Where Is the Outlook PST File in New and Classic Outlook

Ask where is Outlook PST file and many older guides send you to the AppData folder, where you will usually find an OST file instead. The PST and the OST live in different folders, and new Outlook for Windows does not create either of them for your mailbox. In this guide, I’ll show where each file sits in every Outlook client, and how to get the exact path from Outlook itself.

Quick Answer: In classic Outlook 2016 and newer (including Outlook for Microsoft 365), PST files are saved in C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Outlook Files by default. OST files go to C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook. To see the real path, open File > Account Settings > Account Settings > Data Files. New Outlook only shows PST files you add under Settings > Files > Outlook Data Files.

PST or OST: Which File Are You Looking For

Outlook uses two kinds of data files, and they are not interchangeable.

• A PST (Personal Storage Table) holds Outlook items on your PC. Archives and exports are PST files, and so is the data of a POP account. It is the only copy of that data, so it is the file you back up or move to a new computer.
• An OST (offline Outlook data file) is a local cache of an Exchange or Microsoft 365 mailbox (Outlook.com too) in classic Outlook. The real mailbox is on the server. If you delete the OST, Outlook downloads it again.

If your account is a work Microsoft 365 mailbox and you never created an archive, you probably have no PST at all. Only an OST.

Where Is Outlook PST File Stored on Windows

The default folder depends on the Outlook version that created the file, not the version you run today.

• Outlook 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024 and Outlook for Microsoft 365: C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Outlook Files
• Older Outlook versions: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
• Windows XP era PCs: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

Upgrading Outlook does not move an existing PST. So a PC that started on an old Outlook version and was upgraded over the years can still have its PST in AppData, while new archives go to Documents. Sometimes you find one file in each place.

If OneDrive backs up your Documents folder, the Outlook Files folder moves with it to C:\Users\<username>\OneDrive\Documents\Outlook Files. More on that problem below.

Microsoft lists these defaults in its introduction to Outlook data files. A PST can also be anywhere else on the disk if someone picked a different folder when they created it, so the next method is more reliable than guessing.

Get the Exact Path From Classic Outlook

Classic Outlook knows where every data file in your profile is. This works for Outlook 2016/2019/2021/2024 and Outlook for Microsoft 365. If you are not sure which one you have, check which version of Outlook you have first.

1. Click File, then Account Settings > Account Settings.
2. Open the Data Files tab. It lists every PST and OST in the profile, with the account each one belongs to and the full path in the Location column.
3. Select the file and click Open File Location. File Explorer opens the folder with the file selected.

If Outlook does not open at all, you can still see the same list. Open Control Panel, select Mail (Microsoft Outlook), then Data Files.

Close Outlook before you copy or move a PST. Outlook keeps the file open while it runs.

Open the Folder Directly in File Explorer

You can paste the path into the File Explorer address bar (Windows key + E) instead of clicking through folders.

• For PST files in the current default folder, go to Documents\Outlook Files in your user folder.
• For OST files and older PSTs, type %localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook and press Enter.

Use %localappdata%, not %appdata%. Many older guides (and Windows search) point you to %appdata%, but that shortcut opens the Roaming folder, and Outlook data files are not kept there.

AppData is a hidden folder, and Windows may also hide file extensions. If you browse instead of typing the path, open Control Panel > File Explorer Options > View, select Show hidden files, folders, and drives, and clear Hide extensions for known file types. Then you can tell a .pst from an .ost at a glance.

Where the OST File Is (and Why It Is Not a Backup)

Classic Outlook creates the OST in C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook when the account uses Cached Exchange Mode.

Do not copy the OST to another PC as a backup. You cannot move it between computers, and Microsoft’s steps to move Outlook data files say a new OST is created automatically when you add the account on the new computer. To get a copy of the mailbox you can carry, export it to a PST.

The OST size is also not your mailbox size. By default classic Outlook keeps only the last 12 months of mail in the cache, so the file is often smaller than the mailbox on the server. Here is how to see your real Outlook mailbox size.

PST Files in New Outlook for Windows

New Outlook does not use OST files, and it does not create a PST for your account. It keeps its offline cache in its own format. So if you only use new Outlook, there is no PST to find unless you opened or exported one.

What new Outlook can do is open a PST that already exists, wherever it is saved:

1. Click the Settings gear.
2. Go to Files > Outlook Data Files.
3. Select Add file, pick the .pst, and select Open.

The PST then shows in the folder pane. New Outlook only remembers where the file is. It does not move it to a special folder. To close it, go back to the same page, select Manage on the file and then Close file (Microsoft’s open and close PST steps cover both clients).

New Outlook only opens PST files when all of these are true:

• Classic Outlook must also be installed on the PC, with the same architecture (32-bit or 64-bit). Microsoft plans to remove this requirement, with no date given.
• The account needs a Microsoft 365 subscription.
• PST files are not supported on the ARM version of new Outlook.
• PST support does not work while new Outlook runs in Safe or Recovery mode.

With those in place, you can read and search the PST. You can also move mail and folders, or drag messages between the PST and your mailbox. To create a new PST, new Outlook uses Settings > Files > Export. Microsoft does not say which folder the export goes to, so note the location in the wizard. For full steps, see how to create a PST file in Outlook.

For IT: PST access in new Outlook is on by default. Admins can limit or turn it off with the OutlookDataFile setting in the OWA mailbox policy (Set-OwaMailboxPolicy). The Group Policy that controls PST files in classic Outlook has no effect on new Outlook.

Outlook for Mac Does Not Use PST Files

Outlook for Mac stores its data in its own database, not in a PST. Legacy Outlook for Mac can import a PST from Windows: go to Tools > Import, select Outlook for Windows archive file (.pst), and the items show under On My Computer. Microsoft says support for legacy Outlook for Mac ends in October 2026.

The Mac profile data sits in ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook 15 Profiles/. The Library folder is hidden, so use Go > Go to Folder in Finder and paste the path. Do not copy this folder as a backup. Export to an .olm archive file from legacy Outlook for Mac instead.

PST File Missing After a OneDrive Backup

This is a common one. OneDrive backup moves the Documents folder, the PST goes with it, and classic Outlook shows an error at start because it cannot find the file at the old path.

1. Click OK on the error. Outlook opens a file browser.
2. Go to C:\Users\<username>\OneDrive\Documents\Outlook Files and select the PST.
3. Outlook opens normally with the new path.

That gets you working again, but I would not leave a PST in a OneDrive folder. Microsoft’s PST export page warns that OneDrive blocks syncing these files, and a big PST slows OneDrive down. Close Outlook, move the PST to a local folder that OneDrive does not back up, then start Outlook and point it to the new location.

For IT: Change the Default PST and OST Folder

On managed PCs you can set the default folder for new data files with the ForcePSTPath and ForceOSTPath registry values under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook (Expandable String Value, the folder path as data). Both apply only to data files created after you set them. Existing PST and OST files stay where they are, so set them before the profile is created, or remove and add the account again. Keep the folder on a local disk, not a network share.

If you have several old archive PSTs spread over Documents and AppData, you can merge Outlook archive files into one before you move them.

When a user says their PST is gone, start with the Data Files tab. It shows the path Outlook expects. If the file is not there, search the PC for .pst in File Explorer. A moved PST keeps its name.