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Outlook 2003 introduced the Office Outlook Personal Folders file (.pst), a new Personal Folders file (.pst) (Personal Folders file (.pst): Data file that stores your messages and other items on your computer. You can assign a .pst file to be the default delivery location for e-mail messages. You can use a .pst to organize and back up items for safekeeping.) format that offers greater storage capacity for items and folders and supports multilingual Unicode (Unicode: A character encoding standard developed by the Unicode Consortium. By using more than one byte to represent each character, Unicode enables almost all of the written languages in the world to be represented by using a single character set.) data. A file created in the Office Outlook Personal Folders file (.pst) format is not compatible with earlier versions of Outlook and cannot be opened in earlier versions of Outlook. To create a data file that is compatible with earlier versions of Outlook, use the Microsoft Outlook 97-2002 Personal Folders file (.pst) format. This file format is the same as the format that was available in earlier versions of Outlook. It does not support multilingual Unicode data and offers the same storage capacity for items and folders that was available in earlier versions.

You're probably asking yourself ... How do I know what kind of .pst I have? If you're not sure, see how to determine your .pst file format.

If your .pst file is the newer format and you want to open the .pst file on a computer by using Microsoft Outlook® 97, Outlook® 2000, or Outlook® 2002, you must import the items in your Outlook 2003 .pst file to the Outlook 97-2002 .pst format file.

1. Create a new .pst file that is compatible with Outlook 97-2002.

   How?

   1. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Outlook Data File.
   2. To create a Microsoft Outlook Personal Folders File (.pst) that is compatible with Outlook 97-2002, click Outlook 97-2002 Personal Folders File (.pst), and then click OK.
   3. In the File name box, type a name for the file, and then click OK.
   4. In the Name box, type a display name for the .pst folder.
   5. Select any other options you want, and then click OK.

      The name of the folder associated with the data file appears in the Folder List (Folder List: Displays the folders available in your mailbox. To view subfolders, click the plus sign (+) next to the folder. If the Folder List is not visible, on the Go menu, click Folder List.). To view the Folder List, on the Go menu, click Folder List. By default, the folder is called Personal Folders.

2. Import items to the new .pst file.

   How?

   1. On the File menu, click Import and Export.
   2. Click Import from another program or file, and then click Next.
   3. Click Personal Folder File (.pst), and then click Next.
   4. In the File to import box, specify the path and file name of the Office Outlook Personal Folders file (.pst) created with Outlook 2003 that you want to import, and then click Next.
   5. Click Import items into the same folder in and then click the name of your new .pst file.
   6. Follow the remaining instructions in the Import and Export Wizard.
3. Move the new .pst file to another computer.

   How?

   • Use Windows Explorer to copy each .pst file from its default location in the <drive>:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook folder to any folder on the computer that you want.

    Note   The default location is a hidden folder. To use Windows Explorer to navigate to this folder, you must first turn on the display of hidden folders. In Windows Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Folder Options. On the View tab, under Advanced Settings, under Files and Folders, under Hidden files and folders, click Show hidden files and folders. If you want to see all file name extensions, clear the Hide extensions for known file types check box under Files and Folders. Hidden folders appear dimmed to indicate they are not typical folders.

4. Do one of the following:

   Make the copied .pst file the default delivery location for e-mail messages

   This means that new e-mail messages will be delivered to the Inbox of the new .pst file.

   1. In Control Panel, double-click Mail.

      How?

      • Do one of the following:

        Microsoft Windows XP

        • In Control Panel, click User Accounts, and then click Mail.

           Note   If you are using Classic view in Control Panel, double-click Mail.

        Microsoft Windows 2000 or Microsoft Windows Server 2003

        • In Control Panel, double-click Mail.
   2. Click Show Profiles, and then do one of the following:

      Create a new profile

       Note   Creating a new profile requires that you configure your e-mail account information. If you already have a profile with this information, you might want to modify an existing profile instead.

      1. Click Add.
      2. In the Profile Name box, type a name you can easily recognize for the profile.
      3. Select View or change existing e-mail accounts.
      4. Click New Outlook Data File.
      5. Select Outlook 97-2002 Personal Folders File (.pst), and then click OK.
      6. Click the .pst file you want to open, and then click OK.
      7. Optionally, in the Personal Folders dialog box, in the Name box, type a useful name that will help you to identify this .pst file in the Outlook Navigation Pane.
      8. Click OK.
      9. Click Add.
      10. Select the e-mail server used for your account, and then click Next.

           Note   If you are setting up an MSN® e-mail account, click POP3 for MSN Internet Access version 5.3 or earlier. For MSN Explorer, click HTTP.

      11. In the appropriate boxes, type the information given by your Internet service provider (ISP) (ISP: A business that provides access to the Internet for such things as electronic mail, chat rooms, or use of the World Wide Web. Some ISPs are multinational, offering access in many locations, while others are limited to a specific region.) or administrator.
      12. Do one of the following:
          • If you are adding a Microsoft Exchange Server account, click Check Names to verify that the server recognizes your name. The name and server that you enter should become underlined. Be sure your computer is connected to your network. If your name does not become underlined, contact your administrator.
          • If you are adding a POP3 (POP3: A common protocol that is used to retrieve e-mail messages from an Internet e-mail server.) server account, click Test Account Settings to verify that your account is working. If there is missing or incorrect information, such as your password, you will be prompted to supply or correct it. Be sure your computer is connected to the Internet.
      13. If you want to configure additional settings, such as how you want your computer to connect to your e-mail server, click More Settings. Otherwise, click Next.
      14. Click Finish.

       Notes 

      • If you are using an MSN or MSN Hotmail® account, we recommend that you use the Outlook Connector for MSN, which provides more reliable access to your e-mail messages, as well as your calendar, contacts, tasks, and notes attached to your account.
      • Unless your ISP indicated that your service uses Secure Password Authentication (SPA), do not select the Log on using Secure Password Authentication (SPA) check box.
      • Unless specified by your ISP, all server and address entries are typed in lowercase letters. Some ISPs require a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters for passwords to add further security. For example, passWorD. Check with your ISP to see if it requires a case-sensitive password.

        Use strong passwords that combine uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Weak passwords don't mix these elements. Strong password: Y6dh!et5. Weak password: House27. Passwords should be 8 or more characters in length. A pass phrase that uses 14 or more characters is better. For more information, see Help protect your personal information with strong passwords.

        It is critical that you remember your password. If you forget your password, Microsoft cannot retrieve it. Store the passwords that you write down in a secure place away from the information that they help protect.

      • You have the option of having Outlook remember your password by typing it in the Password box and selecting the Remember password check box. Although this means that you don't have to type your password each time you access the account, it also means that the account is vulnerable to anyone who has access to your computer.

      Modify a profile

      1. Select the profile to add the .pst file to.
      2. Click Properties, and then click Data Files.
      3. Click Add.
      4. Select Outlook 97-2002 Personal Folders File (.pst), and then click OK.
      5. Browse to the new folder location, select the data file, and then click OK twice.
      6. Click Close twice.
      7. Click OK.
      8. Restart Outlook.

         If you have multiple .pst files in your Outlook profile, make sure that your default delivery location is still correct after you complete the preceding steps. The default delivery location is the data file where new messages will appear in the Inbox.

      9. On the Tools menu, click E-mail Accounts.
      10. Click View or change existing e-mail accounts, and then click Next.
      11. In the Deliver new e-mail to the following location list, make sure that the correct data file is selected.
      12. If you need to change the selection, make sure to click Finish, and then quit and restart Outlook for the changes to take effect.

   Open the copied .pst, but don't make it the default delivery location for e-mail messages

   This means that no changes will be made to your Outlook profile or how mail is delivered, except that you now see the folders of the copied .pst file in the Navigation Pane.

   1. Start Outlook.
   2. On the File menu, point to Open, and then click Outlook Data File.

       Note   In Outlook 2000, on the File menu, point to Open, and then click Personal Folders File (.pst).

   3. Click the .pst file that you want to open, and then click OK. The name of the folder associated with the data file appears in the Folder List.

      To view the Folder List, on the Go menu, click Folder List. By default, the folder is called Personal Folders.

    Note   The default delivery location is where new e-mail messages are delivered. For example, if you have two .pst files in one Outlook profile, each might contain an Inbox. The default delivery location specifies which Inbox and data file is the primary or default location for new items.