Where Outlook Stores Your Emails on Your Computer

If you use classic Outlook for Windows, your email data file is usually in Documents\Outlook Files or AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook. The file type and location depend on your account and whether the file holds an archive or an offline copy.

A PST file stores Outlook messages and other items, including archived mail. An OST file stores an offline copy of Outlook data. Outlook synchronizes that copy with a mail server. Microsoft says POP accounts use PST files, while Microsoft 365, Exchange, IMAP, and Outlook.com accounts use OST files for synchronized offline data.

Find the file in classic Outlook for Windows #

To find the file’s exact location in Outlook, select File > Account Settings > Account Settings, then open the Data Files tab. Outlook lists its PST and OST files there, along with the accounts associated with them, as described in Microsoft’s instructions to repair Outlook data files.

These are the usual paths in Windows:

• PST: C:\Users\<your-name>\Documents\Outlook Files\
• OST: C:\Users\<your-name>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\

The AppData folder is hidden by default. You can open it by entering %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Outlook in File Explorer’s address bar. Outlook uses these standard locations unless you or an administrator chose another folder. Check the Data Files tab to see the path Outlook uses.

Know whether the file is a backup or a synchronized copy #

A PST can hold mail and other Outlook items, including older messages saved for archiving. Microsoft documents Documents\Outlook Files as the location for PST files and explains how to create a PST data file. If a PST contains mail you need to keep, back up the file before moving it or changing Outlook settings. A password-protected PST also requires its password whenever Outlook opens it.

An OST works differently: it holds a synchronized copy of information stored on the mail server, so Outlook can show previously downloaded items while the computer is offline. Microsoft advises that an OST does not need a separate backup because Outlook can download a fresh synchronized copy when you set up the account again. Keep a PST archive as data you need to preserve. An OST is a local copy of data stored on the server. Avoid deleting either file until you have checked what it contains and confirmed where the original data lives.

Outlook for Mac and new Outlook use different storage #

The Windows paths above do not apply to Outlook for Mac. A Microsoft Q&A response says that Outlook stores messages in On My Computer folders in its local database, and they do not sync to the cloud. Before resetting a Mac or removing Outlook, export or copy any local-only messages you want to keep. The same Q&A discussion says New Outlook for Mac does not support exporting those items. It suggests switching to Legacy Outlook and exporting an Outlook for Mac data file (.olm).

New Outlook for Windows also handles PST files differently from classic Outlook. Microsoft documents how to open and work with PST files, but requirements that include having classic Outlook installed also require the same 32-bit or 64-bit architecture. Microsoft’s PST instructions do not give one folder path for all mailbox data that New Outlook syncs. If you need the location of a file classic Outlook uses, check its Data Files tab.

$ curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vincentsch/mailmd/main/install.sh | sh

Set up mailmd so you can read my email. Use https://github.com/vincentsch/mailmd: read its AGENTS.md and follow the steps. Connect my mailbox and run the first sync. Then show me where the files are.