GuidesPlain answers to real PST problems

PST guides.

Step-by-step answers for the questions people search for most: opening, fixing, finding and moving Outlook mail.

Open and find your mail

How to open a PST file without OutlookA PST file is Outlook's archive format, but you don't need Outlook to read it. Here is how to open one on any computer, and what to watch out for.5 min read →Where is my PST file?Outlook keeps its data files in a few standard places. How to find yours on Windows 10 and 11, from inside Outlook, on a Mac and in old backups.4 min read →PST files in the new Outlook for WindowsThe new Outlook handles PST files differently from classic Outlook. What works today, what does not, and how to reach the mail in an old archive anyway.5 min read →PST, OST, MBOX, EML and MSG explainedFive file formats hold most of the world's saved email. What each one is, which programs make it, and how to move mail from one to another.6 min read →

Fix a PST

“The Outlook data file cannot be accessed”: causes and fixesTwo of Outlook's most common error messages, what usually causes them, and how to get to your mail, in order from the simplest fix to repair.6 min read →SCANPST: where it is, what it fixes, and when it failsOutlook's built-in Inbox Repair Tool fixes many damaged PST files. Where to find it, how to use it without risking your mail, and what to do when it gives up.6 min read →PST file too large? Limits, symptoms and splittingOutlook data files have size limits, and big ones become slow and fragile long before they reach them. How large is too large, and how to split one safely.5 min read →

Move and combine mail

Move mail between Thunderbird and OutlookThunderbird stores mail as MBOX files; Outlook uses PST. How to find the files and convert them, in both directions, without uploading your mail anywhere.6 min read →Gmail Takeout MBOX into OutlookGoogle Takeout gives you your Gmail as one MBOX file. Here is how to turn it into an Outlook PST and open it, step by step.5 min read →Merge PST files without duplicatesOld laptops, repeated archives and imports leave mail spread over several PST files, often with the same messages in more than one. How to combine them into one clean file.5 min read →