How to Convert Windows Live Mail to PST (2 Easy Ways)
Written by Justin Cener, Technical Executive and Staff Writer at Corbett Software. Justin covers email data formats and migration workflows.
Trying to get your old Windows Mail into a PST file for Outlook and finding no clear export button? The reason is usually a mix up over which app you actually have, and once that is sorted the conversion is straightforward. Here is how to do it, free route first.
Summary: To convert Windows Mail to PST, use Windows Live Mail’s built in Export email to Microsoft Exchange option to send your mail into Outlook, then save it as a PST file, all free if both apps are installed. If Windows Live Mail or Outlook is missing, the Corbett EML to PST Converter turns the stored EML files straight into a PST.
First, Which Windows Mail App Do You Have?
This is the confusion that derails most guides, so it is worth thirty seconds. Microsoft has shipped three different things people call Windows Mail, and only one of them converts to PST in the usual way.
- Windows Live Mail is the older desktop program, discontinued in 2017 but still running on many PCs. It stores your mail as EML files on the disk, and it is the one this guide solves for.
- The Windows 10 and 11 Mail app is the lightweight built in tile. Microsoft is retiring it in favour of the new Outlook, and it keeps no local file you can export to PST directly.
- The new Outlook that replaces the Mail app is an account based client, so its mail lives on the server rather than in a local store.
If you have Windows Live Mail, everything below applies. If you are on the Mail app, the practical move is to add the same account to Outlook directly and let it sync, since there is no local file to convert.
Why Convert Windows Mail to PST?
PST is Outlook’s own storage format, so converting gets your old Windows Live Mail into the client most workplaces run, with search, rules and calendar alongside the mail. A PST is also a single portable file, which makes it easy to back up, archive or carry to a new computer. And since Windows Live Mail no longer receives updates, moving the mail into a supported program is simply the safer long term home for it.
Free Method: Export Through Outlook
Windows Live Mail has a built in export, and Outlook turns the result into a PST. This works when both programs are installed on the same PC.
- Open Windows Live Mail, click the File tab and choose Export email, then Email messages.
- Select Microsoft Exchange as the format and click Next, then confirm the prompt to send the mail to Outlook.
- Choose All folders or just the ones you want, and let the export finish into Outlook.
- In Outlook, go to File, then Open & Export and Import/Export.
- Pick Export to a file, choose Outlook Data File (.pst), select the folders and save the PST where you want it.
Despite the “Exchange” label, this works with a normal local Outlook profile. When it is done you have a proper PST you can open on any Outlook.
Where the Free Method Falls Short
A couple of honest catches here. The export needs both Windows Live Mail and Outlook installed and working on the same machine, which is exactly what many people no longer have, since they are often holding only the leftover files from an old or dead PC. It is also a two stage process, mail into Outlook and then out to PST, and the folder hierarchy does not always survive the Exchange step cleanly. For a working setup with both apps it does the job. For loose EML files with no Windows Live Mail to open them, it is a dead end, which is where the next method comes in.
Direct Method: Convert the EML Files to PST
The Corbett EML to PST Converter skips the two stage detour entirely. Because Windows Live Mail stores everything as EML files, the converter reads those files directly, from the live program or from a folder you copied off an old computer, and writes them straight to a PST. No Windows Live Mail and no Outlook need to be installed. It keeps the folder structure intact, previews the messages before converting, lets you filter by date or sender, and a free demo edition lets you evaluate the result first. It runs on all editions of Windows including 11.
Steps to Convert Windows Mail to PST
- Install and launch the software on your Windows PC.
Step 1: The software on its start screen.
- Click Open, choose Desktop Email Clients, then Windows Live Mail, and either select the configured account or browse to your EML folder.
Step 2: Selecting the Windows Live Mail source.
- Let the data load, then preview your mail in the panel to confirm the right source.
Step 3: The mailbox shown in the preview panel.
- Click Export and select PST from the format list.
Step 4: The Export list with PST selected.
- Apply any filters, browse to a destination folder and click Save to run the conversion.
Step 5: Choosing the save location for the PST file.
The conversion copies your mail, so the original EML files stay exactly where they were.
Export Route vs Direct Conversion
| Export Through Outlook (Free) | Corbett EML to PST Converter | |
|---|---|---|
| Needs installed | Both Windows Live Mail and Outlook | Neither, reads the EML files |
| Steps | Two stages, into Outlook then out to PST | One pass straight to PST |
| Folder structure | Can break in the Exchange step | Kept intact |
| Cost | Free | Free demo, paid license for full use |
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People Also Ask
A1: Yes, if you have both Windows Live Mail and Outlook on the same PC. Export the mail from Windows Live Mail to Microsoft Exchange, which sends it into Outlook, then use Outlook’s Import/Export to save it as a PST file.
Q2: Where does Windows Live Mail store its emails?
A2: As EML files, normally under C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail. Each message is its own EML file, which is why an EML to PST converter can read them directly.
Q3: How do I convert Windows Mail to PST without Outlook?
A3: Use an EML to PST converter. Because Windows Live Mail stores mail as EML files, the converter reads those files and builds a PST without needing Outlook or Windows Live Mail installed.
Q4: Does the Windows 10 or 11 Mail app convert to PST?
A4: Not directly, because it keeps no local file to convert. The practical route is to add the same account to Outlook and let it sync, then export a PST from Outlook if you need one.
Q5: Will my folder structure be kept during conversion?
A5: With a direct EML to PST converter, yes. The free export through the Exchange step can sometimes flatten or reorder folders, so check the result if structure matters to you.
Conclusion
Converting Windows Mail to PST is mostly about knowing what you are holding. If you still have Windows Live Mail and Outlook on the same PC, the free export through Outlook gets you a PST at no cost. If all that is left is a folder of EML files, the Corbett EML to PST Converter turns them into a clean PST without either program. Identify your situation and the right method is obvious. Do you still have Windows Live Mail running, or just the files it left behind?
