Accessing Outlook .pst files in New Outlook

This is an interesting thread and many customers have taken a long time to describe their issues which is the same issue I am having. I cannot believe that Microsoft can only reply with a standard response which doesn't address anyone concern.

In one case "sbdeco" provides a very clear concern then Microsoft reply and when "sbdeco" replies again with other obvious questions, Microsoft does not reply again. However further down they use their initial standard response again with another customer query so basically ignoring "sbdeco".

Microsoft should not be offering this upgrade to the new outlook until it can solve this important issue. How can customers keep their emails on local drives and still view them without having to load their archived emails back into Outlook online using the Microsoft servers and then we are being charged for additional storage. I feel much safer having my archived emails on my own storage device and I do not want this admin created by Microsoft.

This answer is a non-starter. The main reason people export to PST is because of email storage limitation of 50Gb and 100GB if you use In-Place-Archiving. You can't just put all that historical mail back in outlook!!! The whole point of having a PST file is to hold historical email records for referencing in the future. So being able to mount the file is crucial for I would say every business on the planet not to mention Governments.

Hello  Amin Nosrat,

Good morning!

Thank you for publishing in Microsoft Community. We are happy to help you.

I understand that you have concerns about accessing your .pst files in New Outlook.

Firstly, I would like to clarify that New Outlook for Windows does support .pst files. You can import your .pst files into Outlook using the old Outlook ( classic Outlook).

Typically you need to switch back to the classic outlook to move everything from .pst files into folders within your "root" Outlook email

By migrating your .pst files back into your Outlook account, organizing your emails effectively, and implementing proper backup procedures, you can continue to access and manage your valuable email history in the new Outlook environment.

If you have been using .pst files in Outlook to store important emails and historic records, it's crucial to ensure that you can continue to access and manage this valuable information.

Here are some insights and steps to help you address the changes in Outlook's support for .pst files and effectively manage your email data:

1. Outlook's Transition Away from .pst Files:
     - As Microsoft transitions away from .pst files in favor of more modern data storage solutions, it's important to adapt your email management practices accordingly to ensure continued access to your email data.
2. Migration Options:
     - One option is to migrate the contents of your existing .pst files back into your Outlook mailbox or folders. This will bring all your emails back into your "root" Outlook email account, making them accessible within the new Outlook interface.
3. Importing .pst Files:
     - To import the contents of your .pst files back into Outlook, you can use the import feature within Outlook. This process allows you to select the .pst file you want to import and choose the destination where you want the data to be imported. Reference: Import contacts to Outlook for Windows - Microsoft Support
4. Considerations for Importing:
     - Keep in mind that importing a large amount of data (such as 4.5GB of emails) into your Outlook mailbox may impact performance, especially if your mailbox size reaches or exceeds the storage limits set by your email provider or your Admin.
5. Organizing Emails in Outlook:
     - Once you have imported the emails back into Outlook, you can organize them using folders, categories, or tags to maintain a structured and easily accessible email archive. Consider organizing emails based on topics, projects, or time periods to facilitate efficient retrieval of information.
6. Backup and Archiving:
     - As you make changes to your email management strategy, ensure that you have adequate backup and archiving procedures in place to safeguard your important email data. Regularly back up your Outlook mailbox to prevent data loss.

you can continue to access and manage your valuable email history in the new Outlook.

However if there is any issue kindly provide us your old outlook version

We look forward to your reply. This requested information will help us narrow down the scenario and find the right troubleshooting. We will continue to assist you based on the information you provide. I sincerely appreciate your patience and cooperation.   SincerelyEben Ezer Tres | Microsoft Community Moderator

This looks like Microsoft control freakery 1) forcing us to move everything off our local storage (where we want it) and 2) forcing us to put it onto its own servers, where, 'happily for Microsoft' it can sell us space when we run out.

Agree completely this is what I had asked in my earlier questions about having you know 5G or more in multiple PST files that I’m now going to have to load into a single outlook file. That was a problem 20 years ago and that’s why I created multiple PST files.

Firstly, I would like to clarify that I'm not migrating .PST files BACK into Outlook. I've been using PSTs since the first release of Exchange in 1997-ish when I was an administrator, and my employer (as I remember) wanted a separate PST for each project.

I finally got Outlook.com (which is an Exchange server) to work and I use rules to move messages to the appropriate PST and for that interest; then I read the message from that PST. I also connect to more than one provider.

According to this new paradigm, I think you want us to move all our email to separate subtrees of the Outlook.com server. I'm concerned about overloading the Outlook client running on my Android tablet and Smartphone with content I read only on my home computer.