When you are transferring your Outlook installation to a new computer, it is simple to move your mailbox folders. You just need to find and copy the PST file and move it to the new computer. But that is only half the battle. That moves your folders, but it does not move your account settings, all that info about your POP servers and logins. Recreating that can be a pain sometimes, and time consuming.
There is a way to copy all of that info in one go. It’s not quite as simple as moving a PST, but it’s not bad if you know what you’re doing. All of that info is stored in the registry, under the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles\Outlook. All you have to do is export that key from the old computer, and import it on the new computer, and all of your account settings will copy over.
Starting with Outlook 2013, the registry key has changed to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\<version>\Outlook\Profiles.
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7 responses to “Copy Outlook Profiles to a New Computer”
I tried so many time to import to 2013. The profiles are there, but outlook cannot read them. I did it before with 2007, no problem at all.
Does that work for different user mail accounts?(different people’s accounts).
Migrate pop accounts from outlook 2007\2010 to outlook 2013
The computer with outlook 2007\2010
• Type REGEDIT and go to
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles\
• Right click on the profile and choose Export and choose location.
The computer with outlook 2013
• Right click on the exported file – edit (notepad).
• In notepad click Edit and then replace.
• In the first line put
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles\Outlook
• In the second line put
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook\Profiles\outlook
• Click replace all
• Make sure your outlook profile name is ‘ outlook ‘ this is the default name…
• Now you can open outlook and see all the pop accounts – the only thing you need to do is put the passwords back and that’s it.
• If you have ‘unknown error ‘ try removing your exchange mailbox and set it up from start (the pop account might try to use this mailbox and only after you set it up from beginning it will work correctly)
Sorry to bring up old post, but this process works great. However, my problem is this. Not sure if anyone can help. When moving files from XP Outlook 2007 to Win8.1 Outlook 2013, the file path changes from C:\documents and settings\ to C:\users. Does anyone knows how I can update this via registry file. The code appears in hex values. Thanks in advance.
This works great for copying Pop3 account settings. Remember to copy the Signatures file from \Roaming and to export and import Quick menu settings. This does nearly all the job. E.g. autoformat rules for calender are not copied.
Brilliant, thanks, saved me a lot of time (Office 2013 to Office 2013 in a new computer).
BTW passwords *were* preserved (I had used the MS migration tool for data files etc from my old computer to the new one). Profile names were not “Outlook” but it worked nevertheless.
Easy Peasy… Great… Thanks…