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Synchronizing Outlook
Laptops are dropping in price every day so it's not unusual if you have a second computer. And a second installation of Outlook. Wouldn't it be nice if both your Outlook clients always had identical data? Yes, that is possible and they call it synchronizing.Outlook by default puts all your data in a single large file. If you don't change it, it's called Outlook.pst. So the first idea a single might have is to copy this file over to the respective other PC. And this simple idea would do the trick But it's a bit tricky to find the pst file. Here's how to:
1. Double-click Outlook
2. Go to the tree with your folders
3. Right-click the top object
4. Select "Properties"
5. Select the button "Advanced"
In this dialog one can find the path of your PST file. You can basically copy it to the other computer. Note that you can only copy / replace that file while Outlook isn't open. If you want to automate the transfer of the file, you can use the Freeware Edition of Easy2Sync for Files.
However, one can only copy the file if Microsoft Outlook is closed. And when you replace the Outlook.pst file, you should note that you're replacing absolutely everything. This can pose a problem if you wrote e-mails on both computers since the last copying.
So you require something better. Copying the file isn't good enough. You need to synchronize its contents. Bad news is: You can't do this by copying files. You need a special tool to to the job. But the upside is: There's a great software online that does all the work for you. It's called Easy2Sync for Outlook. The tool is specialized on Outlook sync jobs and does all the hassle of watching where things have been changed and transferring the changed items. So you don't have to copy files any longer, you only have to start the sync. And you don't have to watch which pc owns the latest version as the sync solution will automatically handle this for you.
But there's more. This synch software also enables you to exclude a part of your tasks from the sync, since you're not copying the entire file any more. You can for example exclude directories that you don't need, or limit the sync to your calendar items. Or you can synch all except the public tasks and so on.
So, a reliable synch program like Easy2Sync can save you a lot of time and nerves. Copying pst files can be a good beginning for testing things, but to work every day you need a realiable synch tool.
