Change the Location of Outlook’s .pst and .ost Folders
September 3rd, 2007You thought Bill Gates owned your computer along with your soul, but you can change the location of Outlooks folders for better organization.
When you’re using Microsoft Outlook, you’ll find that your Personal Folders (.pst) and Offline folders (.ost) are saved in an Outlook folder (%userprofile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook). You can edit your registry so that your offline folders for Outlook are stored where ever you prefer.
How to Change the Location of Outlook’s .pst and .ost Folders (Registry Tweak Instructions)
For registry fix “Change the Location of Outlook’s .pst and .ost Folders,” you’ll need to:
Backup your system and its important files before editing your registry.
Now, open your registry. You can open your registry by using the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.exe), which is a program automatically included with most Windows operating systems. The Registry Editor lets you view, edit, and search data within the your system’s registry. You can launch your Registry Editor many ways, and the easiest way to is to click the “Start” button, select “Run,” and type “regedit” inthe “Open” box (click here for a sample image of Registry Editor and instructions on how to use Registry Editor).
Next, find the registry key appropriate to your version of Outlook. If you’re using Outlook 2003, locate registry key [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook]. If you’re using Outlook XP, locate registry key [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Outlook]. If you’re using Outlook 2000, locate registry key [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Outlook].
Next you’ll create an expandable string value REG_EXPAND_SZ called “ForcePSTPath”, and set it equal to the full path of the required personal folder directory (e.g. C:\Personal Files).
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook]
Data Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ (Expanded String Value)
Value Name: ForcePSTPath
Value Data: Full file path to your preferred folder (e.g. “C:\Personal Files”)
Click here for more about registry settings.
Now you can exit your registry and Registry Editor. You’ll probably need to log out of Windows for this registry tweak to take effect.
Remember:
Modifying your system’s registry can cause serious problems that may require reinstalling your Windows OS. We can’t guarantee any problems resulting from your modifying your Window registry can be fixed. You’re using these manual Windows registry fix or registry repair instructions at your own risk. It’s highly recommended you backup your system and its important files before editing your registry.
Using a Registry Editor to Change the Location of Outlook’s .pst and .ost Folders
When you want to perform a registry fix such as Change the Location of Outlook’s .pst and .ost Folders, it’s necessary to understand how to use your Windows system’s Registry Editor.
Once you’ve launched Registry Editor - or “REGEDIT.exe” - you’ll notice on the left-hand side of the Registry Editor window there is a tree of folders, and on the right-hand side of the window the contents - or the “values” - of the folder you’ve selected are displayed.
Similar to when you’re using web browser Internet Explorer, when you want to expand a branch of your registry’s folder tree and see the structure of a section of the registry, you simply double-click on the folder or click once on the plus sign (+). To see the contents of a key - or “folder” - you simply click on the key and view the values listed in the right-hand side of the window.
To add a key or value, you’ll right-click the “Edit” menu with your mouse, then select “New.” You can also rename almost any key and any value in about the same way you’d rename a file on your computer: just right-click the registry key or value and select “Rename,” slowly click on the registry key or value twice, or simply press F2 on your keyboard. You can delete a registry key or registry value by clicking on it to select it and pressing “Delete,” or by right-clicking the registry value or key and selecting “Delete.”
You should backup your registry before you make any changes to it. Editing your registry can be intimidating to you if you’re not a computer expert, and when you change or a delete a critical registry key or registry value, there’s a chance you may need to reinstall your entire Windows operating system, or damage your PC beyond repair.
About Registry Settings
Data Type
The “Data Type” refers to the type of data - or data format - of the registry value. Data types are usually:
- REG_BINARY, in which the value is stored in raw binary code.
- REG_DWORD, which is typically used for boolean values in your registry and is a four-byte number. This registry data type might show in your REGEDIT tool as a decimal or hexadecimal format.
- REG_EXPAND_SZ, which is a string of variables that are replaced when this data type is called to action by software.
- REG_MULTI_SZ, which is used for registry values that are composed of multiple values or lists. In this data format, each of these values or lists are seperated by a null character type.
- REG_SZ, which is used for text values and strings.
System Key
“System Key” stands for the location of a Windows registry value. Usually your computer’s system keys can be found under “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE”, and because of this system keys will affect your entire system.
User Key
Your “User Key” in your registry stands for the location of a specific Windows registry value. Typically, your computer’s user keys can be found under “HKEY_CURRENT_USER”, and because of this, user keys only affect the settings of the current Windows system user or account.
Value Data
“Value Data” refers to what data is acceptable to be written to the registry value.
Value Name
The “Value Name” refers to what the name of a registry value that you’ll be creating or editing. Typically, value names are not case sensitive.
Enhance Your Software Through Registry Tweaks and Registry Hacks
Registry hacks and registry tweaks are not limited to improving your WIndows system’s core settings — you can also edit your Windows registry to enhance and improve your computer’s third-party software, and further customize your computer so you’re running the best machine for you.
And learning how to Change the Location of Outlook’s .pst and .ost Folders isn’t the only registry tweak for your Windows software –there are various registry tweaks you can perform that will improve your PC’s software. You can edit your registry to change your default email client from Microsoft Outlook, you can tweak your registry so that ICQ doesn’t automatically update, you can edit your registry to get rid of Norton AntiVirus and Norton Utilities splash screen, and so much more.
If you’re a computer expert, you can browse the other security registry tweaks below to improve your Windows software.
Registry Tweaks Related to Change the Location of Outlook’s .pst and .ost Folders
» Delete Temporary Files When Quitting Internet Explorer
» Delete the Download Accelerator Plus History
» Hide Recently Played in Windows Media Player
» Open Double-Pane Explorer Window for Network Drives
» Change Your Default Mail Client
» Change the Location of Outlook's .pst and .ost Folders
#1 Oscar
May 14th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Does it moves the files already in the old location to the new location? or do I have to copy previously to changing the registry?
#2 DHAYALAN K
July 1st, 2008 at 8:12 pm
hai…
i am facing the problem for outlook2k3 automatically changed the pst file to ost am not adding the outlook mail some error showing not a pst file this ost format how to change the ost to pst …pls help