How to disable the AutoArchive feature and the Personal Folders file feature in Outlook

You may want to deploy Outlook with the AutoArchive and personal folder file (.pst) capabilities disabled. This article describes how to disable the AutoArchive and personal folder file features in Outlook and describes the Outlook options that are impacted if you disable these features.

Disabling the AutoArchive and Personal Folder File Features

To disable the AutoArchive feature in Outlook:

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

1. Quit all programs.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
4. Locate one of the following keys in the registry, as applicable:
   • For Outlook 98:
     HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office\8.0\Outlook\
   • For Outlook 2000:
     HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Outlook\
5. On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add the following registry value:
   Value Name: DisablePst
   Data Type: REG_DWORD
   Value: 1
6. Quit Registry Editor.

Outlook Options Impacted

• If you click Tools, click Options, and then click the Other tab, the AutoArchive section is hidden. You cannot set AutoArchive options.
• The AutoArchive tab in each Folder Property dialog box is hidden.
• All of the AutoArchive settings that were previously set are no longer enabled. For example, if you previously configured AutoArchive to move messages older than six months from your Sent Items folder to a personal folder file, this feature no longer functions.
• On the File menu, the Archive command is hidden.
• On the File menu, the Open Personal Folders File (.pst) command is hidden.
• On the File menu, the Import and Export command no longer imports or exports to a .pst file. If you choose this command, the following message is displayed:
  PST (Personal Storage) usage is disabled on this computer.

NOTE: After you add the DisablePst registry key, users can still add the Personal Folder service to their profiles.