Member Avatar for douglas_3

all,
a few months back, I did the free upgrade to Windows 10 from windows 7. I tried it for three months and decided I did not like it, I thien reinstalled windows 7. Now in setting up my outlook, I notice that my address book and email folders are not coming up in outlook. How can I access them.

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Short expert summary and next steps based on the original post and ’s suggestion: there are two realistic situations after returning from Windows 10 to Windows 7 — either the previous installation (and user profile) was preserved under C:\Windows.old so Outlook data files can be recovered, or the machine was clean-installed and the old profile was removed. Microsoft’s built‑in rollback files are only kept for a limited time after an upgrade, so checking for Windows.old first is important. (Go back to the previous version of Windows - Microsoft Support). (support.microsoft.com)

How Outlook stores mail and contacts: POP accounts keep everything in a local Outlook Data File (.pst). Exchange/Office365/Outlook.com and most IMAP setups use a server mailbox with a local cache (.ost) that Outlook will recreate when the account is added back. Modern Outlook PSTs are usually under C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Outlook Files; older PST/OST locations include AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook or legacy Documents and Settings\.... See Microsoft’s guidance on locating and transferring Outlook data files. (support.microsoft.com)

Practical recovery steps (in order):

  • Check for C:\Windows.old\Users\<oldusername>\Documents\Outlook Files\ and C:\Windows.old\Users\<oldusername>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\ (make hidden files visible).
  • If .pst files are found, copy them to a safe location (external drive) and either Open the data file in classic Outlook (File > Open & Export > Open Outlook Data File) or Import it (File > Open & Export > Import/Export > Outlook Data File (.pst)). (Import .pst instructions). (support.microsoft.com)

If only an .ost appears, re-create the account in Outlook so it can re-sync from the server; an .ost cannot simply be “opened” as a PST. If a PST is found but seems damaged, run the Inbox Repair Tool (scanpst.exe) or follow Microsoft’s repair steps. If Windows.old is missing (clean install, Disk Cleanup used, or >10 days), recovery depends on any prior backups or urgent file-recovery tools; otherwise POP-stored mail is likely lost unless a backup exists. (Find/transfer and repair guidance from Microsoft). (support.microsoft.com)

This supplements ’s advice: first look for Windows.old; second, identify account type (POP vs IMAP/Exchange) to decide whether recovery is local (PST) or server-side (re-sync).

Member Avatar for Itsdigger

I'm guessing you did not revert back to Windows 7 but you did a clean install , correct ?
If that's true , you'll have to set Outlook back up again .
If you reverted back to Windows 7 than it may be in a windows.old file ?

This is a prime example of why we back up everything we can't afford to lose.
I learned that from a friend

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