How to Backup Outlook PST Files

Outlook PST files are extremely important as they contain a copy of all the contents of the Outlook mail account. If they get corrupted or damaged then it would become impossible for you to access them and recover the data present in them. Making a backup Outlook PST file is a good way of ensuring that even if your PST file becomes corrupted, you have a backup present that you can utilize for retrieving your lost PST data.

• Part 1: How to Backup Outlook PST Files
• Part 2: How to Repair Corrupt Outlook PST files

What is Outlook PST File

PST files are part of the MS Outlook. They are the default files of this software which contain a large amount of data. All the items that are present in the Outlook email account are present in the PST file too. Thus, a PST file can be used for the purpose of recovering items of the Outlook mail account if it becomes inaccessible for any reason. A single PST file can store up to 2GB of data.

Part 1: How to Backup Outlook PST Files

MS Outlook utilizes a PST file for saving its entire data if you are using Outlook without Microsoft Exchange Server. If the initial PST file gets lost or damaged then you can restore the contents it had using a backup copy. In this section, you will find instructions on creating a backup Outlook PST.

These steps need to be followed if you want to create a backup Outlook PST of your entire PST file:

Step 1 Shutdown all messaging programs like Microsoft Windows Messaging, Microsoft Exchange or Outlook.

Step 2 Press ‘Run’ after clicking the ‘Start’ button. Hit Enter after typing ‘control panel’ into the Open dialog box.

Control Panel will open.

Note: Perform step 3 after clicking User Accounts if a screen labeled Pick a category appears.

Step 3 Find the Mail icon and double-click on it.

Step 4 Find the Show Profiles options and click on it.

Step 5Click on Properties after clicking on the relevant profile.

Step 6 Find the Data Files option and click on it.

Step 7 Choose the Personal Folder Service you wish to backup under the Name tab. Personal Folders is the default name given to this service. It might be named differently, though.

Note: You should separately backup every PST file set if your profile has multiple Personal Folders Service.

The Personal Folders Service wouldn’t have been enabled yet if you don’t find any entries bearing the Personal Folders name and haven’t saved any data like appointments, contacts or messages in Outlook up until now. Find your way to the section labeled ‘References’ to find out information regarding creating a PST file.

If you have saved data like appointments, contacts or message in Outlook and still can’t seem to find the Personal Folders Services then that data might be saved on the Exchange Service in a mailbox.

Step 8 Notice the filename and path that is displayed after clicking the Setting button.

Note: The size of this file can be quite large since the PST file holds the entire data which is saved in Outlook’s MAPI folders. For reducing the PST file’s size, you should open the ‘Settings’ window and click on the ‘Compact Now’ option.

Step 9 Shutdown all windows of Properties.

Step 10 The file which was noticed in step 8 needs to be copied using My Computer or Windows Explorer. External storage devices like magnetic tape cassettes, portable hard disks, CD-ROM, floppy disk and other storage media or a different location on the hard disk can be used for copying the file too.

Part 2: How to Repair Corrupt Outlook PST files

A backup Outlook PST file can help you in getting back your Outlook account’s contents in case your original PST file gets lost or corrupted. Damaged PST files need to be repaired as quickly as possible or else you will lose all of the data that is contained in them. You will find a lot of third-party repair tools online that claim to repair corrupt PST file. However, most of them are incapable of performing this task in a safe manner. Outlook PST Repair is the only PST repair tool that can be trusted to repair the corrupt PST files both safely and effectively. It can also recover data from the corrupt PST file in a comprehensive manner.

In short, if you want to ensure that you do not lose out on your important data stored in a PST file if it gets corrupted then you should create a backup Outlook PST file. The process for making a backup of the PST file isn’t a difficult one. If you want to repair your corrupt PST file then using a professional PST repair tool like Outlook PST Repair is your best available option.