How to Merge Outlook PST Files? Well, before we begin let us briefly look into Microsoft Outlook with POP account. Outlook stores user data, such as emails, contacts, calendars, journals, notes etc in PST files. PST files are also used for archiving or backup purposes and even for migrating Outlook data to another profile or system. Users can accumulate 2 or more PST files, especially when they manage different types of email accounts or archiving data. Moreover at times when you manage several PST files it becomes cumbersome, which leads to difficulties in data organization.
Hence to manage these files effectively there is a practical solution which is to Merge Outlook PST Files into a single file. Now in this blog, we will explore the different kinds of methods used for Merge Outlook PST Files in Microsoft Outlook 2016 and other versions as well.
Methods for Merging 2 or More PST Files in Microsoft Outlook
There are two ways that we have mentioned below for merging PST files. One is by using Outlook options and a third-party specialized PST merge tool. So let’s just get right to the details given these methods
Method 1: How to Merge Outlook PST Files using the Outlook Options?
Do you know that you can also use Microsoft Outlook’s inherent functionalities such as Import/Export wizard to Merge Outlook PST Files? Yes, you can, this approach is straightforward and requires no additional software, which makes it a cost-effective solution. Moreover, it is particularly well-suited for users who have occasional or limited PST file merging needs. Users can easily combine PST files just by importing data from one file to another or a new PST file. Although it is a budget-friendly solution, it still demands careful attention to detail for a successful implementation. You will find a step-by-step procedure mentioned below.
Step 1: Creating a New Outlook PST File
- You must open the Microsoft Outlook application and then go to the ‘Home’ tab.
- After that, you should click on ‘New Items’ and select the ‘More Items’ option.
- Next, you will need to close the Outlook Data File.
- After that, you should select a location for saving the new PST file and then give a name to the file.
- Now you just need to click on the OK button to create the file.
Step 2: Merge the PST File into the Newly Created PST
- You need to first navigate to the ‘File’ tab in Outlook.
- After that, choose ‘Open & Export and then click on ‘Import/Export’.
- And now select ‘Import from another program or file’ and then click on the ‘Next’ button.
- Now you should choose ‘Outlook Data File (.pst)’ as the file type and then just click on ‘Next’.
- You then need to browse to select the PST file that you intend to import and click on ‘Next’ again.
- You should then select the specific folders that you would like to import into the new PST file. Alternately you must make sure that you include subfolders if required.
- At last, when you select the desired folders, you just need to click on the ‘Finish’ button to start the import process.
Following the above instructions you will learn how to merge other PST files into the new file. In this way, you will have a single PST file containing data of 2 or more PST files.
Method 2: How to Merge PST Files using a Specialized PST Merge Tool
Now if you deal with a lot of PST files then the above manual method is not feasible considering the time as well as effort required. So for this, the best option is to use a premium third-party PST merge tool. Although there are many such tools available in the market today, here we will discuss ‘Stellar Merge Mailbox for Outlook’. This PST merge tool distinguishes itself as it can easily merge or join multiple PST files in just a few steps. Stellar Merge Mailbox for Outlook also provides options where you get to merge all or specific PST items, this includes emails, notes, calendars, contacts, and tasks, which offers control over the merge process. This unique tool is known to merge multiple PST files, by maintaining the original folder hierarchy in the final merged PST file and it supports Outlook 2016 as well as all the versions.
In the following you will see how this software works:
- Firstly, you will need to open the ‘Stellar Merge Mailbox for Outlook’ application. After doing so, you must add PST files by using the ‘Drag & Drop’ button or by clicking on the ‘Add PST’ option.
- If you want you can also locate the PST files on your system by using the ‘FIND PST’ button, if you do not know the exact location of your PST files.
- Furthermore, the tool even offers various saving options; you can choose the desired option and then just click on the ‘Merge’ option.
- Finally, when the merging process is completed, then a notification will appear with the ‘Process completed’ message displayed.
Conclusion
You should remember that when you merge 2 or more PST files, it is important to make sure that you use the right method. Hence in the above instructions, we have provided you with two methods to merge 2 or more PST files into a single PST. So you can choose whichever method suits your situation well. Nevertheless, as recommended you should choose to use the third party specialized PST merge tool, ‘Stellar Merge Mailbox for Outlook’ as we have already mentioned above. This tool offers several features that help to ease the PST file merging process in no time and it can also handle a large number of PST files without any glitch.
But in case you come across any problem you can always contact the technicians provided without any hesitation. The team will then assist you right away providing you with the most suitable solutions.
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