Smart OST to PST Conversion- Free Methods to Convert OST to PST

Windows Mac

Being an Outlook user, you must be aware of the file into which Outlook stores all your email messages. It creates an Outlook data file on your local system in which your Outlook profile is configured. An Outlook data file can store email messages, contacts, calendars, tasks, notes, journals as well as attachments. There are two types of Outlook data files: PST aka personal storage table and OST aka offline storage table. Though both are Outlook data files and used for the same purpose as well, still there’s a major difference.

Need for OST to PST Conversion

Sometimes situations may come when you need to convert OST to PST format. The most common situations are discussed below:

Scenario #1 – Exchange Server Crashes Down 

The unexpected crash is the most common problem occurred in Exchange Server due to numerous reasons, such as sudden power failure, malicious software, virus infection, etc. You can’t access your Outlook profile at such a point in time as you’re not able to connect to the Exchange Server. In such a situation, you may need to convert OST to PST format.

Scenario #2 – Exchange Server Goes for Maintenance 

Exchange Server needs regular maintenance in order to function in a perfect way. If it goes for maintenance, you’re not able to access your mailbox. Sometimes, it may become necessary for you to have an access to your mailbox items. Though you have an OST file on your local system containing your mailbox data, you can’t synchronize them with MS Exchange Server. In such a situation, you may need to convert OST to PST format.

Scenario #3 – Mailbox Migration 

If you’re migrating mailbox data from one place to another place, OST to PST conversion becomes an essential task. You can only access the OST file on the same system where it was originally https://cialtad.com created. You can avoid this limitation by converting the OST files into PST format, and then can access the file on any computer.

Scenario #4 – OST Corruption 

OST file is also prone to corruption like PST file and can become inaccessible due to numerous reasons. The only way to recover mailbox data is by converting OST to PST format. Though Microsoft provides the Integrity Check tool aka scanost.exe, it’s not that effective in case of severe corruption.

Scenario #5 – Mailbox Recovery after Accidental Deletion 

If you’ve accidentally deleted the mailbox on the Exchange Server, you can recover it back by converting OST to PST format.

How to Convert OST to PST Format?

For OST to PST Conversion we have different methods available that can easily convert OST files to PST format. Mentioned that these manual solutions are time-consuming methods and required technical skills to perform. Let’s discuss all of them on-by-one.

Method 1: Using Outlook Import/Export Wizard

First of all, create a new Outlook data file.pst on your local system. It’ll hardly take a couple of minutes or even less than that. Once the new PST file is created, follow the steps given below:

1. Open the Microsoft Outlook client on your system.
2. On the main menu bar, click the File tab > Open > Import.
3. On Export and Import Wizard, select Export to a file in the list. Click Next to continue the process.
4. On Export to a File window, select Outlook Data File (.pst) in the option and click Next to continue the process.
5. On the Export Outlook Data File window, select the Outlook data file and folder from which you want to export. You may also include subfolders. Click Next to continue the process.
6. Now click Browse and select the PST file you created earlier. This will export mailbox data from the selected folder to a new PST file. You can define other options as well before clicking finish.
7. Finally, click Finish and wait until the exporting process is successfully completed.

Method 2: Convert OST to PST using Outlook Archive Wizard

If you want OST to PST conversion with archiving OST files into PST, then you must enable the Auto Archive option in Outlook. It will save the particular file in PST format. This method is also used to reduce the size of your mailboxes by archiving the files. Follow these steps for further process:

1. Launch the MS Outlook
2. Go to the File option and click on Archive.
3. Browse the file which you want to archive and set the destination path for the resultant.
4. Now, tap on the Finish button.

You can convert all data except contacts, with this method. If you want to Extract contacts from OST files then go with Method 1.

Method 3: Professional Solution for OST to PST Conversion

These manual methods don’t work if you’re not connected to Exchange Server. In such situations, you can go with a professional Sysinfo OST to PST Converter Tool that can quickly perform OST to PST Conversion in a few simple steps. It can convert single as well as multiple OST files to PST at a time. Here are some excellent features of the software:

• Easily export OST to PST files.
• Perform quick and accurate conversion with data integrity.
• Import PST files into 15+ Email Clients.
• Offers Date filter to exclude selected OST emails.
• A free version can export 50 mails per folder.

Steps to Convert OST to PST Formats

1.  Install and Run Sysinfo OST to PST Converter Tool
   
2. Click on Select files to Add the OST file, which you want to convert.
   
3. Press the Next button and here you’ll see the preview of files.
   
4. Select the folder you want to export from tree-structured data.
   
5. Now, Choose the saving format as PST from the drop-down list.
   
6. Set the destination location to save the file and click on the Convert button to start the process.
   
7. Lastly, Click on the Download Report and Exit.
   

Conclusion

In this technical blog post, we have discussed the different methods that are used for OST to PST Conversion. We also cover the basic details of Outlook OST and PST Files and what is the reason behind converting OST to PST files. You can choose the method which you feel is easier, Professional OST to PST Converter is highly recommended by experts because of its accuracy and integrity.