How do I move a .pst file into another .pst file?

[High And Low]

Recently installed Outlook 2003 on Windows 7.

For some reason, the default location for archiving set to the Desktop.

Long story short, I fixed that, but I wound up with a .pst archive on the
Desktop and TWO in the C:\Users\*My Name*\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
folder.

I was able to drag and drop the one from the Desktop into one of the .pst
files in the Outlook folder.

But for some reason I'm not able to drag and drop either archive in the
Outlook folder into the other, or into the working Outlook .pst file there.

I'd like move one archive into the other and move that archive into the
single big Outlook .pst, so I just have a single .pst to back up and, if
necessary, restore.

Can I get any help with this, please?

Thanks--

 

[Malin D]

Use the File, Import and Export feature.

Open Outlook with one of the files in use. Select File, Import and Export
and Import from a file. Choose a PST file and the PST file that you want to
import into the open folders of Outlook.

The wizard will help you through. Good luck!

 

[Gordon]

Use the File, Import and Export feature.

And that on it's own will probably cause the OP all sorts of problems. Read
any of the multitudinous posts about this?

Office consultant/Trainer

Yeah?

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]]

For some reason, the default location for archiving set to the Desktop.
Nope.

Long story short, I fixed that, but I wound up with a .pst archive on the
Desktop and TWO in the C:\Users\*My Name*\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
folder.

This is the default folder for all PST creation.

I was able to drag and drop the one from the Desktop into one of the .pst
files in the Outlook folder.

This is not an accurate description of what you did. Using Windows Explorer
to copy PSTs connected to a mail profile is likely to corrupt the profile.

I'd like move one archive into the other and move that archive into the
single big Outlook .pst, so I just have a single .pst to back up and, if
necessary, restore.

So open each PST you want to combine in Outlook. Click File>Open>Outlook Data
File, browse to the source PST, select it, and click OK. Then open each
folder in the archive by selecting it in the Navigation Pane. Select all the
items in it by pressing Ctrl+A and drag the selection into the folder where
you want the items. When you've copied all the items in all the folders, you
can close the PST by right-clicking its root and choosing Close.

It is possible also import the PSTs, but I prefer to use the method I describe
to preserve as much of the metadata as possible.

 

[High And Low]

Thanks, Brian.

Yes, I've read so many cautions against the Import/Export wizard I'm just
going to pretend it's not there. I think the only reason it exists is to
convert a .pst file into a file with a different extension. I can't help but
wonder if calling it "File Conversion Wizard" might help prevent the misuse.
"Import/Export" implies simply moving a file, which is all most folks really
want to do, so when it crops up on the menu of things to do with a file, they
just go with it. It always worked for me, but after reading forum posts
recently, I've stopped. I just needed to know enough to note the filepath of
the .pst, close Outlook and use Explorer to copy the .pst to your backup
location, and use the reverse to restore the backup. Simple, but I only just
learned it after 7 years of using Outlook.

Thanks again, Brian.

 

[Russ Valentine]

I think your idea of renaming Import/Export Wizard to "File Conversion
Wizard" is a good one. But the Wizard really was designed to be used for
transferring data from one PST file to another, and there are circumstances
where it will work for that. But they're few and far between, and most users
end up losing data or corrupting profiles when they try to use it.
Nevertheless, Microsoft is convinced it works, so nothing will change, I'm
sure.

 

[High And Low]

No doubt, no doubt. Thanks for the feedback, Russ.