Outlook pst what does it contain

Typically, when you use a Microsoft Exchange Server account, your email messages, calendar, and other items are delivered to and saved on the server. You can configure Outlook to keep a local copy of your items on your computer in an Outlook data file that is named an offline Outlook Data File.

This allows you to use Cached Exchange Mode or to work offline when a connection to the Exchange computer may not be possible or wanted. Offline folders are replicas of the folders found in your mailbox on the computer that is running Microsoft Exchange. They make it possible to take a folder from a server location, work with the contents of the folder when you are not connected to the network, and then, when you are connected again, update the folder and its corresponding server folder to make the contents of both folders identical.

This process is known as synchronizing folders. You can add, delete, and change the contents of an offline folder exactly as you can for a folder on a server. For example, you can change and move items between folders, send messages that are included in your offline Outbox, and view the contents of your offline public folders.

Meanwhile, new messages are kept in your Inbox on the server, and other people might add, delete, and change items in public folders. You can also specify that updates to the Address Book be downloaded during synchronization.

Most of the reasons to work offline are eliminated when you use Cached Exchange Mode. The lack of a network connection is almost transparent to you because you can continue to work with your items whether you are connected to the computer that is running Exchange. You work with the information on your computer, and Outlook synchronizes the information with the server. When your connection to the Exchange computer is interrupted, you can continue to work with your data.

When a connection is restored, changes are automatically synchronized, and the folders and items on the server and on your computer are identical again. You can save, copy, and move a data file other than the file that is used as your default delivery location to another location on your computer or to a share on the network.

See the Outlook Data Files. Also, some organizations allow you to export or archive your items to a. The fastest way to open the folder where your Outlook Data File. In Outlook , click the ' File ' tab. Click ' Account Settings ,' and then click ' Account Settings ' again.

When the connection is restored, changes are automatically synchronized, and the folders and items on the server and on your computer are identical again. The first time you access a Group in Outlook, a new type of Outlook data file is created. This file has an extension of. All of this information is synchronized between your computer and the email server, so there is no need to back up this file or import it when you set up Outlook on a new computer.

The fastest way to open the folder where your Outlook Data Files. In right pane, click Account Settings , and then click Account Settings. Outlook Data Files. The offline Outlook Data File.

Most data remains on the server; however, any items that are saved locally should be backed up. For example, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, and any folders marked Local only. Create an Outlook Data File. Need more help? Join the discussion.

Was this information helpful? Yes No. The main reason for this was to allow for international character support and to extend the maximum size of the pst-files beyond the 2GB limit of the ANSI formatted pst-files. The new Unicode formatted pst-files have a configured maximum size of 20GB in Outlook and Outlook In Outlook , , , and Microsoft this limit has been set to 50GB. You can increase the maximum size of a Unicode formatted pst-file by modifying a Registry value.

For details see; Increase maximum size pst-files. As the pst-file is a database file, it will not directly shrink in size after you have deleted something from it and emptied the Deleted Items folder. This is to optimize performance as shrinking and expanding files is a relatively slow process. During this compacting process, the free space within the pst-file is returned to the disk and the file will become smaller.

Because of the original location of the pst-file the local profile folder of the user it is a common misconception that using System Restore will allow you to recover a deleted or corrupted pst-file. This means the opposite is also true; running a System Restore will not delete any of your received messages from after the restore date. However, when going for a System Restore, it is always recommended to have a proper backup of your Outlook data as well as any other data that you hold dear.

Ost-files are cached copies of IMAP, Exchange or Hotmail mailboxes to improve performance and also allow you to access them off-line. Unlike pst-files, ost-files are tied to the mail account configuration and cannot be opened individually. Restoring access to an ost-file can be done via System Restore if you only just deleted the account but still have the ost-file.

Doing a System Restore will restore your mail profile configuration and thus also the account which belonged to the ost-file. For additional recovery tools see; Data recovery tools. Contents of a pst-file Location of the pst-file Moving a pst-file Backing up or copying a pst-file Opening a pst-file Removing an opened pst-file Deleting a pst-file Archive. Location of the pst-file The default location for pst-files depends on your version of Outlook and Windows.

ANSI formatted pst-file are not automatically converted to Unicode by opening them in a later version of Outlook.

To force a manual Compact of the pst-file see; Shrink pst-file after cleanup with Compact Now. To force Outlook to always compact the pst-file upon closing see; Permanently delete from pst-file and Compact Now. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share by e-mail. What do the Outlook Icons Mean? Related Ads. Copyright HowTo-Outlook All rights reserved. Microsoft and Microsoft logo's are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. This website uses cookies to improve your experience.