If you wish to retrieve one email from a backup file, importing the entire file of emails into Outlook is nothing but a waste of time. To help you avoid this stress and long process, we will break down how you can open a PST file in Microsoft Outlook and browse the contents, without requiring any importing.
Backing up your emails to a PST file is a brilliant way to create a long-term email archive and preserve space in your email account. However, the possible disadvantage is that it remains unclear how users can access one email in a PST file without importing the entire file.
Luckily for you though, Outlook actually allows you to access a PST file without importing it, and this will help you to browse the contents like it is just a folder. You will be able to read the messages, copy or move them into your account, respond to, forward, get rid, create a meeting, or anything else you regularly do with emails. See the answer to your How Do I Open A PST File In Microsoft Outlook question:
How Can I Open A PST File In Microsoft Outlook?
- Before anything else, launch the Microsoft Office app, tap “File” and then choose Open & Export > Open Outlook Data File.
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- Browse to the PST file you wish to open and tap “OK.”
- The PST will be visible way down on the navigation pane as “Outlook Data File.”
- Browse the folders in the PST like all other folders in Outlook. The file can be left open as long as you would like, even if you exit and relaunch Outlook. This makes backup files super handy for decreasing the number of email in your inbox because the messages in the PST file only exist in that file, and not in your online account.
- If you have several PST files open, or if you wish to recall what the file is, you can modify its name from the default “Outlook Data File” to something you can remember.
- Right-tap “Outlook Data File” and select “Data File Properties” from the menu.
- Tap “Advanced.”
- Change the “Name” field to something you can relate with.
- This will not rename the PST file, only the name that is seen in Outlook. You can also password protect your PST file by tapping “Change Password.”
- This will grant you access to “Change Password” where users will be able to add a password. By so doing, no one will be able to access the file without your permission.
- If you fail to remember the password, you will lose access to the contents of the PST, therefore you have to keep your password somewhere safe.
- Tap “OK” in the “Change Password.” dialogue.
- and then “OK” on the next 2 panels.
- The “Outlook Data File” will now be named anything you have renamed it to.
- If you do not need to view the PST file anymore, removing it just as simple as you added it. Right-tap the file name and then choose “Close [Folder Name].”
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Microsoft Outlook will not forget if you changed the name, therefore if you exit the PST and relaunch it again, it will be seen as the name you changed it to instead of “Outlook Data File.”
That is that.
