MS-Outlook it is widely used in the corporate environment for both internal and external communication. Most users have a accounts MS Exchange Server which works by synchronizing the data in an offline storage file (format .OST). The OST file contains all mail items that are accessible even in offline mode on the hard drive. Every time you log in to your account, all your email items are synced and downloaded into this OST file.
OST files work in sync with MS Outlook PST file helping to keep your inbox updated with new messages, meeting appointments, delivery reports etc. However, there are situations when such mail items become inaccessible. In this situation the only solution is to convert OST file in a different format and compatible with Outlook, just like the format PST.
Why Convert OST File to PST?
Here are some good reasons that might lead you to convert OST file to PST for managing your emails, attachments, notes, appointments, etc….
1. MS-Exchange server can stop unexpectedly due to power failure, malicious software, virus attack or any other reason. A serious system crash could also make it impossible to connect to MS Exchange Server. Such situations are very difficult to manage because several error messages may appear.
2. In case of maintenance of Exchange Server you cannot access your mailbox. However, sometimes it becomes necessary to have access to mailbox items and to access mail items it becomes essential to export data from ost file to pst and import it into MS Outlook application.
3. By converting Outlook OST file to PST file format, data can be restored even after accidental deletion of user mailboxes on Exchange server.
4. The OST to PST conversion helps in migrating data from one place to another. This is very useful in case your organization is moving, or you want to move important data to a different system.
5. While working with an MS Outlook client, you may encounter the following error messages:
- “Unable to set up your offline folder file. \ ComputerName FolderName Outlook.ost.“
- “The operation failed due to a registry or installation problem. Restart Outlook and try again. If the problem persists, please reinstall“
- “ComputerName is the name of the computer on which Microsoft Outlook was installed, and FolderName is the name of the folder that includes the offline file.”
6. Since OST files are offline storage files and allow you to send/receive and delete emails even when not connected to Exchange Server, once connected, it gets synchronized with Exchange Server. This means that all changes made to the OST file while working offline will be reflected on Exchange Server. However, even a PST file can become corrupt, resulting in inaccessibility of the user’s mail items. The OST file can get damaged due to several reasons, such as:
Software-related issues
Unexpected hardware errors
Abnormal termination
Stopping the application
Damage induced on the database
Server failure
Virus attacks
Lack of storage space
Accidental deletion of user account
To resolve this situation it becomes necessary repair OST file. While in the case of PST files there is a PST Repair program to repair corrupt PST file, in the case of OST files there is no such program and the only solution is to convert ost file to pst.
How to Convert OST File to PST
The program OST to PST Converter It is the ideal tool to extract data from OST files and save them to PST without any hassle. It comes with an intuitive interface that guides the user to easily convert all OST files to PST files. Once the conversion is done, the converted PST files can be imported back into MS Exchange Server in just one click.
The program supports all versions of MS-Outlook and allows you to maintain access to all mail items including messages, notes, attachments, contacts, calendar, journal, etc…
a) Download and install OST to PDF Converter
To get started, download and install the free demo version of the program from the following link:
b) Import and view OST files
Step 1. Import the OST file you want to convert to PST into the program
Step 2. View the data contained in the OST file
c) Convert OST to PST
Step 3. Export the selected data to a PST file
Besides PST format, you can also select MSG/EML/RTF/HTML/PDF
That’s all!