Accessing Outlook .pst files in New Outlook

Anonymous
2024-06-04T14:06:01+00:00

I have twenty years of history in various .pst files.  When I first started using Outlook, my single .pst file and all my folders got too large and I was instructed to move some of my folders into new .pst files.  These .pst files contain lots of important emails and historic records attached to emails.  So I filed all the emails into various folders within various .pst files. 

If Outlook will no longer support .pst files, how will I be able to access the .pst files?  I understand that Microsoft will no longer support “Old Outlook”.  So what can I now do to be able to access these various .pst files?  Should i go back to what I was doing originally and move everything from .pst files into folders within my "root" Outlook email? That would put about 4.5G of emails into my New Outlook. How will that work?

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For home

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-05-05T14:58:19+00:00

    Your PST files don't go away on switch to new Outlook. If you do an online search you'll find other non-MS tools that can read PST files.

    If you have a paid Office 365 subscription you will be prompted to switch but it gives you the option to switch back which is what I did since I do have a paid subscription.

    A reply on my feedback to MS on switch back said that the paid subscription actually allows for use of PST files. (Not what they'd previously announced.) Due to that I switched to new again but then it wanted to put my other non-MS email accounts in MS cloud. I don't need that since I can access those via their own mail sites on the web. Moreover, I don't WANT that as I have no desire to give MS access to my other email. Accordingly I switched back to classic Outlook again noting that as the reason.

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-04-16T13:45:39+00:00

    As a follow up to my post on 05-Apr-2025.

    Outlook did in fact automatically switch me to "new Outlook" on my next reboot.

    However, it did let me convert back to "classic Outlook" right away.

    It asked why and I told it the lack of support for PST files was the reason.

    Since then (some 10 days) it has not attempted to automatically switch me to "new Outlook" again.

    Other comments here suggest a paid Office 365 subscription is what allows one to switch back. I do have a paid Office 365 subscription.

    P.S. If you do a web search for ways to view PST files without Outlook you'll find various hits. I tried to share a link a few days ago but the post failed for some reason.

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-11-10T19:06:37+00:00

    I agree, but alas, yes, Microsoft, in its infinite wisdom, has gotten rid of .pst files in newest Outlook. I am currently in a lawsuit and need to access older emails that I filed into .pst folders going back years. Microsoft needs to come up with a better solution.

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  4. Hal Hostetler MVP-Outlook 12,011 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2024-11-05T20:11:43+00:00

    From the Microsoft 365 Roadmap page I linked earlier:

    The initial version of PST support in new Outlook for Windows will enable users to open "*.pst" files (a.k.a. Outlook Data Files), read all e-mail messages within the "*.pst" file, and search e-mail messages within the ".pst" file. This initial support is limited to Mail items and is read-only. All Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks data saved in the "*.pst" files are still there, but they cannot be accessed in this initial version. #newoutlookforwindows

    • Feature ID: 399467
    • Added to roadmap: 6/6/2024
    • Last modified: 6/6/2024
    • Product(s): Outlook
    • Cloud instance(s): Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant)
    • Platform(s): Desktop
    • Release phase(s): General Availability

    FWIW, both versions will install and run at the same time. Originally, I clicked the toggle and Outlook new installed. I went back into Classic and turned the toggle OFF again. I now have both installed, both run, and the toggle in Classic remains OFF so Outlook New only runs when I launch it.

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  5. Ron-6928 4,991 Reputation points
    2024-11-05T20:04:13+00:00

    I wouldn't use an unfinished product (Outlook new). It's still under development and full of bugs. No one knows how PST support is going to be when it's available.

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