To copy Outlook email and other items into a different account, use classic Outlook to export the folders you want to an Outlook Data File (.pst), add the destination account, then import the PST into that mailbox. The original items remain in the source. This copies selected data; it does not change your sign-in address, move account settings, or perform an organization-wide mailbox migration.
Choose the right kind of transfer
“Transfer Outlook” can mean several different things. Identify the goal before exporting anything, because a PST import is only appropriate for copying Outlook items.
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| What you want to do | Use this route |
|---|---|
| Copy mail and other Outlook items to another mailbox | Export selected folders to a PST in classic Outlook, then import them into the destination mailbox. Microsoft’s PST export guidance and PST import guidance describe the process. |
| Move a mailbox managed by an employer or school | Ask the Microsoft 365 or Exchange administrator about the organization’s mailbox migration process. A personal PST import is not an administrative migration. |
| Change the email address used to sign in | Use the relevant account’s identity or alias settings. Exporting and importing a PST does not change credentials or account identity. |
| Move Outlook to another computer | First determine where the data is stored. Server-backed accounts usually sync when added on the new computer; local POP data may be in a PST. A PST file does not configure the account. Microsoft explains how Outlook data files transfer. |
For Microsoft 365, Exchange, and Outlook.com accounts, mail is generally held on the server. Outlook recreates an OST data file after you add the account; copying an OST is not the way to move that mailbox. POP accounts commonly store downloaded mail in a PST, so preserve that file if it contains messages you need.
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Microsoft’s documented full mailbox-item import path uses classic Outlook for Windows. New Outlook’s PST capabilities are evolving: Microsoft describes some PST access and email movement, but its export/import guidance says PST mailbox and calendar import is not supported there and directs users to classic Outlook. Check the current import guidance if your installed version differs.
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- Add the destination account. In Outlook, set up the account you are moving items into and confirm it appears in the folder pane before importing.
- Export the source folders. In classic Outlook, go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export. Select Export to a file, then Outlook Data File (.pst). Choose the source mailbox or specific folder, select Include subfolders if needed, and save the PST somewhere you can access for the import.
- Import into the destination. Go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export again. Select Import from another program or file, then Outlook Data File (.pst). Browse to the file, choose how to handle duplicates, and select the destination mailbox or folder.
- Check the result before cleaning up. Open representative messages and attachments, inspect contact records and calendar items if included, and confirm that folders landed where expected. Keep both the source mailbox and original PST until you have finished checking.
The export creates a copy and does not delete the source items. Attachments included with messages are included in the exported data. A PST is not a complete clone of an Outlook account: Microsoft lists folder properties, views, permissions, AutoArchive settings, rules, and blocked-senders lists among items that are not preserved by this process.
Outlook.com and other account-specific cases
Outlook.com mailbox
Microsoft’s guidance says to export an Outlook.com mailbox through desktop Outlook. The export contains a copy of mailbox content through the time you export. On Windows, the file is a PST; legacy Outlook for Mac uses an OLM file. See Microsoft’s export instructions and its Outlook for Mac archive guidance. To import a PST into a mailbox, use classic Outlook for Windows as described above.
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POP, Exchange, and Microsoft 365 accounts
With POP, messages may be stored locally in a PST; moving that file can preserve local data, but you must still set up the email account separately on the new computer. For Exchange and Microsoft 365, mail is generally server-backed, so add the account and let Outlook sync rather than trying to transfer its OST. Microsoft states: “Moving a .pst file from one computer to another doesn’t transfer your email account settings.” Read Microsoft’s data-file guidance.
Data in the older Windows Mail, Calendar, and People apps
Do not assume locally stored data in those older apps will appear automatically in Outlook. Microsoft documents separate export formats for importing into new Outlook: messages as EML, events as ICS, and contacts as CSV. Follow Microsoft’s Windows Mail and People export instructions.
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Third-party account synchronization
Outlook can synchronize a copy of supported non-Microsoft email, contacts, and events with Microsoft Cloud in selected clients. That is a syncing option, not a universal one-time transfer between any two accounts. See Microsoft’s account synchronization guidance for the feature’s scope.
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What the PST method does not move
- Account sign-in or settings: adding an imported PST does not transfer passwords, aliases, server settings, or authentication. Configure the destination account separately.
- Every mailbox property: rules, permissions, views, AutoArchive settings, folder properties, and blocked senders are not recreated by a standard PST item transfer.
- A continuing connection between mailboxes: an import copies items; it does not keep the two accounts synchronized as new mail arrives.
- An organization’s migration: business or school mailbox moves require the process chosen by the Microsoft 365 or Exchange administrator.
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