Outlook Express makes use of a special storage file extension known as a Windows Address Book (.WAB). To locate this file, one needs to know what Windows version is being run, if user accounts are being used, as well as one’s upgrade status.

It is important to know where this file is in order to make backups or simply to be able to allow migration. The address book needs to be able to go to another computer system without having to manually copy each entry and enter them into the new system. Fortunately, the address book format is easily accessible if one knows where to find it.

The process requires the user to make some simple changes to the system in order to see the outlook format files within the file folder structure. Going into the folder options and changing the hidden files’ visibility enable finding the “.WAB” files, which are set to hidden by default. Locating the files within the operating system will now be possible with very little problems.

If one is on a computer that is set up to use multiple users, one should try the following:

Open up the default storage disk where Windows has been installed. This will usually be on the drive letter “C:” by default.

Open the folder that is titled “Users” then navigate to the specific folder that corresponds with one’s logged in account. Open the account folder then open the application data folder that is titled “Application data” or “AppData.”

From this point, open the “local” folder then choose the “Microsoft” folder and eventually the “Outlook” folder. This leads to the location where the address books are kept by default. If this location is empty, open up Outlook and check with the address book settings in order to understand where the address books are kept.

The default path may be similar to: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\

This path may be different depending on which Microsoft Windows version is installed on one’s machine or if changes have been made to the address book storage’s default location through Outlook.

Once one has found the address book location, either backup the address book files or do something with them. Look for a file titled “Username.WAB” or “Username.DBX,” where username is the user account name that is currently being used. It is important to choose the necessary files to have access to the correct data for the address books.