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Details for: Microsoft Outlook Personal Folders (Unicode) 2003-2007
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Summary
Name Microsoft Outlook Personal Folders (Unicode)
Version 2003-2007
Other names  
Identifiers Library of Congress Format Description Identifier:  fdd000378
PUID:  x-fmt/249
Family  
Classification  
Disclosure  
Description The Personal Folders File or PST is an open proprietary data file format used to store local copies of messages, calendar events, and other items within Microsoft software including Microsoft Office Outlook. PST files are used to store archived items and to maintain offline availability of the items. PST is a stand-alone, self-contained, structured binary file format that does not require any external dependencies. Each PST file represents a message store that contains an arbitrary hierarchy of Folder objects, which contains Message objects, which can contain Attachment objects. Information about Folder objects, Message objects, and Attachment objects are stored in properties, which collectively contain all of the information about the particular item. PST_Unicode is the default format used by Office Outlook versions starting with Outlook 2003 and includes Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013. It employs the Unicode character set. The file size constraints for PST_Unicode are significantly larger than the PST_ANSI overall size limit of 2 gigabytes (GB). PST_Unicode can support file sizes up to 20 GB in Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007 and file sizes up to 50 GB for Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013. According to Microsoft, these file size limits can be extended but would negatively impact performance.
Orientation Text
Byte order  
Related file formats None.
Technical Environment  
Released  
Supported until  
Format Risk  
Developed by None.
Supported by None.
Source Digital Preservation Department / The National Archives
Source date 02 Aug 2005
Source description Digital preservation research. v.120- New description, library of congress fdd identifier and notes added as part of PRONOM Research Week 2024. Submitted by the Library of Congress.
Last updated 22 Oct 2009
Note https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000378.shtml; Format details: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff385210%28v=office.12%29.aspx . Format specification from Microsoft that covers both PST_ANSI and PST_Unicode files.
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