How to access emails found to be located in "Top of Outlook data file"?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Krista

New Member
Outlook version
Outlook 2013 64 bit
Email Account
IMAP
Using Advanced Search, I have finally located some desired emails. Problem is, they are purported to be located in "Top of Outlook data file". (That is what is shown in the "In Folder" column of the search results.)

How do I actually access these files in their folder? I can't see any of them when I expand the folder - as they appear to be located outside of any of the subfolders and when I click on the Parent folder, all I get is some "Calendar" type stuff in the view window.

A 3rd party .PST viewer does display the emails that Search found. If I click on the heading/folder called "Top of Outlook Data File", all the unviewable emails show in the view pane. (I can also see all the other folders listed inside the "Top of Outlook Data file" folder. For example, in this .PST viewer it looks like this:

Top of Outlook data file
· Email 1 (unviewable in OL2013 – only seen in 3rd party .PST viewer)
· Email 2 (ditto)

· SUBFOLDER A

o Email 3
o Email 4
· SUBFOLDER B
o Email 5
o Email 6


Background info, in case it helps:

I'm pretty sure that my ignorance has created a mess.
  • I use Outlook 2013.
  • I have 5 email addresses all set up as IMAP.
When I first started using OL2013 some years ago, Hotmail accounts were unable to display BCC recipients of sent messages. From Diane's advice, I created a Local Folder (?) where a copy of these Sent messages would also be stored (so I could see all the BCC recipients I had sent it to). This "Backup of Sent - BCC" folder, I presume, was created in a local .pst data file (?). I can tell you that there is one .pst file in my Outlook Files folder (in Documents) called "Backup of Sent - BCC.pst". (There is also a folder called Outlook.pst which, from its size, looks empty? Don't know where that came from - except to say that I've had years of problems with OL2013 and there has been alot of recreating Profiles and repairing/uninstalling/reinstalling and so on so who knows.)

Over time, to make local backups of my emails I started making (and copying to) some more subfolders in that ?local folder. I'm not sure how/when, but there is now a ?mailbox ?folder called "Local Folders - for backup". (I'm guessing I renamed something at some point.) By that I mean, in the Left column, I have 5 email folders (?correct terminology ?mailboxes?), each expandable to show all its own subfolders (inbox/sent/etc.) and another ?folder called "Local Folders - for backup" (with all my subfolders) and one more called "Outlook Data File" (with its empty subfolders). FYI, right click/Open File Location on the "Local Folders - for backup" takes me to the Backup of Sent - BCC.pst file, as suspected.

Because I made these folders so long ago (and I decreasingly understand OL's functioning), I'm sorry I can't be more precise as to their creation. But I hope someone can tell me how I can access the files that are actually located in the "Top of the Outlook data File" but cannot actually be displayed (unless found individually by Search). How the ?folder in the left column has one name but it's corresponding .pst file is called something else I also do not understand.

Thanks for any help!
 
Right click on the top folder - its your email address if created in a newer version, bit might be 'personal folders' or something.

Chose properties then on the outlook folder home page tab, untick show folder home page.

Close the dialog and you can look at or move the messages.

Repeat steps to turn 'outlook today' back on.

(I'm on my iPhone and it's hard to read long posts on the small screen. If there were other questions in the original post, don't hesitate to say so. )


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thank you! (Sorry for the delay. Notification email went into junk.)

I am left shaking my head. Again. Clearly this was some kind of 'setting' that I never chose (as opposed to some kind of software glitch). And yet it took hours of fruitless searching and ultimately the help of a 3rd party expert (bless you) to reveal the secret switch. (Event the MS 'experts' on their help sites have never mentioned this 'fix'.) How is your average user ever supposed to know how to actually use, in this case, Outlook? This must be the 20th+ thing I've had to turn to your site and others to try to figure out how to do. Many of them quite basic. And I'm not nearly as dumb as I seem!

As always, thank you beyond words for all of your help.
 
On this specific issue, it's an old problem we don't see much these days. Back in the early days (the old Exchange client days, before Outlook 97), before Outlook Today, the folder was visible and people used it for "safe storage" - i used to drop things i wanted to keep, like email receipts, in it. After Outlook Today, some people used it to hide mail from prying eyes too. Pretty much no one working for Microsoft these days is old enough to remember how it used to work. I'm pretty sure there is a KB article on it - i should have an article on it but can't find it in a quick search this morning.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
richardwing Outlook 365 VBA to access "Other Actions" menu for incoming emails in outlook Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 0
T Render Outlook emails in MS access as they appear in Outlook Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 2
R How can I access my emails from corrupt offline files of MS Outlook ? Using Outlook 1
Hudas Import Outlook Emails(Inbox) to MS Access as Attachment Using Outlook 1
C Saving Emails as Messages Problems with Access Data Collection et Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 1
Victor_50 Problem - Google Workspace will stop "unsafe" access to Outlook end 2024 Using Outlook 3
A Quick Access Toolbar Not Showing Description Using Outlook 0
W Outlook 365 File access denied attempting to import .pst Using Outlook 6
J Recover server side rules from OST/PST without access to the server Using Outlook 2
V How to add 'Previous Item' and 'Next Item' to the Quick Access Toolbar Using Outlook 1
J Text icon in Quick Access toolbar ? Using Outlook 2
Z Import Tasks from Access Using VBA including User Defined Fields Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 0
klpconsulting Programmatic Access Office 365 Pro Plus & RDS Using Outlook 1
Fozzie Bear Shared Public Folders Access and Use Exchange Server Administration 0
G How to add a folder shortcut to outlook quick access toolbar? Using Outlook 6
D Lost Access to Custom Form Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 4
Jennifer Murphy Grant R/W (update) access to a friend Using Outlook 3
O The page that you are trying to access cannot be loaded. Using Outlook 0
T Outlook "A program is trying to access Outlook" Using Outlook 3
GregS Can't access archive file Using Outlook 5
J What is the best EntryID format to set on MS Access table Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 3
J No access to a Database BCM BCM (Business Contact Manager) 3
V Change default default save location to Quick Access Using Outlook 1
R Quick Access view in File Explorer when saving attachments Using Outlook 0
D Disable or hide "reply" and "reply to all" and "forward" in email from access vba Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 1
J Open an outlook email by Subject on MS Access linked table with VBA Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 10
G Windows Update Causes BCM Database Access Problem? BCM (Business Contact Manager) 4
D populating listbox on custom form from Access Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 7
O Synchronize safe persons Outlook 2016 -> Outlook Web Access (OWA) Using Outlook 30
R Categorize Button in Quick Access Toolbar Disappears on New Email Using Outlook 1
O Outlook Web Access - how to disable spam filter Using Outlook 6
T Lost access to remote BCM database BCM (Business Contact Manager) 4
F Outlook 2016 bulk email from access Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 3
J Programmatic access grayed out Using Outlook 10
Diane Poremsky Synchronize Quick Access Toolbar and Ribbons? Using Outlook 0
G Can't open .pst. Message could not access default folder (Outlook 2010 (.pst). Before that was backi Using Outlook 0
D Creating an outlook session from Access vba but run silently. With A specific profile Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 1
T Cannot access outlook.com accounts in Outlook 2016 Using Outlook 1
B Can't expose sender email address when linking outlook to access Using Outlook 3
Diane Poremsky Change Outlook's Programmatic Access Options Using Outlook 0
S how to access the properties of a contact given distlist.member object Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 1
C OWA External Access - No URL / URL Invalid Exchange Server Administration 2
G Adding a contact to Outlook with a custom form using Access VBA Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 1
C Merging Word and Access into Outlook Using Outlook 4
I Outlook 2016 and Slow access to Outlook.com IMAP Using Outlook 0
B No permission to access Outlook.pst file Using Outlook 1
Norbert VBA Flag that would indicate the email was sent from Outlook to Access. Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 2
M Cannot access the Form Editor BCM (Business Contact Manager) 1
R The changing way to access information in Office 365 Using Outlook 0
M Modifying BCM Database using Access BCM (Business Contact Manager) 1

Similar threads

Back
Top