Can Copilot Analyze PST Files? Effective Solutions
Usually, PST files carry years of data like emails, contacts, calendar entries, and attachments of many Outlook users. If we talk about Copilot, it is an AI assistant made by Microsoft, which has gained popularity among productivity applications. Among these hype, one common question many users ask is, “Can Copilot analyze PST files?”
Unfortunately for now, the answer is no, at least directly. Microsoft Copilot is meant to work mainly with information from Microsoft 365, Exchange Online, and supported cloud documents. But the PST files on your local computer are not indexed or processed by Copilot. Although there are a couple of ways you can use to make this happen.
In this article, we will discuss whether Copilot can analyze PST files, the reasons for limitations, and the best solutions for working with Outlook archives.
Can Copilot Analyze PST Files?
In order to know whether Copilot can analyze PST files, it is important to know how Microsoft Copilot collects data.
Microsoft Copilot collects the data from multiple authentic and trusted sources like Microsoft Graph, Exchange Online mailboxes, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, and other available services of Microsoft 365. However, in the case of PST files, they are mostly saved on the PC or an external hard drive. And Copilot here cannot directly read or index contents.
Therefore, the answer to the question: Can Copilot AI analyze PST files? Under normal circumstances, the answer is no.
Why Doesn’t Copilot Support PST Files Directly?
There are several reasons why it is impossible:
- The PST file is kept locally rather than in Microsoft Cloud.
- Copilot relies on Microsoft Graph to retrieve information.
- Locally archived information is not indexed in Microsoft 365.
- For both Outlook and Copilot, the new experience is focused on the Cloud.
- For security and compliance reasons, access to the local archive is not allowed.
Due to these reasons, people looking for can copilot analyze PST files find out that archived Outlook files cannot be accessed by Copilot.
#1: Import PST Data into Exchange Online
The best Microsoft-approved way to achieve this goal is through importing PST archives into an Exchange Online mailbox.
Step 1: Get Ready to Import PST Archive
Find your Outlook PST file that will be used for importing. Make sure that the file is healthy and can be used.
Step 2: Import PST
Import your PST archive using Microsoft PST Import service or any other tool provided by Outlook.
Step 3: Wait for Microsoft 365 Indexing
Microsoft 365 will index the data in your Exchange Online mailbox after the import process is completed.
Step 4: Run Copilot
Now, Copilot can work with emails in your mailbox and not the original PST archive.
All in all, this is the only existing Microsoft-approved solution to the question, “Can Copilot analyze PST files?”.
#2: Open PST Files in Outlook
In case importing doesn’t work, another solution could be to open the PST file using classic Outlook.
Step 1. Launch Microsoft Outlook.
Step 2. Select File → Open & Export → Open Outlook Data File.
Step 3. Next, navigate to the PST file.
Step 4. Finally, you can access the archived emails manually.
Though Outlook is capable of reading the archive, Copilot will not be able to analyze the PST file attached locally.
Also read, an article on how to open PST without Outlook.
#3: Convert Important Information into Supported Formats
Use this method to modify the file type into AI-readable formats:
Export Certain Emails
Convert important emails into PDF or Word files.
Upload Files
Add the converted files to OneDrive or SharePoint.
Run analysis with Copilot
Copilot will provide summarization, rewriting, and answers on certain file types.
This method is useful for users who need only particular information and not the whole collection.
Alternative Solution for Viewing PST Files
However, in case all that you need to do is to view your Outlook email from the archive without using any Outlook installation or moving Exchange server to Microsoft 365, then you can try using FreeViewer PST Viewer Software for viewing the PST file without changing its original data.
Limitations of Copilot AI
Despite the continuous efforts of Microsoft to improve the capabilities of Copilot, there are some limitations:
- PST indexation is not supported.
- Copilot cannot search Outlook on a local PC.
- Also, support for Exchange Online mailboxes is prioritized.
- Shared and archive mailboxes might lack some features.
- Some Outlook features would need Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses.
That’s why many people wonder if can Copilot analyze PST files after switching to Microsoft 365.
Final Takeaway
Now, you know the answer to the question: Can Copilot analyze PST files? Unfortunately, currently, Microsoft Copilot does not have the ability to analyze PST files saved on the local computer. Moreover, the functionality of the AI system works primarily on Microsoft 365 cloud content, not the PST files of Outlook archive.
Those users who require Copilot to deal with archived emails would need to either upload the PST files to Exchange Online or convert the required documents into the proper format. However, those who only need to view the PST files can use special viewing programs.
As Microsoft keeps improving Copilot, there is always a chance that the future update will allow analyzing archived documents.