Know How to Search Multiple PST Files Without Outlook!
MS Outlook application has left a long-lasting impression on users and it has proved to be one of the best emailing applications. With new versions, new features were included that again made it popular. However, with developing requirements, users used different Outlook profiles for different workstations. Some users also uninstalled the MS Outlook application and jumped to other email clients. Managing different email profiles for different workstations, professional users often have many PST files stored in the system. Amongst these users, some are not aware of how to search multiple PST files without Outlook application installed in the system.
What Are The Default Locations of PST Files?
By default, MS Outlook application saves its PST file to a specific location depending upon the version of MS Outlook and Windows version. If users are aware of these default locations, one can easily find the PST files without using search tool for PST files. These locations also depend on the architecture of Windows version whether it is 32/64 bits. Let us see what the default locations for PST files are:
- C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\
- C:\Users\%username%\Documents\Outlook Files
PST locations for Windows XP or previous users:
- C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\
- C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\My Documents\Outlook Files\
Note: These are default locations and it is not necessary that the files will be saved here only. The file location depends upon the settings done in MS Outlook application and in such conditions; users will have to search multiple PST folders themselves.
Why is It Difficult to Search for PST Files?
‘PST files’ location can be known using the MS Outlook application if it is installed in the system. This can be done by simply going to the Account Settings option and view Data Files and associated locations. A complete list of configured or imported PST files will be available here. It will not show the other PST files, which are stored in the system. However, when user is having multiple PST files stored in system where Outlook is not configured, it can be difficult to search multiple PST files without Outlook. Users can have miscellaneous issues regarding finding PST files and exporting its data to accessible format. One of such issue is discussed in next fragment;
“I have been using MS Outlook since 5 years and many of my personal as well as professional accounts were configured to different Outlook profiles. Being a Sales department employee, I also have to manage multiple accounts and hence have multiple PST files. But since I have switched Job, I am using Thunderbird application and un-installed MS Outlook application. Now I am unable to access or find old PST files. Is it possible to search multiple PST files at once?”
This is one of the situations discussed faced by user and as the MS Outlook application is not installed, user can have issues in finding the PST file. In such situation, one can find PST file using some advance external utility like a search tool for PST files.
How This PST Finder & Exporter Works?
This PST finder is an external application and needs to be installed in the system where the PST files are located. The application has this facility to search multiple PST files Outlook 2010 or any version and export it to multiple file formats like; EML, MSG, PDF, HTML, etc. This lets users to find the PST file and export it to relevant file format making it accessible without MS Outlook application. Let us see how it works:
- As soon as the tool is installed successfully and executed, users can click on Scan File option. This will open another window where a tab of Find is available. Here users can check the option of MS Outlook PST file.
- If users know in which drive the PST file is saved, they can select that particular drive or else All drive option can be selected. Once done, click on Search.
- A message of successful searching process completion will be displayed.
- Users can view the list of all PST files along with the details like: PST file name, type, location path, and size of the file. All the PST files including configured and non-configured, PST files will be listed here.
In this way, all the PST files available in the system can be listed without MS Outlook installation using this MailPro+ email search software. If users want to export all PST files or selected PST files to other file format the they can select the required PST files from the list and then do further processing of export.