Find the Microsoft Outlook Temporary OLK folder

Microsoft Outlook OLK Folder?

Where does Microsoft create the Outlook Temporary folder (better known as the OLK folder)? Or, where does Microsoft store that pesky OLK folder and temporary data such as attachments?

Answer:

Depending on the operating system, version of Outlook and user logged in, the OLK temporary folder is created in a different spot. The good news is it’s simple to find no matter the version of Outlook including the latest versions, Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010 and even Outlook 2013.

To find where it’s been created, open the Windows registry using regedit.exe and look for the Registry key OutlookSecureTempFolder using the map below:

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Outlook 97: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\8.0\Outlook\Security
Outlook 98: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\8.5\Outlook\Security
Outlook 2000: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Outlook\Security
Outlook 2002/XP: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Outlook\Security
Outlook 2003: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\Security
Outlook 2007: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook\Security
Outlook 2010: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\Security
Outlook 2013: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook\Security

Using the chart above, here’s a few screenshots comparing my Windows XP system running Office 2003 vs. my Windows 7 system running Office 2010.

It’s easy to track down your OLK folder as long as you follow the registry map outlined in the table above. For example, on my Windows 8 system running Microsoft Office 2007, I found the OLK temp folder at:

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C:\users\steve\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Outlook\XLCYUT3R

….. phew!

Background – What is the OLK folder anyway and why is it so hard to find?

When you open file attachments that are considered safe, Outlook places these attachments in a sub-directory in your Temporary Internet Files folder. As Outlook does this, it first examines the registry to determine if the OLK folder has been created yet. If yes, it drops the files into the folder. If no, it creates When Outlook first copies attachments  to use a temporary file, it examines the registry to find the path for the TEMP OLK folder. If it doesn’t exist, it creates the registry with a random name then it creates the folder.

For example:

Let’s say your running Windows XP and Outlook 2003. When you open your first attachment your computer will create the following sub-folder to temporary store the attachment:

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C:\Documents and Settings\<var>username</var>\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLK<var>xxx</var>

In this example, username would be replaced by the name of the current logged in user and the xxx is a randomly generated sequence of letters and numbers.

This information can be very useful. For example, let’s say you open an attachment, make a bunch of changes then close it before you have a chance to save it or your PC crashes… The good news is you can probably find the file in the Outlook Temporary OLK folder and recover your work. (speaking of recovering your data, have you configured the Word and Excel autosave feature?

Now the bad news, let’s say you open an attachment that contains sensitive or confidential information. While reading the document, Outlook unexpectedly closes. In this scenario, the attachment will remain in the Outlook Temporary folder indefinitely since Outlook normally deletes these files when you close the document properly. Now let’s say your PC is lost or stolen. Yup, all your documents are just sitting there for anyone to open.

Don’t think this is very common? Just go look. No really. Stop reading and go look in your OLK folder. If you’ve been using your computer for any length of time, what you will find is a few dozen files sitting there for anyone with access to your system to open and read.

Protect yourself against the OLK folder

The first thing I always do with new installs of Windows and Microsoft Office is encrypt the OLK folder using the built-in Microsoft file and folder encryption called EFS. It’s fast, easy and adds a nice layer of security should a corporate IT guy jump on my box or I accidentally lose my laptop and I haven’t yet encrypted my drive.

Tags: client, encryption, howto, microsoft office, olk, outlook 2003, outlook 2007, security, temporary folder, outlook 2010

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