Microsoft Outlook uses both the Offline Storage Table (OST) and the Personal Storage Table (PST) file formats. These files help keep your emails, notes, and other things on your local storage in sync. PST files are easier to access and import than OST files, which are encrypted and can only be used with their parent Outlook file. So, converting OST files to PST files is often the best choice. You can use the Sysinfo OST to PST Converter Software to change the OST file format to PST.
Before you move forward with the OST to PST conversion process, you can check the need to convert an OST file to PST.
Need to Convert OST Files to PST
You can check the need to convert an OST file to PST below:-
Reduce OST File Size
If the OST file size is large, there may be integrity issues. A larger file size increases the chances that your OST file will become corrupt. You can avoid this issue by transferring your older data to a PST file format. This will effectively reduce the size of the OST file, and you’ll be able to access the data on your PST file without any difficulty.
Exchange Server Crash
Frequently, Exchange servers fail because of power outages or virus and malware attacks. If this occurs or the server is unavailable for maintenance, it becomes difficult to access OST file data from the mailbox server. In such cases, it is possible to convert OST to PST files. This allows you to access your data from a different Outlook profile.
Data Migration
Converting an OST file to a PST file can be useful when moving data from one location to another. Because OST files cannot be transferred directly to another system, it is simpler and safer to convert OST to PST before migrating data.
Avoid Data Loss
Outlook errors such as synchronisation errors and the inability to receive emails are fairly frequent. It is simple to troubleshoot these errors, but doing so may put your data at risk. You can create a backup of your OST file in PST format if this occurs. This will prevent significant data loss from occurring on your system.
Managing Orphan OSTs
If your Exchange profile is inactive or disabled on the server, synchronisation between the mailbox and the server will cease. In such cases, the OST file is referred to as an orphaned file. To prevent this, you can convert OST to PST to safeguard your data and access it on a local device.
Steps to Convert OST file to PST Quickly
You can convert OST to PST in Outlook by using the import/export method that is available in your Outlook Application. Even there are some other ways to convert OST files to PST and you can explore all of them below:-
Approach 1- Save Emails in a Personal Folders (.PST) File
One of the easiest and most reliable ways to convert OST to PST is to export your mailbox in PST format. The following are some easy steps to take to accomplish this:
- Go to the “Files” tab in Outlook after logging in with your Exchange account. Find “Open & Export,” then click on it and choose “Import/Export.”
- Select “Export to a file” and then “Next” from the resulting dialogue box. Click “Outlook Data File (.pst)” and then “Next” to continue.
- Choose all the target directories to export. The next step is to choose the destination folder for the file. Make a choice and move on by clicking “Next.” Click “Finish” after selecting a destination on your computer’s file system.
Approach 2- Use Email Archiving Method
By using Outlook’s AutoArchive feature, you can copy the messages from your OST to a new PST file. This alternative also provides a practical means of decreasing mailbox volume. The steps to enable this feature are as follows:
- Open Outlook’s “File” tab, and then select “Options.”
- Click “Advanced” and then “AutoArchive Settings” from the menu that appears.
- In the resulting dialogue box, select the number of days you want the auto-archive function to run.
- Choose a destination for the compressed PST files. You can modify any other archiving settings by locating them and selecting “OK.”
Approach 3- Convert OST to PST Using an Automated Software
You can see that the above approaches need a lot of technical expertise and you might stuck in the middle of the process. Therefore, using an Automated OST to PST Converter can be the best option. This software will convert the OST file to PST in a few steps without losing any value data while conversion.
Take Away
There are three efficient ways to convert OST to PST in Outlook and you are free to apply any method that you feel is easy to apply. The ball is in your court and you will have to choose any method to convert Outlook OST file to PST.
