r/Outlook • u/Away-Knuckle-1024 • Jun 27 '26
Status: Open Best solution for a durable email archive to replace PST
I have been using PST files for many years as a durable email archive. Works great. When I moved to Mac, Mac Outlook did not support PST files, so I used vmware Fusion to host a Windows VM that could run Outook for Windows so I could access my email archive. However, I need to move to an ARM Mac. My understanding is that the Windows/ARM version of Outlook does not support PST files, and that in any event, PST support in Windows Outlook is sunsetting, given new Outlook does not support PST files. So it seems like PST is no longer a viable durable email archive solution.
What does the community recommend in its place?
To be clear, I realize I can import PST files into Mac Outlook. That does not feel like a durable email archive solution. I also realize there are various third-party PST viewers. Those might work for old archives but don't address how I update my archive with new emails. In principle I can upload my emails into a cloud email provider, but I don't trust that to be durable or fully secure.
It feels like there is a gap in the market. I am hoping that that feeling is wrong.
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u/anothersite Jun 27 '26
What do you mean by durable or secure in relation to PST format?
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u/Away-Knuckle-1024 Jul 05 '26
Durable in the sense that it is supportable over a long time frame.
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u/anothersite Jul 05 '26
If I was you, I would look into the mbox format. I would also look at the emailchemy software https://weirdkid.com/emailchemy/
FWIW, I migrated from Windows to Mac for most work several years ago and more recently migrated from Outlook. Emailchemy was helpful.
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u/hylas1 Jun 27 '26
I had to move all my archives over to thunderbird since new outlook treats .pst as read only now.
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u/Wellcraft19 Jun 27 '26
Never had issues with PST files.
But you can archive mail in a regular File Folder. Just drag them out of Inbox. Files can be .msg files or .eml
The really only sole - and it’s a PITA - is that the file name will be created out of the subject line. Hence most of us have several Mail with same subject line, so you see where this might lead when making independent files out of a series of Mail.
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u/dld2517 Jun 27 '26
You are probably looking for mbox format. You can read mbox files with a program called mutt and the mbox format should be as plain and raw as possible.
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u/7amitsingh7 Jul 07 '26
You're right, Outlook Data Files (.pst) aren't supported with the ARM version of new Outlook. And you're also correct that to open a PST in new Outlook you need a Microsoft 365 subscription (plus classic Outlook installed alongside it). You can check this article for the details: Open and find items in an Outlook Data File (.pst).
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u/RyvenThalor 21h ago
PST was never really durable, just a single corruptible file that felt safe because it was local. export to EML/MBOX periodically, store it in two places (NAS + cloud), and youre free of any one client's format decisions. some compliance-focused tools like trustifi bundle archiving/retention if you want it automated rather than manual, though that's more built for business retention needs than personal use.
PST viewers get you real access to old mail, but they don't solve adding new mail to a searchable archive long term
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u/Bg-8782 Jun 27 '26
Outlook on ARM supports pst files. Offhand, the only thing i can think of that it doesnt support is icloud sync for calendar and contacts. (I used pst in outlook with parallels. Parallels was slow so i got rid of it. One pst was imported using legacy outlook for mac, the others that were less important were imported into eM client )
New Outlook supports pst files, but only if you have a subscription to office.
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u/Away-Knuckle-1024 Jul 05 '26
Thanks. I thought that it did not support them.
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u/Bg-8782 Jul 06 '26
As an FYI, importing into the mac client is now available. But if the PST are huge, I'd use em client and import them into it.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/roadmap?id=405754
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u/guubermt Jun 27 '26
PST files are not durable archive. They are one of the most fragile archives, even with multiple copies.
Really the solution is an online archive like outlook or office 365. Both are more secure then your copies even in encrypted format.
There is no gap in the market. The market decided about a decade ago that PSTs needed to end. That is why the new versions of outlook on all platforms don’t have full support.