When you add an Exchange, Office 365, or Outlook.com account, Outlook creates an offline storage table or offline folder (OST), which is a data file. The OST file keeps a local copy of all mail items, including emails, attachments, contacts, notes, tasks, calendar items, etc.
Even when the server, system, or internet are inaccessible, it still allows instant access to Outlook mail contents. The OST file must be converted to PST format if you want to backup or move your mail items from it to another Outlook profile or new machine. A direct import of an OST file into another Outlook profile is not possible. A conversion from OST to PST is also necessary when an OST file becomes orphaned or inaccessible.
In this article, we've covered several techniques for manually converting OST to PST and using an expert OST to PST converter tool in Outlook 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019.
Methods to Convert OST to PST Manually
Four manual OST to PST conversion techniques are covered in the sections below.
Approach 1: Employ the Outlook Import Export Wizard
You can convert and export mail items from OST files to PST format in Outlook 2007 and later using the Import Export Wizard. the following are the steps:
- To import or export data from Outlook 2013, 2016, or 2019, go to File > Open & Export.
- From the "Choose an action to perform" list, select "Export to a file" and then click "Next."
- Select 'Outlook Data file (.PST)' and then click 'Next.'
- Click "Next" after selecting the mail folders and individual items you want to convert to PST. To export all mail items, tick the box next to "Include subfolders."
- Click 'Browse' to select a location to save the converted PST file.
- Click the 'Finish' button after selecting 'Replace duplicates with items exported' to prevent saving duplicate items.
- To prevent unauthorised access, either enter a password or click "OK" without doing so.
Method 2: Use the Outlook Archive option
Outlook's archive feature can be used to save mail items as a PST file as well. The mail items can then be accessed by moving this PST file to another machine or imported by using Outlook.
These are the steps:
1. Select 'File> Options' in Outlook 2010, 2013, 2016, or 2019.
2. Select 'Advanced' and then press the button that appears on the screen.
3. To choose a location to save the archived PST file, click the Select the amount of days button, followed by the word "Browse."
4. To save the changes, click "OK."
Method 3: Drag and drop mail items from an OST file into a PST file.
To convert mail items in the OST file to PST, you can also just drag and drop the mail items from the Outlook account to an existing PST file.
These are the steps,
- In Outlook, select Outlook Data File from the New Items > More Items menu.
- Choose 'Outlook data file (.PST)' and then click 'OK.'
- Type the optional PST file name and password. then press OK.
You will receive a PST file in your Outlook account.
- Now that the PST file has been created, you can transfer emails from our OST file to it. To transfer the mail items from the OST profile to the PST file, use drag and drop or copy and paste.
Manual Methods’ Limitations and Drawbacks
The following restrictions and drawbacks apply when converting OST to PST manually:
1. The process is time-consuming and labor-intensive.
2. There is a chance of inconsistent data.
3. It can result in missing elements, which could result in data loss.
4. Human error may result in outdated or insufficient conversion or backup.
5. Data integrity difficulties and corruption may result from converting big OST files to PST.
6. When Outlook is not accessible or the mailbox profile is erased, these techniques fail.7. They are likewise useless if the OST file is inaccessible or orphaned
Method 4: Use OST to PST Converter Software
When the user profile is damaged, erased, or disabled from the mailbox server, an WholeClear OST to PST Converter application, like Converter for OST, is helpful. The OST file then moves into the orphaned stage and becomes unavailable in such circumstances. These OST files are encrypted with the key, so they cannot be read from any Outlook profile.
With the help of WholeClear OST converter, you may convert encrypted, inaccessible, or orphaned OST files to PST format without running the danger of data loss or making a mistake.
The utility converts OST files without regard to file size restrictions and automates the OST conversion procedure. With 100% accuracy, this utility extracts all mailbox data from the OST file and saves it into a new or existing PST file.
You can use the software to test it out by downloading it for no cost. You can convert an infinite number of OST files using the free version. However, you must activate the software in order to save the converted files in PST or other formats. However, for testing purposes, the free version does save the first 20 emails in each folder. Simply choose the OST file to convert, and then save it in a format that is accepted.
Read more :- https://www.wholeclear.com/info/change-ost-to-pst-in-outlook-2021-2019-2016-2013-2010-2007/
Conclusion
To backup or migrate the mail items from one Outlook profile to another, or to move the mail items to a new Exchange Server or Office 365, OST to PST conversion is frequently necessary.
There are a few options in each version of Outlook, including Outlook 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019, to export mail items from the OST file to PST, including the Outlook Import Export Wizard.
To manually convert OST to PST in various Outlook versions, use the procedures described in this page. However, utilise an OST to PST converter application, as described in this article, if you need to convert an inaccessible, encrypted, or large-sized OST file to PST format.
