How to Find PST File Location in Outlook: A Complete 2026 Guide

You need to back up your emails. Or maybe you’re switching to a new laptop. Either way, you’ve hit the same wall: where is my PST file location on this computer?

The good news is that “how to find PST file location in Outlook” finding your PST file location takes less than two minutes once you know where to look. In this guide, we’ll walk through every method to locate your PST file location — using Outlook’s built-in settings, checking Windows folders directly, and finding the default path across Outlook 2007, 2010, 2016, and Outlook 365. We’ll also cover how to check PST file size and what to do once you’ve found it.

What is a PST File?

A PST (Personal Storage Table) file is the local file Outlook uses to store your mailbox data. This includes emails, contacts, calendar entries, tasks, and notes.

Outlook mainly creates a PST file for POP3 accounts, archived folders, and manually added data files. If you use Exchange, Microsoft 365, or Outlook.com through IMAP, your data usually lives in an OST file instead, which syncs with the server. Knowing this difference matters, because searching for a PST file when you actually have an OST file will waste your time.

Why You Might Need to Find Your PST File Location

There are a few practical reasons people search for their PST file location:

• Backup purposes — protecting years of emails against accidental loss
• Moving to a new computer — copying your mailbox data over manually
• Fixing corruption errors — Outlook often asks for the file path when running repair tools
• Freeing up disk space — large PST files can slow down an older laptop
• Migrating to the cloud — many businesses import old PST archives into Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace during a platform migration

If your goal is the last one, manually hunting for PST files across dozens of employee laptops is not realistic. That’s usually the point where IT teams look at a dedicated migration tool instead of doing it file by file.

How to Find PST File Location in Outlook (Any Version)

This is the fastest and most reliable method to find your PST file location, and it works the same way across Outlook 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Outlook for Microsoft 365.

1. Open Outlook.
2. Click File in the top-left corner.
3. Select Account Settings, then click Account Settings again from the dropdown.
4. Go to the Data Files tab.
5. Click on the PST file you want to locate, then select Open File Location.
6. Windows Explorer will open, showing you the exact folder where your PST file lives.

That’s it. Outlook always knows exactly where its own data files are, so this method never fails as long as Outlook can open the file normally.

How to Find PST File Location in Outlook 2007

Outlook 2007 uses an older menu layout, so the steps to find the PST file location are slightly different:

1. Open Outlook 2007.
2. Click Tools in the top menu (not File).
3. Select Account Settings.
4. Click the Data Files tab.
5. Highlight your PST file and click Open Folder.

Default PST File Location by Outlook Version

If Outlook won’t open, or you just want to check the PST file location manually, here’s a quick reference table of default paths.

Outlook Version	Windows Version	Default PST File Location
Outlook 2003 and earlier	Windows XP	C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
Outlook 2007	Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10, 11	C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
Outlook 2010	Windows XP	My Documents\Outlook Files
Outlook 2010	Windows 7, 8, 10, 11	C:\Users\Username\Documents\Outlook Files
Outlook 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021	Windows 7, 8, 10, 11	C:\Users\Username\Documents\Outlook Files
Outlook for Microsoft 365	Windows 10, 11	C:\Users\Username\Documents\Outlook Files

A quick note: these are the default paths for a fresh Outlook profile. If someone manually moved the file, added an old PST from another computer, or changed the location during setup, your actual path may be different. That’s why the in-app method above is always more reliable than a static table.

How to Find PST File Location in Windows 10 and 11

Sometimes you need to check the file directly through File Explorer, without opening Outlook at all. This works well if Outlook is crashing or you’re troubleshooting from a different account.

Method 1: Use the Run Command

1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run box.
2. Type %localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook and press Enter.
3. This opens the folder Outlook uses for OST files and, on older setups, PST files too.

If nothing shows up here, try the Documents path instead:

1. Press Windows key + R.
2. Type %userprofile%\Documents\Outlook Files and press Enter.

Method 2: Search Windows Directly

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Click into the search bar and type *.pst.
3. Set the search location to This PC to scan every drive.
4. Wait for Windows to finish indexing — this can take a few minutes on larger drives.

This method is slower, but it’s the best way to catch PST files that were saved somewhere unusual, like an external drive or a shared folder.

How to Check PST File Size

Outlook data files can grow large over time, and a bloated PST file is one of the most common causes of Outlook slowing down or crashing. Here’s how to check the size:

1. Follow the steps above to open your PST file’s folder.
2. Right-click on the PST file.
3. Select Properties.
4. The General tab shows the exact file size.

You can also check size directly inside Outlook:

1. Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
2. Click the Data Files tab.
3. Select your PST file and click Settings.
4. Click the General tab to view the file size on some versions, or check via file properties as above.

Microsoft recommends keeping PST files well under the 50 GB limit, and ideally much smaller than that, since older PST formats become unstable well before they hit the hard cap. If your file is climbing past a few gigabytes, it’s worth archiving or splitting it before it causes corruption issues.

How to Find All PST Files on Your Computer

If you’ve used Outlook for years, across multiple email accounts, you may have more than one PST file scattered across your system. Here’s how to catch all of them:

• Search *.pst in File Explorer with the location set to This PC
• Check every listed account under File > Account Settings > Data Files in Outlook
• Look in common overflow spots: Desktop, Downloads, external drives, and old backup folders
• Check for archived versions, often named archive.pst or backup.pst

Quick checklist before you consider your search complete:

• Checked Outlook’s Data Files tab for every profile
• Searched the whole C: drive for *.pst
• Checked any external or backup drives
• Looked for hidden archive files
• Noted the file size of each PST found

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming OST and PST are the same thing. They’re not. OST files sync with a server and can’t simply be copied to a new computer the way PST files can.
• Moving a PST file while Outlook is still open. This can corrupt the file. Always close Outlook first.
• Deleting a PST file without checking if it’s connected to an active account. This can break your mailbox setup entirely.
• Ignoring file size warnings. Waiting too long to manage a growing PST file often leads to corruption that’s harder to fix than a simple archive would have been.

What to Do After You Find Your PST File Location

Once you’ve located your PST file, a few next steps are worth considering, depending on your situation:

Goal	Recommended Action
Backing up data	Copy the PST file to an external drive or cloud storage
Moving to a new PC	Copy the file, then re-add it in Outlook via File > Open & Export
Fixing corruption	Run Microsoft’s built-in ScanPST.exe repair tool
Reducing file size	Archive old items or split the PST into smaller files
Migrating to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace	Use a dedicated migration tool instead of manual import

If you’re managing this for a whole team or business, rather than one laptop, manual PST handling gets messy fast. This is exactly where SkyMigrate helps — moving mailbox data, including PST archives, into Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace with zero data loss and no disruption to your team’s daily work.

FAQs

How do I locate my PST file? Open Outlook, go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings, then click the Data Files tab. Select your PST file and click Open File Location. This shows the exact folder path on your computer without needing to guess or search manually.

Where is PST located on Windows 10? For most Outlook versions from 2010 onward, PST files sit in C:\Users\Username\Documents\Outlook Files. Older setups may store them under AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook instead, so checking both folders is a safe bet.

How do I find all PST files on my computer? Search *.pst in File Explorer with the search scope set to This PC. This scans every drive and folder for PST files, including ones outside the default Outlook folder, like backups or archived copies.

How to open a PST file in Outlook 365? Go to File > Open & Export > Open Outlook Data File, then browse to your PST file and select it. Outlook 365 will add it as a separate data file in your folder pane, without affecting your main mailbox.

How do I retrieve a PST file that seems missing? First check File > Account Settings > Data Files inside Outlook, since it lists every connected file. If it’s not there, search *.pst across your whole computer, including external drives, since it may have been moved or backed up elsewhere.

Can I change where Outlook stores my PST file? Yes, but only if the file is healthy. This is usually done through the Windows Registry by adding a ForcePSTPath value, though most users are better off simply moving the file and reconnecting it through Outlook’s Data Files settings.

Conclusion

Finding your PST file doesn’t have to be complicated. In most cases, Outlook’s own Account Settings menu gets you there in under a minute. When that’s not an option, the Windows search and default folder paths covered above will get the job done.

Whether you’re backing up old emails, checking file size before it causes problems, or preparing to move to a new system, knowing your PST file location is the first step. Once you’ve got it handled, the bigger task — actually migrating that data to a new platform without losing anything — is where most people run into trouble.

That’s where SkyMigrate comes in. We help individuals and businesses move mailbox data, PST archives included, into Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and other platforms with zero data loss. If you’re planning a migration and want it done right the first time, get a migration assessment from our team.