Managing Outlook’s Offline Storage Table (OST) files may be quite complicated, for instance, in a situation with the necessity to copy mailbox contents from Outlook to another email application or when it is necessary to repair an OST file that has been corrupted. Thankfully, there are a few ways of converting OST files to Personal Storage Table (PST) format, to be imported into Outlook or another email client.
Manual methods of OST to PST Conversion
The most typical way to convert OST to PST manually is to use Microsoft Outlook’s Import/Export wizard. Here’s how it works:
- First, you must open the Outlook program and navigate to the tab “File”.
- Click on the “Open & Export” option and then click on the “Import/Export” tab.
- On the first step of the Import and Export Wizard, choose the option “Export to a file” and proceed.
- Click the “Outlook Data File (. pst)” as the export file type.
- To perform the OST file conversion, you need to open it first and assure that there is a check next to “Include subfolders”.
- As for the location where the converted PST file shall be saved, enter the appropriate path or create a new one for the PST file, as well as enter its name.
- When you are done with the settings, click on the “Finish” button to begin the conversion process.
This manual method, as beneficial as it is, has its demerits as well. Yes, it could take quite a while if OST files are rather large and there is a high probability of data loss or corruption if the process is aborted.
Another manual approach that one can use is the Outlook Auto Archive button. This way of handling allows you to reduce the number of messages in the PST file, saving the older ones in the new archive PST. However, this approach is not feasible for the bulk OST to PST conversion.
Benefits of Using a Specific OST to PST Conversion Software
Although the suggested manual methods can help, they take time and can be unreliable, especially when working with a large or damaged OST file. Of course, the conversion of OST to PST can work very smoothly in handling such circumstances, but one needs to be cautious with amateurish software available on the internet.
One most recommended tool is the Shoviv OST to PST Converter, which offers a range of features and benefits:
Bulk Conversion
It also has a unique feature of converting bulk OST files into Outlook PST files at a single time.
Selective Data Extraction
It allows you to choose which portions of your OST file you wish to migrate to PST – emails, contacts, calendars, and/or attachments.
Preserving Data Integrity
Moreover, with OST to PST Converter software, the folder hierarchy and meta information remain as they are while the data is being converted thus preserving the data.
Handling of Corrupted or Orphaned OST Files
The application is capable of working with damaged or detached OST files and enables conversion of OST emails along with other content if the connection to Exchange server has been lost.
User-Friendly Interface
It has an organized layout and format of the working window and thus is easy to operate even by the common man without technical knowledge.
Comprehensive Conversion Options
Besides OST to PST conversion, the software allows you to export the data into EML, MSG, HTML, vCard formats, which is very useful in the case of email management.
Reliable and Secure
Despite the fact that these tools are efficient for data conversion, they incorporate certain reliable features to protect the converted data.
Convert OST to PST Using professional OST to PST Converter Tool
To convert OST to PST using professional Shoviv OST to PST Converter, follow these steps:
-Install and Launch the Tool: Install and launch the OST to PST Converter software from official website.
-Add OST Files: Add the OST files you want to convert.
-Preview Data: Preview the mailbox data to ensure accuracy.
-Choose Export Option: Select “Export to PST” from the export options.
-Set Target Location: Choose the target location to save the PST file.
-Export: Click “Export” to convert the OST file into PST format
Conclusion
Although there are manual ways of converting OST to PST, these come in handy only for a limited number of emails and fail to deliver in a case of more significant or complicated email data. However, for converting the data independently using MS Outlook, it is best to use OST to PST converter tool and its various versions like Shoviv OST to PST Converter in order to have efficient conversion, integrated data protection, and ease of usage. Regardless of which type of user you are: business or individual, this tool may be very useful as a tool to optimize the email data handling, if you suddenly need to switch between the different mail services.
Also read- Migrate Office 365 mailbox to PST
