 7/8 or Vista, use the following shortcut line:

%appdata%\Microsoft\Outlook

Windows XP or Windows 2000:

If you are using Windows XP or Windows 2000, the files are in the following locations:

C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

To see the PST files in Windows XP, paste this line on the address bar of Windows Explorer:

%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

Outlook support files (xml, srs, outlprnt, VBA, etc):

The folder holding the toolbar, Outlprnt, VBA, rules, and nickname files is

C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

You can use the following shortcut in the Windows Explorer address bar in Windows XP:

%USERPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

Searching for the files

hidden files and foldersBy default, Windows hides a lot of files and folders, including these files. In order to find hidden files using Search, you need to use the Advanced search option to search all hidden files and folders and all system files. (Windows XP search shown in screenshot; for Vista, choose Advanced Search in the search results window.)

In Win 7 and 8, open Windows explorer and type the file name in the Search field on the right.

Browsing for the files:

To browse for the pst using Windows Explorer, you need to show all hidden files and folders.

To show all hidden files and folders in Windows 8, look on the View ribbon in Windows Explorer and add a check to Hidden items.
Windows 8 hidden items

To show all hidden files and folders in Windows 7 or Vista, open Windows Explorer and click on the Organize button on the left, then select Folder and Search Options from the menu.

In Windows XP, open Windows Explorer and go to it's Tools, Folder Options menu.

Click on the View tab and change the settings to show all hidden files and folders.

browse for files

After changing the setting, you can use Windows Explorer to navigate to your user folder then to the folder containing the files.

Windows 98/ME

Windows 98/ME store the files in a different location but they are not hidden, so Search (Find) will find them or you can browse for them using Windows Explorer. On Windows 98/ME without individual user logins, look for:

C:\Windows\Application Data

On a Windows 98 system with individual user logins, look for

C:\Windows\Profiles\user name\Application Data

C:\Windows\Profiles\user name\Local Settings\Application Data

Related posts:

outlook-tips-logoTip 312: Can't Print? outlook-tips-logoTip 159: Troubleshooting Outlook 101 paperclip iconTip 27: Attachments and the SecureTemp Folder outlook-tips-logoTip 53: Saving your Office Activation
Newer Comments →
  • Bimsara

    Is it possible to recover outlook data after new OS installation? I couldn't back up my emails before new system installation. I have lost my email account with data. Pls help me to recover previous emails.

  • Diane Poremsky

    It depends - if the new install left the old install's files alone, yes; but if you reformatted or otherwise deleted or wrote over the old windows install, no. Most recovery disks that come with computers delete the old install.

  • HJM

    where are th auto-complete (NK2 equivalent) files kept for Outlook 2010. I need to move an email account to a different user on same Win7 64-bit PC but the auto-complete addresses did not move, or at least do not pop up when creating a new email. Thanks.

  • http://www.outlook-tips.net Diane Poremsky

    It's supposed to be in the datafile. If not, you can open a message, click To then add all the addresses in Suggested Contacts and your contacts folder to a new message, then close the message without sending to populate the autocomplete list.

    We have more information on it at Outlook 2010 Suggested Contacts and Autocomplete

  • Geoff

    Can you tell me how to link my pst file to OUtlook. My compute crashed and I had to set up a new user and then set up all my programs again. In outlook nothing shows in my contacts/addresees/phone numbers even though the pst file is there. I have tried to copy the file and import but it always says that it is aleady linked to Outlook.I am running outlook 2007 on Vista

  • http://www.outlook-tips.net Diane Poremsky

    Do you have your old pst file? If so, go to Account settings, and check the data files that are in the profile. If the old pst is listed you can set it as default. If its not listed, add it. Use existing data file as the delivery location has the basics - I need to update it for Outlook 2007 and 2010 but the basic idea is the same.

  • http://www.highway199.org/ Roger Brandt

    I have Windows 7 Home Premium and the route you described above doesn't exist on my computer. The Appdata folder shows up under the ADMINISTRATOR folder. I open several other folders (only one folder with each step down) and this deadends with several folders, none of which have any link to Outlook files.

    I got a glimpse of something more similar to what you described in your article on "where are my outlook files" when I recently tried to save an attached message from Outlook. The computer auto selected a folder that was listed under my user name, just as you described but when I use Explorer to find the file, there are no folders titled "Appdata" under my user name.

    I am the owner, sole user, and administrator of my computer and as far as I know I have never created a user file with the intention of it beings separate from my administrator files. I have no idea why the appdata folder I see in the Outlook save dialog box is not visible to me under my name in the Explorer folders.

    Any idea what is going on?

  • http://www.outlook-tips.net Diane Poremsky

    Those folders are hidden files and folders - go to the Organize button in Windows Explorer (top left) and choose Folder and Search options, then View tab. Set the option to show hidden files and folders. When you jump to the folder using the shortcuts, you shouldn't need to change this setting, but if you can't see the files, you'll need to.

  • Tarjia

    We upgraded from Office 2003 to 2007, and now have 2010. I have a user whose cabinet has disappeared from a multi-account configuration in Outlook 2010. One account contained email stored in a "Cabinet" under the Inbox, called "Cabinet". This cabinet was a part of earlier versions of the Outlook client before 2007.

    The other account was created recently in Outlook 2010. The older account was in Outlook first, then the new one added. The problem is that a few days ago, I reconfigured the tabs for default "E-mail" and "Data File" to use the newer account, and the user's cabinet in the older account has now disappeared.

    I have searched for the file locally, tried a repair, had him log into a different machine and configured only the one account in Outlook, but the cabinet is still not there.

    Wondering if you have any suggestions? Thanks.

  • L. D. Holland

    Is there a way to move in one operation all emails from a named folder (e.g., "LDH" in Outlook to a regular folder in Explorer?

Newer Comments →