XCLN: How To Merge Two .PST Files

ID: Q157562

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Exchange Windows 3.x client, version 4.0
  • Microsoft Exchange Windows 95/98 client, version 4.0
  • Microsoft Exchange Windows NT client, version 4.0
  • Microsoft Exchange MS-DOS client, version 4.0
  • Microsoft Exchange Macintosh client, version 4.0

SUMMARY

This article outlines how to combine two Personal Information Stores (PST). These steps may be needed for disaster recovery by merging a backup copy of a PST file or for convenience when moving to a new computer.


MORE INFORMATION

A PST is a file that contains messages, files, and other items stored in folders. When you create a PST, you can store it on your computer's hard disk drive or on a file server that you have access to. You can create any number of PSTs and can save, copy, and move them around just like any other file.

The following example shows how to merge a PST file called Mailbox.pst with a version from a backup also named Mailbox.pst. The scenario for this type of restore could be that a new computer was brought online for a user and they started using Microsoft Exchange with a default PST before obtaining their original PST. In this example, the PSTs need to be combined with special attention given to prevent overwriting the PSTs that have the same filename.

Steps to Merge Files:

  1. Make backup copies of both PST files.


  2. Rename the restored version of Mailbox.pst to Mailbox1.pst.


  3. Copy Mailbox1.pst to the directory that contains the working version of Mailbox.pst.


  4. Add Mailbox1.pst to your active profile using steps 5 through 8.


  5. From the Tools menu in the Viewer, click Options and then the Services tab.


  6. In the The Following Information Services Are Set Up In This Profile dialog box, click Personal Information Store, and then click Add. In the The Following Information Services Are Set Up In This Profile box, click Personal Information Store, and then click Add.


  7. In the Available Information Services box, click Mailbox1.pst and then click the OK.


  8. Keep clicking the OK button until all open dialog boxes are closed.


You should now see two Personal Folders icons on the left pane of the Microsoft Exchange client. The remaining steps outline how to move information from the old PST (Mailbox1.pst) to the current PST (Mailbox.pst). When finished, you will have your old mail merged with the current working file.

Merging the Duplicate Inbox, Sent Mail, and Deleted Items Folders

The Inbox, Sent Mail, and Deleted Items folders cannot be moved from one PST to another. Instead, the items inside of each folder must be moved to the destination PST. Folders that exist in both PSTs can be moved to the other PST but the folders will be renamed. The following steps outline how to move the contents of these folders without creating new folders with different names. These steps are required when merging the Inbox, Sent Mail, and Deleted Items folders.

Steps:

  1. Expand the subfolders in both sets of Personal Folders if they are not currently visible on the left view.


  2. Open the Inbox of Mailbox1.pst so the messages are visible on the right. Mailbox1.pst should be the second set of personal folders listed in the view pane since it was added last.


  3. Click on a single message in the Inbox of Mailbox1.pst.


  4. Select all messages by pressing CTRL-A or choose Select All from the Edit menu. All messages should be highlighted.


  5. Click on the list of messages and drag and drop the contents of Inbox on top of the destination Inbox (Mailbox.pst).


  6. Verify that the messages were copied into the current PST by opening the Inbox on Mailbox.pst.


  7. Repeat these steps for Sent Mail and Deleted Items and for any folder that exists in both PSTs.


Merging Unique Folders

If a folder does not exist in both PST files, you can simply drag and drop a folder to move its contents. These steps may be useful when restoring from a backup if the new PST hasn't had the same folder names created yet. If the folder exists with the same name, see the steps above.
  1. Expand the subfolders in both sets of Personal Folders if they are not currently visible on the left view.


  2. Choose a folder in Mailbox1.pst that you want moved to Mailbox.pst by single-clicking on the folder.


  3. Drag the folder to the destination PST file and drop it on top of Personal Folders. Your set of folders may be named something else. The top level of the PST file is the destination for the drag and drop.


  4. Repeat steps for each unique folder.


Once you have completed these steps and have verified that the current PST is up to date with all of your messages, you can remove the second PST from your profile. The following steps outline this procedure. Note that the PST file is not deleted from the disk during this procedure. The reference for the file is only removed from the profile.
  1. From the Tools menu in the Viewer, click Options, and then click the Services tab.


  2. In The Following Information Services Are Set Up In This Profile box, click the second Personal Information Store, and then click the Delete button. If you need to confirm that this is the appropriate PST file, click Properties before Delete. In our example Mailbox1.pst should be the second PST.


  3. Click the OK button until all open dialog boxes are closed. The PST is now removed from the active profile.


Note: For more information on moving and copying items and folders to the new PST, see the Moving or Copying a Private Folder and Moving or Copying Items to Other Folders topics in the Microsoft Exchange Help file.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbusage XCLN
Version : WINDOWS:4.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type :


Last Reviewed: April 4, 1999
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