Outlook PST ANSI &Unicode Formats
A Short yet Useful Note on ANSI &Unicode Formats
When it comes to Outlook knowledge ,many people want to know about ANSI and Unicode. They have curiosity to use Outlook as much as possible.
Unicode is a format of PST file storage for Outlook. It has been introduced first for Outlook 2003 and is now provided support to all the latest Outlook versions including 2007,2010 and 2013.
ANSI format for PST is for all previous versions of Outlook.
Prime Difference
The prime difference between the two is their storage capacity. The Outlook PST supporting Unicode has capacity of up to 20 GB data storage where ANSI is capable to store 2 GB data. Today,Unicode capacity has increased up to 50 GB which is a great thing to notice.
Note:Technical experts suggest users of Outlook that your PST storage capacity is in limit. Don’t exceed the size more than its limit otherwise the file quality can be damaged or lost. Be careful about this.
How to Know I am using Unicode or ANSI
There are several ways to know about this. The very simple way to determine the thing is that if you are using Outlook 2003 or other latest versions,you are using Unicode.
Still you want to sure about the format you are using,open the data file management dialog-
- Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007
Choose File – Data File Management
Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013
File- Info – Account Settings – Tab Data Files
- Simply double click on PST file to check its format.
- Check out the format Field
If you format says Outlook Data File or Personal Folders File,you are using Unicode.
If you notice “Personal Folders File (97-2002) or Outlook Data File (97-2002),you are using ANSI.
Benefits of using Unicode
One of the biggest benefits of using Unicode is that you don’t need to make several small PST files. You can create one big PST file to store several email items including messages,notes,calendars,events etc…
It minimizes mismanagement chance. You are able to manage PST files smartly because you don’t have many files to manage.
PST Merge Pro tool has been launched that allows merge of PST data without any hassle. It combines both Unicode and ANSI data. It makes your data storage capacity large and useful.
