How to Move OST File Location in Outlook 365

michaelsmithh

February 13th, 2026
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12:19 AM

How to Move OST File Location in Outlook 365

Overview

Over the years of working with Outlook 365, I’ve seen one common issue that shows up again and again: the OST file quietly grows in the background until it starts eating up the space on the system drive. Microsoft Outlook stores the OST file locally, so users like you and me can access their mailbox data offline, but by default, it’s saved all on the C: drive of the PC. That’s fine initially, but once the mailbox size increases, it starts to show low disk space warnings, slower Outlook performance, and sync-related errors, which are really frustrating.

In real-world cases, moving the OST file to another drive helped you to free up the space and stabilise Outlook without affecting mailbox data. The challenge is that Outlook doesn’t provide a direct option to change the OST file location, like simply copying and pasting the file won’t work—Outlook will recreate it in the original path.

Based on my practical experience in this step-by-step guide, I explain to you how to safely move the OST file location in Outlook 365 without facing any struggles. Before starting, let’s see some reasons to move the OST file Location.

Reasons to Move the OST File Location

There are various reasons why Outlook users change the OST file Location.

Free up the storage space and improve the performance of the system.
Avoid unfortunate data loss by creating a backup and restoring data.
Reducing the risk of OST file corruption and errors.
In addition, it helps get back up and running after hardware problems cause the system to fail.

To find the Current Path or location of the OST file:

Drive:\Users\\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

Drive:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

Simple Ways to Move the Location of the OST file

Below I mentioned some methods that I used and many users used to change their.OST file location

Method 1: Change OST Path by Using ForceOST Value

Changing the OST file Location by using the ForceOST registry key. In this method, you will first be required to remove the Exchange account to proceed with the settings. Follow the steps below first:

Press the Win+R keys together to open Run. Type regedit and click OK.

Now, you need to go to Outlook. The exact method depends on the version of Outlook you have. The ways are listed below:

Outlook 2016

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook

Outlook 2013

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook

Outlook 2010

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook

Outlook 2007

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook

Outlook 2003

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook

You have to make a string value. This string value will be the same for everyone. That is ForceOSTPath. To start, you need to click on the space. This will give you some options. Look for the option and click on it. Then you will see some choices. You have to pick the Expandable String value option. The string value you are making will be called ForceOSTPath.

When you create one, you need to click on the ForceOSTPath value, and then you have to click on the Modify option.

Now, mention the value type and value path.

After the above steps, you can fully configure the Exchange Account with Outlook. Now, your OST file will be saved at the particular path that you select. Using this method, you can change the OST file location in Outlook for Outlook 365 accounts.

Method 2: Using Symbolic Links to Move the OST file Path

Symbolic links are useful to move the path of the Outlook data file from its default place by utilising the MKLINK command. The command helps you to create a symbolic link between the original & new paths.

Simple Steps to Change the Path of the Outlook OST file:

Open the Command Prompt and type the mklink command in it.
mklink%localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook“D:\Outlook Data Files\”
The Symbolic link was formed once the command is executed or started accurately.

Here are some techniques that you can use if you are facing the same issue and want to change the OST file location. But sometimes, when performing an OST file location change, the OST file becomes inaccessible or corrupted, and then you can’t access it without fixing it. To solve these types of issues or errors, you need to first recover your OST file. To fix the OST issue, you can use a dedicated tool like OST to PST Converter by GainTools. By using these tools, you can effortlessly fix the corrupted, inaccessible, damaged, and orphaned OST file and save it into PST or many other file formats.

Conclusion

In this guide, I mentioned the best solution that you can use to move your OST file location. And, for corrupted OST files or errors that happen while solving, I provide you with the bounce tip to fix the issue. In the end, you learn step by step to change the OST file Location and store it at the desired path. I hope this will help you, and for more Outlook or tech-related issue solving, you can comment below.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q1. How to Change the OST file Location in Outlook 2016

Ans: To change the location of an OST file in Outlook 2016, follow a few short steps.

Shut down Outlook.
Open Control Panel, then Mail, then Show Profiles, and then Create a New Profile.
Add your email account to this new profile.
Click More Settings, then Advanced, and then Offline Folder File Settings before you finish.
Click Browse and pick the folder where you want to save the new OST file.
Finish setting up, and then open Outlook with the new profile.