What are Outlook OST files and PST
Everything You Need to Know About Outlook OST Files and About Converting them to PST!
Every software program that deals with some kind of data has a particular file that stores all the data and information. Some apps have one native file, some have two. And when it comes to data migration between these apps or across different apps, these files are the most important.
Sometimes you can simply move the files between the database directories of the apps you are switching to, but often, two apps don’t share a common file format. Sometimes, two file formats cannot be used within the same app.
Today, we are talking one of those issues that most Windows users face that is frustrating and apparently doesn’t seem to have a proper solution – converting Outlook OST files to PST.
By the end of this post, you will know exactly how to do that, through which means, and the rest. But before that, here is a little bit of an introduction on what are Outlook OST files all about.
What are Outlook OST files?
As said above, every software application uses data files to store data. Windows Outlook uses PST and OST, but there’s a different in both files. OST is an offline storage table format that is employed for the offline use. You can work on your contents (emails, contacts, etc.) even without an internet connection. All the work will be synced to the mail servers of your email account when the internet is back.
This makes OST file similar to cached copy of your mailboxes.
So, what is PST? Failure to understand the distinction between both files lead to the job of converting OST to PST.
What are PST files?
PST is a proprietary file format from Microsoft for Windows Outlook to store data, short for ‘Personal Storage Table’. But unlike OST, PST is a standard data file that can be used for importing/exporting or backup/archive purposes. It can be later used with any other Outlook on any other machine to import/restore data. OST cannot be used for that, and it only works with the original email account that created in the first place.
Here are few major differences between OST and PST:
OST | PST |
| Stands for Offline Storage Table | Stands for Personal Storage Table |
| Cannot be used for importing, exporting, backing up, or archiving data | Used for importing, exporting, archiving, and backing up data |
| Inaccessible without the original email account | Can be used on any Outlook without an account |
| Used for working with data offline | Used for archiving data when the server is full |
| Mostly used with exchange account | Used with web-based email accounts, POP3, and IMAP accounts |
| Automatically created when you add an email account | It is not automatically created (although you can set it up) |
What are the reasons to convert Outlook OST Files to PST!
So, now that you know what exactly are Outlook OST files and PST files, let us get into the main concern of many users – how to convert OST files to PST, and why is it necessary?
As said above, OST file is different from PST and most users think they can use OST to import data. This often leads to OST files with the data inside them left in the cold. There’s no way to import OST files to Outlook. To get your data back, you have to convert it into PST.
Other reasons include viruses, malware, power failures, hard drive failure, and so on, that can break the connection between OST and Outlook client leaving the data inside OST that has not been synced with the servers stuck.
All such scenarios can be very painful and frustrating to all kinds of users, but they are especially hard to resolve for beginners and basic home users.
Let’s now finally get to how you can actually convert Outlook OST files to PST easily, accurately, and without too much efforts.
How to Convert Outlook OST files to PST
With so many third-party OST2PST file converters out there, it can be difficult to find out which one works the best. Most of them are incredibly inaccurate and can end up with damaged data. You need a professional tool for a heavy job like this, but a tool that’s not heavy on users’ end and you can easily navigate around its interface without confusion.
Thankfully, you don’t need to go on a hunt for that professional tool because the one revealed below fits the description perfectly:
“OST Extractor Pro” is an excellent OST to PST conveter from USL Software that leads you step-by-step on how to convert Outlook OST files to PST. It has an incredibly interface that would make even a beginner and non-experienced user immediately and intuitively understand how to do the job.
Moreover, it has many modern features that allow you flexibility and control wherever necessary. You can remove folders you don’t want to convert to PST, you can convert multiple OST files to PST in a batch, and so on.
The best part of “OST Extractor Pro” is that it doesn’t deliver incomplete conversion, also called data integrity errors. Everything from OST will be cleanly converted into PST format, so much that you can’t find a single mis-match of item from the original. It also keeps the folder hierarchy preserved, converts non-English text safely, and keeps the headers and metadata intact too.
Get free to Convert Outlook OST files to PST
If you are interested, you can try out the free demo version that USL Software offers for evaluation purpose. Download it below. It runs without any restrictions to any of the features except it converts only ten items per folder, which is irrelevant if you want to see the tool works in action.
Free Trial and see the change log at http://www.ostextractorpro.com/download-now/.
There is also customer support from USL that is ready to help you at all times.
Download it now and convert Outlook OST files to PST easily.