What is a PST File? How to Find PST File in the System?

PST is short for 'Personal Storage Table'. It is an open proprietary file format used to store copies of your messages, calendar events, and other items. PST files are stored in your Microsoft software such as Microsoft Exchange Client and Microsoft Outlook. It includes all the Outlook data like notes, journals, tasks, appointments, etc. PST can also be used to keep a backup of Outlook data or store older items to keep mailbox size limited. Furthermore, these files also help to create archive and project files. The file format is also known as:

• Personal Folder File
• Off-line Storage Table (.ost) [When it is used in Exchange Mode of Outlook as a cache]
• Off-line Folder File
• Personal Address Book (.pab)
• Post Office File

Microsoft Outlook automatically stores mailbox data and other essential items in one of the following two locations:

• Store it in a personal storage folder, also known as a “.pst” file on the hard disk.
• Locate it in a mailbox on the server. Your mailbox is located on a server if you use Outlook with Microsoft Exchange Server.

In case of problems like hardware failure, unexpected data loss, transferring data between computers or hard disks, and more. The backup (.pst) file can help you quickly restore your original data without any hassle.

How to Find .pst File?

It is quite easy to find a .pst file in your system within a few clicks. There are two ways to find your .pst files. These are:

Way 1:

1. Open This PC and click the Search box.
2. Type *.pst, and then press ENTER. Locate the desired .pst file you want to add to Outlook.
3. Record the location of the .pst file and close the search window.

Now, you can add it to Microsoft Outlook in different ways.

Way 2:

1. Go to Control Panel and click User Accounts to select Mail (Microsoft Outlook).
2. If your Outlook ID is not configured then configure it. Else, click Data Files.
3. Once you click Data Files then a pop-up will appear as “Account Setting”.
4. Find the PST file location in that pop-up and configure it in your Outlook.

Through this, you can access the PST files. However, if those files are corrupt, then what will you do? It is a big issue since corrupt PST files can’t be accessed or opened. So, the ultimate solution for it is the SysInfo PST File Recovery Tool. It will quickly repair PST files and remove corruption within seconds without affecting the originality of the data.