I have always been archiving my Outlook data into .pst format. Somehow, I decided this would be more convenient than saving into csv files, especially when it comes to entries that are a little bit more complex than, for instance, Contacts. I mean Calendar or Tasks with attachments, such as someone's Business card, or picture. However, I noticed that pst files take up a lot more space than csv files. I find this not very convenient when you transfer your files from one computer to another frequently (I keep my office Outlook synchronized with my home Outlook). My question is: if csv files are so much more convenient in terms of saving space, why bother with pst files??? In other words, what is so special that pst files have that csv files do not have? Am I right saying that pst files allow you to store MORE COMPLEX data than csv files do? Apart from that, are there any other reasons that put pst files above csv files in terms of usability and convenience? As far as I can see, csv files are much more versatile in terms of cross-platform compatibility: you can use them with other programs such as databases, without too much of a hassle. Well, I can't say the same about pst files... The other question is: are there any ways to keep my Outlook data synchronized on the office and home computers other that I described above (i.e. exporting to pst, then importing into Outlook at home)? Any insight will be much appreciated.

There are 2 ways of achieving this, it depends on what you mean : 1. If you are manually deciding to delete the email hold down SHIFT then press delete. You will then be asked if you want to permanently delete (you can remove this warning by going Tools / Options /Other / Advanced Options and remove the tick from Warn before permanently deleting items 2. In the rules wizard choose "Permanently Delete it" in the what do you want to do with the message section. Hope this helps

Oops! wrong thread! sorry, but quickly, PSTs contain rich text, html formatted emails in their original state and it also can contain multiple folders, csvs convert all emails to plain text REMOVING attachments, embedded pics etc, CSV files are not complex at all, they are the most basic file type (open the CSV file in notepad to see it in its true form).