Microsoft outlook Backup and Restore

How to make a backup copy of a .pst file

If you do not use Outlook with Microsoft Exchange Server, Outlook stores all its data in a .pst file. You can use the backup copy to restore your Outlook data if the original .pst file is damaged or lost. This section explains how to create a copy of your whole .pst file, with all the default items in the file.

Follow these steps to back up the whole .pst file:

• Close any messaging programs such as Outlook, Microsoft Exchange, or Microsoft Windows Messaging.
• Click Start, and then click Run. Copy and paste (or type) "control panel" in the Open box, and then press ENTER:

Control Panel opens.

Note: If you see the Pick a category screen, click User Accounts, and then go to step 3.

• Double-click the Mail icon.
• Click Show Profiles.
• Click the appropriate profile, and then click Properties.
• Click Data Files.
• Under Name, click the Personal Folders Service that you want to back up. By default, this service is called Personal Folders. However, it may be named something else.

Note: If you have more than one Personal Folders Service in your profile, you must back up each set of .pst files separately.

If there are no entries called Personal Folders and you have not yet stored any information such as messages, contacts, or appointments in Outlook, you probably have not yet enabled the Personal Folders Service. Go to the "References" section for information about how to create a .pst file.

If you have no Personal Folders Services in your profile and you can store information such as messages, contacts, or appointments in Outlook, your information is probably being stored in a mailbox on an Exchange Server. Try using the instructions in the "How to back up .pst file data that is located on a Microsoft Exchange Server" section.

• Click Settings, and then note the path and file name that appears.

Note: Because the .pst file contains all data that is stored in the MAPI folders that Outlook uses, the file can be very large. To reduce the size of the .pst file, click Compact Now in the Settings window.

Close all the Properties windows.

Use Windows Explorer or My Computer to copy the file that you noted in step 8. You can copy the file to another location on the hard disk drive or to any kind of removable storage media, such as a floppy disk, a CD-ROM, a portable hard disk drive, a magnetic tape cassette, or any other storage device.

How to export .pst file data

If you want to back up only some of your Outlook data, you can create a new backup .pst file of only the data that you want to save. This is also known as exporting .pst file data. For example, you might want to use this section if you have important information in only some folders and you have other, less important items in much larger folders. You can export only the important folders or contacts and omit folders like Sent Mail.

• Open Outlook.
• On the File menu, click Import And Export. If the menu item is not available, move your pointer over the chevrons at the bottom of the menu, and then click Import and Export.
• Click Export To File, and then click Next.
• Click Personal Folder File (.pst), and then click Next.
• Click the folder to which you want to export the .pst file, and then click Next.
• Click Browse, and then select the location where you want the new .pst file to be saved.
• In the File Name box, type the name that you want to use for the new .pst file, and then click OK.
• Click Finish.

Note: Folder design properties include permissions, filters, description, forms, and views. If you export items from one .pst file to another, no folder design properties are maintained.

How to import .pst file data into Outlook

You can use the backup copy of your .pst file to restore your Outlook data if the original .pst file is damaged or lost. Everything that is saved in the .pst file is returned to Outlook.

Follow these steps to restore, or import, your data into Outlook:

• If the .pst file that you want to import is stored on a removable device, such as a floppy disk, a portable hard disk drive, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape cassette, or any other storage medium, insert or connect the storage device, and then copy the .pst file to the hard disk drive of the computer.

When you copy the .pst file, make sure that the Read-Only attribute is not selected. If this attribute is selected, you might receive the following error message:

The specified device, file, or path could not be accessed. It may have been deleted, it may be in use, you may be experiencing network problems, or you may not have sufficient permission to access it. Close any application using this file and try again.

If you receive this error message, clear the Read-Only attribute, and then copy the file again.

• Open Outlook.
• On the File menu, click Import And Export. If the command is not available, move the pointer over the chevrons at the bottom of the menu, and then click Import and Export.
• Click Import from another program or file, and then click Next.
• Click Personal Folder File (.pst), and then click Next.
• Type the path and the name of the .pst file that you want to import, and then click Next.
• Select the folder that you want to import. To import everything in the .pst file, select the top of the hierarchy.
• Click Finish.