Merge Archive Files or Other PST Files – Expert Suggested Solution

Reason to Merge Multiple Archive Files with PST Files

There are multiple reasons why Outlook users merge archive files to other PST files. Some of the important known ones are as follows:

• It is tedious to migrate mailbox data from one Email client to another. In case you are migrating from Outlook to another email client, combining all the PST files into a single file will be helpful in easily migrating the Outlook data file. The single combined PST file can also be represented as the mailbox backup.
• If a user has multiple email accounts in Outlook for personal mail, work, etc., then for these accounts, you can combine the PST files. You can consolidate your emails into a single account by merging these files.
• In older Outlook version 2007, the users couldn’t have a PST larger than 20 GB. In newer Outlook versions 2010, 2013, etc., the limit is 50 GB. So, if you have multiple PST files from an older Outlook version, you can merge these files into a single file and use the merged file in a newer version.

However, these are why it’s important to merge multiple PST files and make them easy to manage, open and share.

Let’s look further at the different manual and specialised methods to merge multiple archive PST files.

Methods to Combine Outlook Archive Files Manually

Manually two methods can help in achieving this task. Both of them are explained below in proper sequence:-

# Method 01:- Merge Archive PST Files into the Master PST File

In this method, you will create a new Master PST file and copy the content of the archive files into this master PST file. Below are the steps to copy the archive files’ content into the master PST file.

• At first, connect one of the PST files to an Outlook. Go for the File tab in Outlook and select Open. After that, click on Open Outlook Data File and choose the file you want to open.
• Then, copy the content from this file and paste it to the new Master PST file. You can use the drag-and-drop method to transfer from one file to another.
• You can delete the original file from Outlook as soon as the file is copied. In this, go to the File tab and choose Account Settings. After this, click on the Data files in an opened window, choose the file that needs to be removed, and hit the Remove button.

Let’s proceed with the second method to merge archive files or other PST files using Import/Export features.

# Method 02:- Merge Archive Files or Other PST Files by Using Import/Export Features

As you can see, the first manual procedure is a little tricky compared to the second, which is relatively easy to adapt and use to merge two PST files.

• In an Outlook application, go for a File tab and choose the Open & Export option.
• Choose the Import/Export option from the Open & Export wizard. After then, select an Import from another program when a new wizard appears and hit OK afterwards.
• Choose an Outlook Data File (.pst) and then hit Next.
• Select the file you want to open in Outlook and pick Do not import Duplicates before clicking Next.
• Check the box beside Include Subfolders. Choose Import items in the same folder before clicking Finish.

In the end, by applying this whole procedure, you can merge as many Outlook Archive Files as you want with PST. However, both manual methods can be used to Merge Multiple Archive PST Files, but they possess certain limitations. Let’s discuss the demerits of the manual method in detail further.

Demerits in the Manual Procedure

The Two major drawbacks of the Manual Procedure are that it requires basic technical knowledge to implement and understand this approach. And the other drawback is that the whole process is lengthy and time-consuming. Due to this hindrance, we suggest an alternate approach: PST Merge Tool. It is a third-party software to merge archive files in Outlook. Let’s discuss further in detail this specialized solution and their step-by-step guideline to implement.

Specialized Solution- To Merge Archive Files or Other PST by Using PST Merge Tool

PST Merge Tool is the professional method to merge multiple Outlook PST files into a single PST file. Using this software, you can easily merge PST files into a new one and can save them into an existing PST file. It has a special feature to merge only Emails, Contacts, Tasks, Journals, and Notes. It is compatible with all the Outlook Archive Files created on any version of MS Outlook. Let us look further for the step-by-step Guidelines of this method.

Stepwise Guideline to Merge Archive Files with Other PST

1. On your system, run the PST Merge Software.
2. Choose the multiple PST files from your system and hit the Open button. Further, PST files will be displayed, set a path using the Log Path option and click Next.
3. A tree structure of the added PST files will be displayed. Choose the mailbox items and select the Merge PST file option on the left side and click Next.
4. Multiple features will be shown on the screen. Choose as per your requirement and hit Next.
5. Select either Merge in new PST or Merge in existing PST. Further, you can choose features like Remove Duplicate Mails and Remove Attachments files as per your needs.
6. Finally, click the Merge button to combine multiple Outlook PST files into one. Finally, the File(s) are saved at the selected location and click OK.

In the end, all the files of the Outlook archive will be combined and saved in a new PST or existing PST file.

Final Thoughts

You can follow any of the methods mentioned in this blog to merge archive PST files or other PST files. You can either follow the manual method or use a professional solution such as PST Merge Software. Both methods are effective, but the manual is lengthy and time-consuming. However, the professional method is recommended for a safer and faster result.

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