Top 3 Methods to Convert Exchange OST Files to PST Format for Outlook

Data files for Microsoft Outlook are divided into two categories: OST files and PST files. While PST files include data kept in personal folders, OST files contain information retrieved from an offline Exchange Server. You must either set up the email client to connect to the server and produce a new OST file or convert the OST file to PST file type if you wish to copy your offline OS file data to another machine.

What distinguishes Outlook OST from PST files?

The Microsoft Exchange Server uses the offline storage table (.ost), OST, and offline Outlook data files. It allows users to interact with mail data even when the mail server is unavailable. Users can choose to save a local copy of all the mail data on their computer using the Outlook OST file option. Therefore, when connectivity to the mail server is reestablished, these items immediately synchronized folders.

Download the Free Demo Version

Personal Storage Table (.pst) files, often known as PST files, are Microsoft Outlook Data Files that store user Outlook data for POP3, IMAP, and web-based mail accounts. All of the objects in the folders, including emails, email attachments, events, diaries, contacts, and more, are included in these files. All MS Outlook versions can open these Outlook PST files. The PST file is saved in Unicode format in later versions of Outlook (Outlook 2003 and beyond), whereas older versions of Outlook are used to save these files in ANSI format.

Why is OST to PST Conversion Required in Microsoft Outlook?

Let's explore some of the factors that prompted people to convert Outlook OST files to PST files.

• Exchange Server can crash abruptly on occasion, showing errors and preventing access to mail contents.
• The only way for users to access OST files is by importing them into Outlook during server maintenance and outage.
• The whole Exchange Server's mail data may be recovered using this method.
• OST files may become corrupted during syncing and become unavailable.
• While working, a few common mistakes happen. This method aids in overcoming it.

Free Outlook OST to PST Conversion Techniques

One must export Outlook OST to PST file format to access the Outlook data files without any issues. The manual techniques listed below can be used to convert multiple OST files.

Method: 1 Using the Import/Export Wizard

Converting OST files to PST files is one of the most reliable procedures. One of the impressive possibilities in Microsoft Outlook is to import Outlook OST to PST. You may do this by doing these actions:

• Launch MS Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, or any other earlier version.
• Select the 'Import & Export' option under the 'File' menu in the menu bar.
• 'Import and Export Wizard' will appear; choose 'Export to a File'.
• Choose the 'Outlook data file' (PST) format from the following list of possibilities.
• Make sure the checkbox next to "Include subfolders" is ticked, then click "Finish."

Once it is accessible in the PST format, all of your exchange OST mailbox data will now be copied or relocated to another location on your computer.

Method: 2 Using the Archiving Method

By converting the OST mailbox folders to PST files, Outlook makes it easier for users to archive OST file contents. You may use it to expand the size of your Outlook mailbox. To finish the procedure, adhere to the procedures listed below:

• Launch the MS Outlook program.
• 'Archive' may be found by clicking the 'File' option.
• Decide which folders or files should be archived.
• On a computer, decide where you want to store your archives.
• Click 'Finish' now.

Method: 3 Drag and Drop Mailbox Items

One of the best ways to convert data from an OST file to an Outlook PST is to use the Drag & Drop method to move mailbox items from the OST file format to the PST file format. You must first create a blank PST file in Outlook before dragging and dropping the necessary mail items from the OST mailbox to the new PST file.

The drag-and-drop technique does, however, have certain drawbacks. For each piece of mail that has to be transferred to the PST mailbox, you must repeat the procedure. This procedure takes a long time and requires extreme caution because even one error might result in data damage.

The Drawbacks of Manual Methods

However, users might benefit from manual approaches in a variety of ways. However, they do have several drawbacks, including the following:

• Inboxes, contacts, and calendars are challenging to convert to PST format.
• To recognize the data, users might need to generate a new Outlook data file.
• The conversion of a single OST file could take longer.
• A little error might result in data loss and corruption.

Advanced and Smart OST to PST Converter Tool

The TrustVare OST to PST Converter can quickly convert any size OST files to PST file format without any data loss. This application is fully secure to convert OST files to PST file format. Some users do not need any other software to convert Exchange OST files to PST file format. Both technical and non-technical users can utilize this tool to convert OST files to PST file format. There are some steps are mentioned below in this paragraph:-

Simple Procedures to Convert an OST File to a PST File without Outlook

• Start your system's TrustVare OST to PST Converter Software.
• Choose an OST file on your local computer.
• Click the Next button to display the mailboxes for OST files.
• Click next after selecting the OST email pieces.
• Select the Software Wizard's Save as PST option at this time.
• Convert the deleted OST files to PST format by selecting the Convert option.

In Nutshell

The article provided the finest instructions on how to import Outlook OST to PST in Outlook 2016. There are manual ways available that take a lot of time and demand extreme caution yet don't cost anything. Those without that much free time might utilize an expert OST to PST Converter. I sincerely hope that this information is helpful to all people looking for a simple way to convert OST to PST without losing or rebuilding OST files. We appreciate you visiting our blog.