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.pab File Extension

Developer: Microsoft

File type: Personal Address Book

You're here because you have a file that has a file extension ending in .pab. Files with the file extension .pab can only be launched by certain applications. It's possible that .pab files are data files rather than documents or media, which means they're not meant to be viewed at all.

what is a .pab file?

The .pab file extension is used for files created by Microsoft e-mail programs. Files with the .pab extension are called address book files since they are used by these e-mail programs that allow the sending and receiving mails from various senders and to various recipients. These files are called address book files because the information they contain are personal information about the user’s contacts and that includes the e-mail addresses, the names and other contact information of these contacts by which all the information are saved separately from the e-mails users send and receive. They are more of address book files that you create and store for e-mail purposes and not the contact information that came along with the e-mail. The most common e-mail programs using this file extension is Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Outlook Express and they are both programs of the Microsoft Office. Both of these Microsoft office programs can also be used to open these .pab files.

how to open a .pab file?

Launch a .pab file, or any other file on your PC, by double-clicking it. If your file associations are set up correctly, the application that's meant to open your .pab file will open it. It's possible you may need to download or purchase the correct application. It's also possible that you have the correct application on your PC, but .pab files aren't yet associated with it. In this case, when you try to open a .pab file, you can tell Windows which application is the correct one for that file. From then on, opening a .pab file will open the correct application. Click here to fix .pab file association errors

applications that open a .pab file

Microsoft Outlook Express

Outlook Express is an email and news client that is integrated with Internet Explorer versions 4.0 through 6.0. It is also bundled with a number of versions of Microsoft Windows, from Windows 98 to Windows Server 2003, and is available for Windows 3.x, Windows NT 3.51, Windows 95 and Mac OS 9. In Windows Vista, Outlook Express was outdated by Windows Mail, then again by Windows Live Mail as separate software in Windows 7. Microsoft Entourage, sold as part of Microsoft Office for Macintosh, has changed the Macintosh version. Outlook Express is a diverse application from Microsoft Office Outlook. The two programs do not share a common codebase, but do share a common architectural philosophy. The similar names lead many people to incorrectly conclusion that Outlook Express is a stripped-down version of Microsoft Office Outlook. Outlook Express utilizes the Windows Address Book to store contact information and incorporates tightly with it. On Windows XP, it also joins together with Windows Messenger.

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Microsoft Office Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is available as a part of the Microsoft Office suite, and a personal information manager from Microsoft. The present version is Microsoft Office Outlook 2010 for Windows and Microsoft Office Outlook 2011 for Mac. Although frequently used primarily as an email application, it also includes a calendar, task manager, contact manager, note taking, a journal and Web browsing. It can be utilized as a stand-alone application, or can work with Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft SharePoint Server for many users in an organization, such as shared mailboxes and calendars, exchange public folders, SharePoint lists and meeting schedules. There are third-party add-on applications that integrate Outlook with electronic devices such as BlackBerry mobile phones and with other software like Office & Skype Internet communication. Developers can also make their own conventional software that works with Outlook and Office components using Microsoft Visual Studio. Moreover, Windows Mobile devices can synchronize almost all Outlook data to Outlook Mobile.

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a word of warning

Be careful not to rename the extension on .pab files, or any other files. This will not change the file type. Only special conversion software can change a file from one file type to another.

what is a file extension?

A file extension is the set of three or four characters at the end of a filename; in this case, .pab. File extensions tell you what type of file it is, and tell Windows what programs can open it. Windows often associates a default program to each file extension, so that when you double-click the file, the program launches automatically. When that program is no longer on your PC, you can sometimes get an error when you try to open the associated file.