How Do I Remove This Computer Only Folder in Outlook? – Query Solved!
In Microsoft Outlook, the “This Computer Only” folder is a special feature that appears in your mailbox when you have local data that isn’t synced with the mail server. This includes locally stored items like Drafts, Sent Items, and other data saved offline. While this can be useful for offline work, many users may want to clean up or remove these folders for organizational purposes. If you’re trying to remove a “This Computer Only” folder in Outlook, this guide will walk you through the process in a step-by-step manner.
What is the “This Computer Only” Folder?
The “This Computer Only” folder in Outlook is a category of folders that store data locally on your computer rather than being synced with the mail server. These folders typically contain items such as:
- Drafts: Messages that have been created but not yet sent.
- Sent Items: Copies of emails you’ve sent.
- Deleted Items: Messages that have been deleted but are not yet permanently removed.
- Inbox: Messages that have been downloaded but not yet moved to other folders.
The data in these folders is only available on your computer and isn’t synchronized across other devices or available online through your email service provider.
While these folders can help work offline, they might become redundant or clutter your mailbox if you no longer need to store emails or drafts locally.
Why Remove the “This Computer Only” Folder?
There are several reasons you might want to remove or hide the “This Computer Only” folder in Outlook:
- If you prefer a clean and organized mailbox, removing these local folders can help declutter the interface.
- If you want to store everything on the server or keep your data synced across devices, removing these folders will prevent local storage of data.
- Local folders are stored on your computer. If something happens to your device (e.g., system crash), you may lose data that wasn’t synced with the server.
How to Remove “This Computer Only” Folder in Outlook
The process for removing the “This Computer Only” folder depends on the version of Outlook you’re using (e.g., Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2019, or Outlook 2016). Below are the general steps to remove or hide the “This Computer Only” folder:
Check If the Folder Contains Important Data
Before you remove or hide the folder, make sure that it doesn’t contain any important data you might need in the future. This is especially important for Drafts or Sent Items that may not be synced to the server.
Review Folder Contents: Open the folder and check if there are any important emails or drafts stored there.
Move Important Data: If needed, move the emails to a server-side folder, such as Inbox, Sent Items, or another folder that syncs with the server.
#1. Create a Local PST File
In order to backup the mail items in the “This computer only” folders, you must first create a local PST file. Observe these guidelines:
- Navigate to File > Account Settings > Account Settings after opening Outlook.
- Click Add under the Data Files tab in Outlook Account Settings.
- Click OK after giving the new PST file a name.
- Next, click Set as Default after selecting the freshly produced PST file.
You must now transfer your offline mail items to the newly created PST file that you have designated as the default.
#2. Transfer Items from ‘This computer only’ Folders to PST File
To make a backup of the offline objects, they are being moved from the “This computer only” folder to the new PST file. The calendar items are a good place to start. To transfer calendar items to the PST file, take the following actions:
- Go to the Calendar (This computer only) folder after restarting Outlook.
- Select List View from the View Settings. You could choose every entry more easily if you did this.
- After selecting every appointment in the calendar folder, right-click on them and choose Move.
- From the drop-down menu, choose Other Folder. Then, in the new PST file, pick the appropriate folder and transfer all of the appointments within it.
- Other folders that are labeled as “This computer only,” like contacts, journals, and notes, can be moved by using the same procedure.
- You must regenerate the Outlook data file (OST), connected to your IMAP account, after you have finished transferring the folders to PST.
#3. Make the Outlook Data File OST Again
Outlook will remove the folders labeled “This computer only” and download all of your mailbox contents to a new OST file when you recreate the OST file. To accomplish this, take the actions listed below:
- Open the Run dialog box after closing Outlook.
- Click OK after entering %localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook in the Run dialog box.
- Choose the Outlook data file (OST) linked to your IMAP account from this folder, then right-click on it and give it a new name with the.bak extension. An OST backup file will be produced as a result.
- Restart Outlook now. Outlook will download all of your data from the mail server into a new OST file.
- The folders identified as “This computer only” should be deleted.
Tips: If the primary mailbox appears below the mailbox data in the PST, you may need to adjust your navigation bar after rebuilding the Outlook data file. You can relocate your primary mailbox above it in this situation.
Final Words!
Removing or hiding the “This Computer Only” folders in Outlook can help you streamline your mailbox and reduce clutter. However, always ensure that you have backed up or moved important data before making any changes. If you discover missing items after removing the folders, don’t panic. CubexSoft OST Converter can help you recover data from backup OST files and convert them into a PST file for easy import into Outlook. This ensures that your data is safe, synced, and accessible.
