Remove 'Outlook Data File'

Solution 1:

From Use Gmail IMAP in Microsoft Outlook 2007, which maybe still applys to Outlook 2010 :

The reason you cannot get rid of the default Personal Folders that Outlook sets up for you is because Outlook makes you have a place for your contacts and calendar. Since the IMAP protocol doesn’t support “special folders” (i.e. contacts and calendars), you must leave the Personal Folders data file there. The only way I know of to get rid of it would be to use Exchange Server because Microsoft’s MAPI protocol for Exchange Server supports special folders for contacts and calendars.

According to the above, and since gmail does absolutely not use Exchange Server, the answer to your question is unfortunately negative.

If it bothers you that the default account is still there, the following text from the same source explains how to set the gmail account as the default :

In the folder menu on the left, Right click on the gmail inbox and choose “Add to favorite folders”. Then go to the “Favorite Folders” Group, above the mail folders, click the gmail inbox you just added, and drag it to the top of the pile, that way it will open as the default every time.

If you go to “Tools” and choose “Account settings”, click on the gmail account and then click on the button above that says “Set as default”.

Solution 2:

Worked for me...

Outlook Data Files is set as the default. You have to make your email account the default. I have two Gmail and Hotmail accounts set up. After setting my email account as default, remove the Outlook Data File.

Click File > Info > Account Settings > Data Files, select an email account and "Set as Default" then select Outlook Data File and select "Remove"

Solution 3:

Is there a way for me to delete the 'Outlook Data File'? It says I need to select another as my default delivery, but neither of my IMAP'd gmail account will allow me to do this.

Under File > Info > Account Settings, have you tried checking both tabs? E-mail and Data Files.

If you can't do it here, it's impossible to remove the file.

Nothing will ever be delivered to that folder, so why would I want it to show up in my list of folders?

Still, other things still need a storage. I foresee only one other thing you can try, and that is to back-up and remove the .pst files under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Outlook\. I'm using the Microsoft Outlook Hotmail Connector and I only have .ost files over there, so something similar must be possible for you.

Solution 4:

If you'd like to remove the default data file, it would require to close Outlook and delete the unneeded Outlook Data File from within %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Outlook\.

After that, open your Outlook client and an error message will pop out, ignore it by clicking the OK button and then from within the new window opened, select from the displayed list the needed Outlook Data File.

Once done, close and reopen Outlook.