Microsoft’s new Outlook for Windows can now import calendar and contact data from PST files, closing one of the most significant feature gaps between the classic desktop client and its modern replacement. The capability, tracked under Microsoft 365 roadmap ID 486839, was quietly moved to "Launched" status in recent days—but the roadmap entry itself provides no instructions, leaving users and administrators to piece together the process on their own.
What actually changed
For years, Outlook users have relied on Personal Storage Tables (.pst files) to archive, back up, or transfer data between computers and accounts. While classic Outlook has long supported importing email, calendars, contacts, tasks, and notes from these files, the new, web-powered Outlook—which began replacing the built-in Mail and Calendar apps in Windows 10 and 11 in 2023—initially offered only email import from PSTs. The absence of calendar and contact import meant that anyone migrating from classic Outlook, or attempting to restore old data, faced a frustrating dead end. Now, according to the roadmap, that limitation has been lifted.
The specific workflow has not been officially documented by Microsoft, but early indications suggest that the familiar import wizard—accessible via File > Open & Export > Import/Export (or by using the "Import from another program or file" option)—now accepts PST files and presents checkboxes for calendars and contacts alongside email. This would mirror the classic Outlook UI, though the new Outlook’s interface may differ slightly. The import appears to be supported for Exchange Online mailboxes, Microsoft 365 accounts, and possibly Outlook.com/Hotmail accounts, where the data is uploaded directly to the server rather than stored locally. It is unclear whether IMAP or POP account mailboxes are supported, as the roadmap lacks granular detail.
What it means for you
For home users
If you've been holding off on switching to the new Outlook because you rely on old PST archives, this update removes a major roadblock. You can now bring your calendar events and contacts into your active mailbox, making them available across all devices via sync. Note that you’ll still need the original PST file—often exported from classic Outlook or an older system—and the import is a one-time action; after import, the data is stored in your mailbox, not as a linked PST file. That means you should keep the original PST as a backup, as changes in the mailbox won’t sync back to it.
For power users and administrators
In a business environment, the feature should work with Exchange Online mailboxes out of the box, provided there are no specific mailbox policies blocking imports. However, admins might want to test the import behavior with different mailbox configurations, as large PST imports could consume mailbox quotas or affect sync performance. Additionally, because Microsoft has not published detailed admin guidance, IT teams may need to create their own documentation or communicate that the feature is still evolving. Organizations with compliance requirements should note that imported data becomes part of the mailbox and is subject to retention policies, eDiscovery, and other data governance tools—which is actually an advantage over keeping data siloed in PST files on local drives.
How we got here
The new Outlook’s PST support has been a slow burn. The initial public rollout in 2023 focused on email and basic calendar/contact management, but importing legacy data was limited to connecting services like Gmail or importing ICS files. Microsoft added PST email import in early 2024 (roadmap item 397092), and hinted at broader PST support in the works. Throughout 2024 and into 2025, the company has been progressively enhancing the new Outlook, adding offline capabilities, COM add-in support (limited), and more. The calendar and contact import feature was added to the roadmap in late 2024, and after several months in development, it’s now generally available. This aligns with Microsoft’s strategy to fully transition users from classic Outlook, which is scheduled to lose support in the future, though an exact end-of-life date has not been announced.
What to do now
If you want to try the import right away, ensure you’re running the latest version of the new Outlook for Windows. To check for updates, open the app, go to File > Office Account > Update Options > Update Now. Once updated, locate an Import/Export option: in the new Outlook, you may find it under the "…" menu or in the Settings (gear icon) under General > Import. The exact placement can vary by build, so if you don’t see it, try searching in the Help bar for "import". When you launch the import wizard, select "Import from another program or file", choose "Outlook Data File (.pst)", and proceed through the dialogs. You’ll be prompted to select which folders to import—now hopefully including your calendar and contacts folders. After completion, check your mailbox to verify the data appears correctly. If you encounter errors, the most common issues stem from file permissions (the PST must be accessible, not locked by another program), mailbox storage limits, or unsupported mailbox types. For Exchange Online users, importing large PSTs may be throttled; Microsoft recommends breaking very large files into smaller chunks. As a failsafe, you can still open PST files as read-only data stores in classic Outlook and manually copy items to the new Outlook’s mailbox, though that’s more cumbersome.
What to watch next
With this feature launched, the remaining PST gaps—importing tasks and notes, exporting to PST, and perhaps the ability to open PST files directly in the new Outlook without importing—are likely next on the roadmap. Microsoft is also working on bringing more classic Outlook functionality to the new client, including shared mailbox support, public folders, and better offline data access. For now, users celebrating the arrival of calendar and contact imports should keep an eye on the Microsoft 365 roadmap for further updates, as well as the Outlook team’s blog for official documentation, which will hopefully surface soon. In the meantime, community forums and IT blogs will be the best guides to navigating the still-murky import process.