Lost all my contacts, e-mails, etc in Outlook 2016

Foxhaven · 05 Sep 2017

Yesterday I successfully moved all my Documents, Pictures, Music and Videos Folders from my overloaded SSD to a 1Tb HD drive. However, the process of moving all this data over has caused my Outlook 2016 app to lose all my contacts, e-mails, etc.
It has been suggested that I need to find where Outlook stores the .ost & .pst files and connect them to the moved files.
Does anyone know where the .ost & .pst files are stored in Outlook 2016 and how to fix the connection problem?
Thanks for your help.

Caledon Ken · 05 Sep 2017

Hi Foxhaven.

Re location of files. Yours were likely under documents.

https://support.office.com/en-us/art...b-0d1892e2aacc

You really don't have to be concerned about ost files. they are offline copies of your server files assuming you are using IMAP or EAS.

Do you know if you were using POP, IMAp or EAS.

I'm just looking up how you can point to new location. I move mine a long time ago and I use 2013.

Can I ask how you moved your data files. Using our tutorials they should have been found.

Ken

Edit 2: Link to moving file

https://support.office.com/en-us/art...1-61E6E3589088

Foxhaven · 06 Sep 2017

Hi Ken,
Thanks for your prompt reply. I am using a POP account.
Yes, I moved my files following directions from the tutorial posted on this site.
I will try your helpful directions and let you know what happened.
Thanks

Caledon Ken · 06 Sep 2017

Ouch on POP. So there is no OST file as it is not used with POP accounts.

Interesting that moving the files following the tutorial caused the break. Windows should have just pointed any request to the new location.

Did you have any difficulties moving default locations?

Ken

Foxhaven · 12 Sep 2017

Hi Ken,
Sorry for this slow response but I have been out of town for about a week. Looking at your response, it seems that you suggest that I should have used an IMAP account for my e-mail.
If I delete the POP account & switch to an IMAP account, do you know what happens to the e-mails, contacts, calendar, tasks from the POP account that are now on my various devices, desktop, laptop, tablet, phone. Will they disappear or stay on the devices? Is there a way to merge all that info onto one device?
Thanks again for any help you may have for me.

Caledon Ken · 12 Sep 2017

I can't say as I don't know enough about each set up or what you are using on each.

Can I ask who provides your mail service, not your email address, just the domain.

I can tell you that when I have several address books to consolidate for a client I use gmail. That is I export from each "thing" and import into gmail. I do this as I like the way gmail handles duplicates. Once they are all in and massaged I have a clean list on gmail that I can export out and use in whatever app by importing.

You said phone and tablet, are you Android, iOS or both.

If you are using POP on all these devices is all your stored mail on every device? If all these devices are POP do you delete the same mail item from every device? How long to you keep mail on POP server or do you keep it all for ever.

Foxhaven · 13 Sep 2017

My mail service is provided by Teksavvy. (TekSavvy - Residential). Both my desktop and laptop run Windows.
My phone and tablet are Android devices.
Although I keep a lot of e-mails from the organizations that I am associated with, I am mostly interested in keeping the stuff that is on my desktop and the emails and files that I generated on my laptop while the old desktop was out of commission.
I also have a G-mail account which I use mostly for backup.
The use of gmail to consolidate all this info sounds interesting but how exactly is that done?

Caledon Ken · 13 Sep 2017

Okay if you have a Gmail address your phone and android are built sync. The issue remains contacts (not sure about calendar) which won't naturally sync with Outlook 20xx. There use to be a connector but one of them dropped it. There maybe a app you can use. I tried Companion Link but eventually move my wife to Outlook.com.

If you are prepared to abandon Outlook 20xx and just use a browser on Gmail that makes it easy. Then your outlook would just be an Archive. The other way, you could get an Outlook.com (Microsoft account) which natural syncs all but requires a couple of extra steps to get right on android. (Depending on version.) ( I will tell you I have had mixed results with outlook.com on android, one I never did get working nicely.)

Are you using Outlook 20xx on both laptop and desktop and are both using POP?

Exactly how is it done re contacts?

First in Outlook 2016 you have to use the export facility. You click file, Open and Export, Import Export, Export to a file, Comma Separate file (csv), find your Outlook Contact file and export it. You can have a look at it in excel when done. Don't save.

Then in gmail, click contacts and way down on left is import. It may tell you it has to use the old contact screens, they are migrating functionality, and you follow through on importing. It's likely the duplication process will immediately kick in and ask if you want process.

It might be an idea to backup your gmail contacts through their export facility before you import.

Now as to your phone / tablet, not sure where your contacts are. Yes they are in contacts but it is likely they are already being sync'ed through gmail. Change one on tablet, see if the change occurred in gmail and on phone. Some phones let you store on sim card so that is another adventure. First lets see if phone and tablet are syncing.

I know that some of these answers are questions. Before proceeding you have to make some decisions. Wish this was just a quick do this and that but I haven't found that solution. Other members may have a magic solution and we will both see something new.