Email - PST files on mapped network drives

Although it is possible to specify a mapped network drive or a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path as a storage location for a pst file, network usage is not meant to be a method of storing messages in an enterprise environment. Additionally, the use of a pst file over a network connection may result in a corrupted pst file if the connection degrades or fails and Outlook performance could be affected as well.

With the move to Office 365, faculty and staff now have access to a 50GB mailbox. At this time it is recommended that users of pst files, sometimes called personal folders (or for Mac users, mail stored "On My Computer") import the data from the pst files back into the user's online mailbox. Technical support for the continued use of PST files will be ending. There are a number of reasons for this:

1. Emails in a PST are only available from that computer, while emails stored in your online mailbox are accessible from any computer with an internet connection.
2. A hard drive crash or other file corruption could leave the PST unusable or missing. All emails contained in the PST would be lost.
3. Emails stored in a PST can circumvent retention policies.
4. Emails stored in a PST are not compliant with open record laws.

Please contact the Technology Help Desk if you would like to schedule assistance in moving the emails from your PST into your online mailbox.

See Also:

• Email - Outlook personal storage table (emails saved on a computer) support