I have MS Office 2002 Service pack3 and want to import my email from MS Office 2003 Service Pack1. Are they?

backwards compatible?

They are **mostly** compatible. There is some coding and formatting that Outlook 2003 handles differently from Outlook 2002, so you may find some mails with formatting that doesn't make the transition. For the most part, you should be fine, though.

It does help that your Office 2002 is updated to Service Pack 3. If you have any problems reading your old mail after importing from 2003 to 2002, check at Microsoft for additional updates just to make sure you've got everything. If you have problems reading the old mail, getting the very latest updates might fix it.

So, there are a few potential issues, but overall you should be fine. Good luck and hope that helps!

EDIT - to the thumbs-downer: If you disagree, then pony up with your own answer. I'm speaking from my own experience, but as with any Microsoft product, your mileage may vary. If you know of a "gotcha" with Outlook versions and backwards compatibility, then let's hear about it because it's something that would be helpful for the asker to know.