Can you open or import a PST in the new Outlook? (Windows, Mac and web, November 2026)

The short answer: PST support by Outlook version

Opening a PST adds it to Outlook as a separate set of folders; nothing is copied. Importing copies the messages into one of your accounts, and with Microsoft 365, Outlook.com or Exchange they then sync to all your devices. Our PST import guide explains both in more detail.

New Outlook for Windows: what changed, and when

Microsoft’s release notes for the new Outlook for Windows show PST support arriving piece by piece:

• January 2025: first phase. Open PST files read-only and read and search the email in them. Calendars and contacts stayed hidden.
• September 2025: scheduled auto-export of a mailbox or folder to a PST (under Settings → Files).
• October–November 2025: read-only calendar items from PSTs, PST contacts in People, and an easier way to bring over PSTs you already used in classic Outlook.
• March 2026: import email from a PST into a mailbox.
• June 2026: import of all item types, including calendar events, contacts and tasks, plus bulk moves when exporting to PST.

Along the way, PSTs also stopped being read-only for mail: you can now move, copy and delete mail and folders in a PST, and drag messages between a PST and your mailbox.

Microsoft says features in the release notes “roll out to all versions automatically”, but rollouts are gradual, and your organisation’s update settings can delay them. If an option described here is missing, your copy may simply not have it yet.

The requirements

Microsoft’s support pages list some conditions for using PST files in the new Outlook:

• Classic Outlook must also be installed, because the new Outlook uses it behind the scenes to read PST files. Microsoft says it plans to remove this requirement.
• Both must use the same architecture: 64-bit new Outlook with 64-bit classic Outlook, or 32-bit with 32-bit.
• The account must have a Microsoft 365 subscription.
• PST files aren’t supported on the Arm version of the new Outlook, so many Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon chips are out.

How to open or import a PST in the new Outlook for Windows

Copy the PST to a local folder first (not a network drive or a OneDrive-synced folder). Then, in current versions:

Import into a mailbox

1. Open Settings (the gear icon) and go to Files (called Data files in some versions), then Import.
2. Under Outlook Data File (.pst), select Get started, then Select file, and choose your PST.
3. Pick the folders to import from and how duplicates should be handled.
4. Choose the destination Account and select Import.

Importing copies the selected items into the mailbox. It doesn’t add the PST to your folder list. Imports into a Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com mailbox count against its storage quota, so check the free space before importing a big file.

Open as a separate data file

1. Go to Settings → Files → Outlook Data Files and select Add file.
2. Choose the PST and select Open. It appears in the folder pane, where you can read, search, move and copy mail.

If neither option is there, see the workarounds below. If Outlook says the file can’t be opened, it may be damaged: how to repair a PST file explains the Inbox Repair Tool.

Outlook for Mac: new vs legacy

Outlook for Mac has never opened PST files in place the way Outlook for Windows does. It imports them, copying the contents into Outlook, and it uses its own .olm format for exports.

New Outlook for Mac

Microsoft’s Office for Mac release notes list Import PST as available in Outlook for Mac from version 16.110 (June 2026), covering email, calendars, contacts and other mailbox data. The same notes added .olm import for mail and contacts in version 16.115 (November 2026). Look for Import in the File menu, and check Help → Check for Updates if you don’t see a PST option. Microsoft hadn’t published detailed step-by-step instructions for the new Mac interface when we checked, so the exact screens may differ from older guides.

Legacy Outlook for Mac

In the legacy app, Microsoft’s steps are:

1. Choose File → Import.
2. Select Outlook for Windows archive file (.pst) and choose Continue.
3. Locate the PST, choose Import, and then Finish.

The imported items appear under On My Computer in the sidebar. To have them sync, drag them into your mail account’s folders.

Outlook on the web and Outlook.com

Outlook in a browser, whether it’s Outlook.com or Outlook on the web for work and school accounts, has no option to open or import a PST. A PST is a local file, and the web app works only with mail on the server.

The way around it is to get the mail onto the server first, using one of the desktop apps. Once the messages are imported into your mailbox, they show up in Outlook on the web, on your phone and in every other Outlook connected to that account.

Workarounds when your Outlook can’t take a PST

1. Use classic Outlook for the import

Classic Outlook for Windows still has the full set of PST tools. If it’s installed, find Outlook (classic) in the Start menu, or use the toggle at the top right of the new Outlook and choose Use classic Outlook this time. Then follow the steps in our PST import guide (File → Open & Export → Import/Export).

2. Import into Microsoft 365 once, then use any Outlook

You don’t have to import on the device you’ll use day to day. Borrow any Windows PC (or Mac) that can import a PST, sign in with your Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com account, and import the PST into the mailbox. After the upload finishes, the mail is on the server and appears in the new Outlook, Outlook on the web and the mobile apps. Leave Outlook open until folder counts stop changing; large imports take hours to sync.

3. Ask your admin about the PST Import Service

In a business Microsoft 365 tenant, administrators can upload PSTs and import them straight into mailboxes on the server with Microsoft Purview’s import service, without any Outlook app. This suits many mailboxes or very large files. If you’re moving a whole company from Google, see Google Workspace to Microsoft 365.

How to tell which Outlook you have

• New Outlook for Windows: simplified ribbon, a Settings gear instead of a File tab with Account Settings, and often a New Outlook toggle at the top right. In the Start menu it’s simply “Outlook”.
• Classic Outlook for Windows: a full File tab with Open & Export. It’s labelled “Outlook (classic)” in the Start menu.
• Outlook for Mac: open Outlook → About Outlook for the version number. Version 16.110 or later is needed for PST import in the new interface.
• Arm PC? In Windows, Settings → System → About shows the processor. A Snapdragon (Arm) chip means no PST support in the new Outlook for now.

When in doubt, search Microsoft Support for “Open and find items in an Outlook Data File” or “Import a .pst file” and pick the tab for your version. Those pages are updated as features ship, and they’re more current than any third-party article, including this one.

Coming from Gmail, Thunderbird or Apple Mail?

If your old mail is in mbox format rather than PST, none of the Outlook versions above can import it directly. Convert it to a PST first. MoveMyInbox runs in your browser and produces a single Unicode PST, the format current Outlook for Windows and Mac expect, keeping folders, attachments, and read and flagged status. You pay once per conversion based on total size (see pricing).

Then import it with whichever Outlook works for you, using the steps above. For the export side, see common Google Takeout problems and how to export Thunderbird mail as mbox.

Frequently asked questions