“Where on the disk is my Outlook data?”
I like when I hear this question because it is often only asked when people are looking to add it to their backup routine. The most important thing to backup is the Outlook.pst file (and any other .pst files in the folders below)
No matter what version of Outlook you have the files are located in one of two locations depending on what Operating System you are using. If you have Windows Vista then the files are located here:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
The above path usually translates to C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
Backup the Outlook folder to be sure you get all .pst files.
For Windows XP the path is:
%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
Translated C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
If you are looking to verify your backup, don’t try to open the Outlook.pst file, simply check the file date and the relative size to your current .pst file. To restore data use File>Import/Export in Outlook.
Oh, and if you are looking for Outlook Express files things get a bit more complicated. Some day I will edit this and add OE file paths.
