Find one, open it, search it, move it, back it up, or repair it—without risking the only copy of your old email.
The rule that matters most
Close Outlook before copying a PST, and never delete the original until a second copy has been opened and verified.
Start here
Special section
A PST must be open before Outlook can search it. Then the most important choice is the search scope: Current Folder is precise; All Outlook Items or All Mailboxes is broad. If you know which archive contains the message, click a folder inside that PST before searching.
The fast method
Fill in only what you know. Outlook combines the fields to narrow the results.
Paste this into Outlook Search
Your search will appear hereCurrent Folder
Fastest and most precise. Start here when you know the folder.
Subfolders
Useful when a project is organized below one main folder.
Current Mailbox / PST
Searches the selected data file more broadly.
All Mailboxes / All Outlook Items
Broadest search; useful when you do not know which PST holds it, but slower and noisier.
Type these directly into Outlook's search box. Put phrases in quotation marks.
| Operator | What it finds | Example |
|---|---|---|
from: | Sender name or address | from:caiden |
to: | A person on the To line | to:scott |
cc: | A person on the Cc line | cc:ladd |
subject: | Words in the subject | subject:mausoleum |
body: | Words in the message body | body:foundation |
"exact phrase" | Words together in that order | "price approval" |
hasattachments:yes | Messages with attachments | hasattachments:yes |
attachment: | Attachment filename or type | attachment:xlsx |
received: | Date or date range | received:>=01/01/2026 |
category: | Assigned category | category:Pricing |
read:no | Unread messages | read:no |
importance:high | High-importance messages | importance:high |
AND, OR, and NOT. Outlook normally treats separate criteria as AND, but writing it explicitly makes a saved search easier to understand later.Sent to someone and copied to another
to:caiden AND cc:laddA person + a subject
from:caiden subject:mausoleumExcel files from one person
from:tag hasattachments:yes attachment:xlsxExact phrase during a date range
"price hold" received:>=01/01/2026 AND received:<=09/30/2026Either of two project terms
subject:(Guilford OR Greensboro)Unread, high-importance messages
read:no AND importance:highClassic Outlook is still the best fallback for deep PST searching
New Outlook's PST support is evolving. If a search operator or indexing control is missing, open the same PST in classic Outlook.
PST knowledge base
A PST (Personal Storage Table) is a file stored on your computer that can contain email, folders, contacts, calendar items, and tasks. Think of it as a portable Outlook filing cabinet. An OST is normally a synchronized offline copy of a server mailbox and can usually be recreated. A PST may be the only copy of archived or POP-account mail, so it deserves a real backup.
Quick answers
Copy it to the local computer first. Using a PST directly across a network is risky and can perform poorly.
No. Closing only removes it from Outlook's folder list; the Windows file remains.
It can be a point-in-time copy, but it is not automatic, continuous protection.
Yes, after it is opened. Be sure the search scope includes that data file.
Yes, with current requirements and some limitations. Classic Outlook remains the more complete fallback.
Make a copy, close Outlook, and use Microsoft's SCANPST.EXE Inbox Repair Tool.
The detailed articles above link directly to Microsoft's current Outlook instructions.