New Outlook for Windows now lets users import old PST email files
Microsoft began rolling out PST import support in New Outlook for Windows in April 2026. Users can now bring archived emails from classic Outlook data files straight into the new app. The change gives New Outlook full export and import parity for PST files. It removes one barrier that kept many people on the older version. Rollout continues gradually across accounts with no fixed completion date announced.
Until now anyone with years of saved messages in PST files had to stay in classic Outlook or perform awkward workarounds to keep access. The new import option removes that technical lock-in. Yet the real shift is that New Outlook can now hold the same historical data without forcing users to abandon their archives, even if the surrounding interface and rules still feel unfamiliar after the earlier forced changes.
Analysis
Treat the PST import as a low-priority distraction. Open your current Outlook today, pick the three largest folders that still flood your inbox, and create one rule for each that moves or flags them automatically before you consider any migration.
Citation
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