Default File Locations

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Tommy - 01 Mar 2006 19:58 GMT

The article at
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA011265401033.aspx discusses
changing the default location for saving messages and attachments. The
registry settings in this artical have no impact on the default location for
new personal folder files or archive files.

Does anyone know the registry settings to change the default location of new
personal folder files and new archive files, including from the auto archive
function?

Thank you!

Reply to this Message

Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook] - 01 Mar 2006 20:20 GMT

From the appendices in my latest book:

Key: HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook
Value name: ForcePSTPath
Value type: REG_EXPAND_SZ (expandable string value)
Value data: Path to default location where you want Outlook to create .pst and .ost files. Environment variables such as %userprofile% are supported. If you do not enable this policy, Outlook automatically creates .pst and .ost files in the %userprofile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\ folder.

Key: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook
Value name: ForceOSTPath
Value type: REG_EXPAND_SZ (expandable string value)
Value data: Path to default location where you want Outlook to create .ost files. Environment variables such as %userprofile% are supported. See MSKB 896591

Signature

Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003
http://www.turtleflock.com/olconfig/index.htm
and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
http://www.outlookcode.com/jumpstart.aspx

> The article at
> http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA011265401033.aspx discusses
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> Thank you!

Reply to this Message

Tommy - 01 Mar 2006 21:11 GMT

Sue,

Thanks for the reply.

HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook does not exist. Will
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlookor
HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\Outlook work instead?

Thanks,

Tommy

> From the appendices in my latest book:
>
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> >
> > Thank you!

Reply to this Message

Tommy - 01 Mar 2006 21:14 GMT

Oops. That should read:

HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook does not exist. Will
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook or
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook work instead?

Thanks.

> Sue,
>
[quoted text clipped - 31 lines]
> > >
> > > Thank you!

Reply to this Message

Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook] - 01 Mar 2006 22:44 GMT

If you want a policy setting that the user can't change (unless they're an admin), you need to use the Policies key. Those particular settings are intended to work as policy settings. I would expect them to work OK as user preference settings, though, if you put them in Software\Microsoft instead of Software\Policies. As with any key, if it doesn't exist, you can create it.

Signature

> Oops. That should read:
>
[quoted text clipped - 39 lines]
>> > >
>> > > Thank you!

Reply to this Message

Tommy - 01 Mar 2006 23:37 GMT

It does not work for us in the Policies key.

Thats okay, because our users are not admins and Regedit is disabled. I
have tested the settings as user preference settings and they work. That is
fine for us for now, as we are not sure we will change all users, and the
users we do change have roaming profiles.

I did not see, however, that the change had any effect on the default
archive location. Is there a separate setting for this? Or should I expect
that setting to

Thank you, Sue. Your help is proving invaluable.

Tommy

> If you want a policy setting that the user can't change (unless they're an admin), you need to use the Policies key. Those particular settings are intended to work as policy settings. I would expect them to work OK as user preference settings, though, if you put them in Software\Microsoft instead of Software\Policies. As with any key, if it doesn't exist, you can create it.
>
[quoted text clipped - 41 lines]
> >> > >
> >> > > Thank you!

Reply to this Message

Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook] - 01 Mar 2006 23:40 GMT

The setting affects only new .pst and .ost files, not existing .pst files nor the existing settings for archving. What exactly are you hoping to accomplish?

Signature

> It does not work for us in the Policies key.
>
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
>> If you want a policy setting that the user can't change (unless they're an admin), you need to use the Policies key. Those particular settings are intended to work as policy settings. I would expect them to work OK as user preference settings, though, if you put them in Software\Microsoft instead of Software\Policies. As with any key, if it doesn't exist, you can create it.

>> > Oops. That should read:
>> >
[quoted text clipped - 39 lines]
>> >> > >
>> >> > > Thank you!

Reply to this Message

Tommy - 02 Mar 2006 00:29 GMT

We're trying to get autoarchive to default to the folder of our choosing.

> The setting affects only new .pst and .ost files, not existing .pst files nor the existing settings for archving. What exactly are you hoping to accomplish?
>
[quoted text clipped - 58 lines]
> >> >> > >
> >> >> > > Thank you!

Reply to this Message

Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook] - 02 Mar 2006 00:37 GMT

Setting the actual archive location is a different matter, covered at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/836755/

Signature

> We're trying to get autoarchive to default to the folder of our choosing.

Reply to this Message