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How To Change Default Pst Locations
Microsoft Outlook creates PST files, or "personal storage table" files, which have a *.pst filename extension in order to store all of your personal data, including contacts, emails and schedules. Every once in a while these PST files might become too large for the space that is allocated to them, and should this occur you will want to change default PST locations to one that has more space available. Should you have an unexpected shutdown or should your system crash when you are using Outlook to access this file it could get corrupted, and then you risk losing all of the data that is stored in the PST file. You don't want to risk this, so you should make sure to backup all of the data in your PST file so you will be protected should this situation occur in the future. This article will discuss both how to change default PST locations and how to backup your PST files.
Steps to take to change default PST locations
Microsoft Outlook uses a default setting when it chooses the original location for your PST file. This is C:Documents and SettingsusernameLocal SettingsApplication DataMicrosoftOutlook, with "username" being replaced by your user name on your computer.
Changing the ForcePSTPath value, which is located in the registry, is necessary in order to change default PST locations. There are a number of steps you need to take in order to do this. First, you will need to quit Outlook, and it would be a good idea to close any other open applications as well. Then you should click the Start button and then choose Run, or hold down the WinKey+R as a shortcut. When you get the Open box, you should type in "regedit" and then click the OK button. Then you need to find the right subkey in your registry, which depends on which version of Microsoft Outlook you are using.
Those who are using Outlook 2003 should look for "HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice11.0Outlook", and those using Outlook 2002 should look for "HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice10.0Outlook". Using the Outlook subkey that you have chosen above, you will need to go to the Edit menu and point to New, and then choose String Value. Next you will need to type ForcePSTPath into the box that appears and hit ENTER. This will select the ForcePSTPath string value. Then you go to the Edit menu and select Modify. When you get a text box for Value data, you will then type in the full path for the location that you want Outlook to use whenever it opens or creates a .pst file in the future, including the drive letter, and click on OK.
The default location used by Outlook for PST files will be reset to the new location that you typed in once you have completed all of the steps mentioned above. Make sure that you have backed up your registry before you do this however, because you need to be very cautious when you change default PST locations. Making a mistake when making changes to your registry can cause all sorts of problems with your computer, so you want to be able to easily undo your changes if it becomes necessary.
