How to Move All Outlook Email Addresses, Email and Settings From One Computer to Another
Microsoft Outlook is a third-party email client that retrieves your email messages and makes them available through its desktop client. After the setup process, Outlook begins to store all email addresses and Outlook settings in a PST (.pst) file. You can back up the .pst file and import it into Outlook to move all messages, email and settings from one computer to another.
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Instructions
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Click the "Start" button and click the "Control Panel" link in the right windowpane.
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Click "User Accounts" and click "Mail" from the list of options. Click "Show Profiles," then "Properties" on the resulting window.
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Click "Data Files," then click "Personal Folders" in the window that appears. Personal Folders is the default name for the Outlook file system, but it may have a different name. Select the name of the folder you entered during setup when configuring your Outlook account.
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Click "Open Folder." A new Windows Explorer window will open, displaying your Outlook backup folder.
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Right-click on the file named "Outlook.pst" and click "Copy" from the menu that appears.
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Insert a USB flash drive into an available port on your computer. Click the "Open Folder to View Files" when the AutoPlay option displays. Right-click in the folder and click "Paste" to copy the .pst file to the flash drive. Safely remove the drive by navigating to "Computer" and right-clicking on the flash drive, then clicking "Eject" from the resulting menu.
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Insert the flash drive into the computer you wish to transfer the Outlook settings to.
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Open Microsoft Outlook and click "File," then "Import and Export."
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Click the "Import from another Program or file" option, then click "Next." Click the "Personal Folder File" option, then click "Next."
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Navigate to your USB flash drive and select the .pst file you wish to import. Click the "Next" button once you have finished. Select the folder you wish to import or select the entry at the top of the file system to import everything. Click "Finish" to complete the import process.
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Tips & Warnings
Microsoft has a free Outlook add-in that allows you to back up your files and settings (see Resources). You will still, however, need to follow the steps to import any backup made using the add-in.
References
Resources
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