Managing PST Files in Outlook 2013

If you have no experience in using Outlook 2013 and want to know how to work around PST files- creating a new Outlook 2013 PST file, backing up PST file data, importing and exporting .pst file data, and so on. Then this article ultimately helps you to use/manage personal storage folders (PST files) in Microsoft Outlook 2013.

Managing PST Files in MS Outlook 2013 �

Create a new PST File in Outlook 2013:

Creating a PST file in Outlook 2013 is not as difficult as you think it should be. Follow these steps to create a PST file �

• From Outlook 2013, go to the File menu present in the top left
• Select Account Settings from the Info tab
• Now click on the Account Settings button
• Next select Data Files from the Account Settings window
• From the tab, click on Add button
• Now you will be asked where you wish to save the new PST file
• Enter the location
• A check-box at the bottom asks if you want to add a password. If you want to add, then enter the password before saving

That�s it. Your Outlook 2013 PST file is created.

Backup (Export) PST File in Outlook 2013:

You never know when the hard drive might fail or Outlook issues crop up. So it is good to backup (export) PST file. Also, when you want to move emails, contacts, calendar items, from one email account to another, from one PC to another, etc., then here is how you backup .pst file in Outlook 2013 �

• In the Outlook ribbon on top choose File
• Select Open & Export -->Import/Export
• Next, choose Export to a file, click Next
• Select Outlook Data File (.pst), and hit Next
• Select the name of the email account to export, (See to it that Include subfolders check-box is ticked) and click Next
• Click the Browse button to choose where to save the Outlook Data File (.pst). Type the filename, and hit OK
• Suppose you are exporting to an already existing PST file, then under Options specify what to do when exporting data which already exist in the file
• Hit Finish
• Now the export process begins immediately unless a new Outlook Data File is created/a password protected .pst file is used

So your Outlook 2013 data is now in a .pst file. You can save the .pst file to OneDrive, and download it to the new computer. Alternatively, you can save it to a flash drive, and import all your emails, contacts, calendar, etc. to the new computer.

Additional Information: At times, while following the manual method to move Outlook data from one computer to another, there are chances of missing certain files while backing up. Or, if you don�t go about the transferring process properly, you lose important Outlook data. To safely backup and migrate data from one PC to another, you can rely on the Migrate Outlook tool. The software will backup and migrate 2003 Outlook to 2013 on a new computer, Outlook 2010 to 2013, Outlook 2013 to 2016, and so on easily.

Import PST File into Outlook 2013:

You can use the backup copy of .pst file to restore Outlook data, if, for instance, the original .pst file is damaged. To import Outlook 2013 items from PST file, follow these steps �

• In the Outlook 2013 ribbon on top, choose File
• Choose Open & Export --> Import/Export
• Select Import from another program or file option, and hit Next
• Select Outlook Data File (.pst), and click on Next
• Browse for the .pst file you want to import
• In Options, select how you want to deal with Outlook items, and click Next
• If you had set a password for the .pst file, then enter it and click OK

(If you are importing .pst file contents into Office 365 mailbox, then choose that mailbox. If not, then choose Import items into the current folder. Data will be imported into the currently selected folder.)

• Finally, click on Finish. Now Outlook starts importing .pst file contents.

That�s all there is to importing! Your emails and other settings will appear in Outlook 2013 once the import process is completed.

Transfer Outlook 2013 Data from One Computer to Another:

To transfer Outlook data from one computer to another, you cannot share or synchronize the Outlook Data Files (.pst files). But still, transferring Outlook data between computers is possible.

• To backup the PST file, follow the steps mentioned in the Backup (Export) PST File in Outlook 2013 section
• Copy the .pst file to portable media. And, copy it to the next computer.
• Next, import the .pst file to the new computer by following steps in Import PST File into Outlook 2013 section