Skill: locate-outlook-cache

Description

Locate and list Outlook for Mac profile/cache directories on macOS, including Classic Outlook profile folders such as Outlook 15 Profiles/Main Profile, so that downstream tools can copy or process the cached data.

Environment

• •OS: macOS
• •Requirements:
  • •python3 in PATH
  • •Permission to read ~/Library

Capabilities

• •Detects installed Outlook profile roots for:
  • •Outlook 2016/2019/2021/365 (Classic Outlook)
  • •Outlook 2011 (legacy, best-effort)
• •Returns absolute paths to candidate profile/cache directories.

Tools

Tool: list_outlook_profiles

• •Type: python
• •Entry point: python3 locate_outlook_profiles.py
• •Arguments:
  • •--include-legacy (optional, flag) – also search Outlook 2011 paths.
• •Output:
  • •JSON array of discovered profile objects:
    json

    [
      {
        "variant": "classic",
        "path": "/Users/USER/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook 15 Profiles/Main Profile"
      },
      {
        "variant": "legacy",
        "path": "/Users/USER/Documents/Microsoft User Data/Office 2011 Identities/Main Identity"
      }
    ]
    

Example implementation (locate_outlook_profiles.py)

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import argparse, json, os, pathlib

def main():
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
    parser.add_argument("--include-legacy", action="store_true")
    args = parser.parse_args()

    home = pathlib.Path.home()
    candidates = []

    classic = home / "Library" / "Group Containers" / "UBF8T346G9.Office" / "Outlook" / "Outlook 15 Profiles"
    if classic.is_dir():
        for p in classic.iterdir():
            if p.is_dir():
                candidates.append({"variant": "classic", "path": str(p)})

    if args.include_legacy:
        legacy = home / "Documents" / "Microsoft User Data" / "Office 2011 Identities"
        if legacy.is_dir():
            for p in legacy.iterdir():
                if p.is_dir():
                    candidates.append({"variant": "legacy", "path": str(p)})

    print(json.dumps(candidates))

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Usage

• •Call list_outlook_profiles first in any recovery pipeline.
• •Feed returned path values into later skills that copy/export or inspect the data.

References

• •Microsoft docs describing Outlook for Mac profile cache locations: [https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/outlook/installation/outlook-for-mac-is-a-locally-cached-email-client]
• •Profile path: ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook 15 Profiles for Outlook 2016+
• •Legacy Outlook 2011 identity path under Office 2011 Identities

Citation IDs

• •[web:18] Outlook for Mac is a locally cached email client - Microsoft Learn
• •[web:87] Where is Outlook Main Profile information stored? - Microsoft Q&A