2 Free Solutions to Convert OST to PST File for all Outlook Versions

Outlook application has two data files – OST and PST. PST file contains all mail flow information of Outlook and is stored on the system hard disk whereas OST file is the exact replica of the Exchange Server data and saved as local copy on the user’s system. It is maintained to save Exchange data for offline utilization. OST file allows users to access Exchange Server mailboxes data in Outlook in offline mode yet there are certain conditions which cause users to convert OST file into PST file. We are listing some of the situations in which converting your OST file into PST file format would be helpful to access the Exchange data.

• Exchange Server got crashed due to corruption or other reasons
• Exchange Server is under maintenance
• Accidental deletion or loss of Exchange data
• Moving OST file from one system or OS environment to another
• Need to take a permanent and portable backup of OST data
• Company or organization compliances and regulations

All the ill effects to Exchange Server whether damage, inaccessibility, data deletion, etc. does not affect the OST file content as the connection to Exchange is also lost at that time and also, the OST file content can be retrieved back as a fresh updated copy as soon as the Exchange Server is configured again. So, users can lead to conversion of OST file to PST file to directly access the Exchange mailboxes data in the Outlook application.

For converting OST file to PST file, we will focus on the feasible free solutions in this article. These solutions are free and can be performed by any user but some amount of technical expertise is always needed.

Converting Exchange OST File to Outlook PST File Free

There are two popular free solutions executing which you can convert OST file into PST file or move OST data to the PST file.

1. Using Export Feature in Outlook
2. Archiving OST data to PST file
3. Run the Manual Archiving
4. Drag-&-Drop into a New PST File

Note: If the data you want to move from OST file to access is quite less like some emails or many emails with documents in a zip folder, you can directly forward them as emails to any specific email address. Drag and drop action for OST emails to the newly created PST file (go to New Items>More Items>Outlook Data File on the Outlook interface) is also an option if there are few emails only.

A. Using Export feature in Outlook

All Outlook versions integrates in-built Import and Export feature which allows user to move OST files data to PST file easily. The main condition here is that OST file needs to be in connection with Exchange Server at the time of export. It is useful when the user needs to take local and portable backup of Exchange mailboxes data. Let us understand the process.

1. Run the Outlook application. Go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
   
2. Select the option saying Export to a file and click on Next.
   
3. Next, it will ask the file type you want to save the OST data. Select Outlook Data File (.pst) option. Click Next.
   
4. You can move a single mailbox folder (mostly used Inbox folder) to PST. Select your choice and also select the checkbox Include sub folders. Then click on Next to continue.
   
5. Click Browse and enter the address for the PST file location on your system. Choose any option for managing duplicate items and click on Finish.
   
6. Next, you can add the password to your saved PST file or continue without it. The process of conversion will start and complete as per the data involved.
   

B. Archiving OST emails to PST format

Emails cover the maximum space of mailbox. There is inbox, outbox, sent items, and other user-defined folders that are designed to keep the emails securely. Additionally, the attachments, images and other animations present in email body can increase the size of a single email also. The size of an OST file is limited, so Outlook offers a simple method to move the older emails that are no longer feasible in the inbox or sent items.

But, the user requires to enable auto-archiving manually. After selecting the period and saving folder, the archiving will start quickly.

1. Click File in Outlook and go to Options category.
   
2. Go to Advanced category and click AutoArchive settings.
   
3. By default, the wizard remains inactive. So, you should click the checkbox to run AutoArchive after every selected day. Choose the number of days. AutoArchive can delete expired items (emails only), archive or delete old items, clean out items older than selected months. You can either move old items to a chosen folder or delete them permanently. Use all the settings and click OK.
   

The archive file will be a PST file. But, you should understand that archive file will save only emails. If you want to save contacts and other contents, then you should use other methods.

C. Run the Manual Archiving

If you do not require consistent backup using AutoArchiving, then you can run the manual archive also. It will perform the same job but with more control. You can go to Info section after clicking File option. Then, choose Cleanup Tools >> Archive.

Select the second option to archive this folder and all subfolders. Select the folders and choose a date to archive items older than that. Use the Browse button to save the archive file in PST format. At last, click OK.

D. Drag-&-Drop into a New PST File

Rather than exporting the whole account, you can create a new PST file in Outlook and drag-&-drop contents from older account.

In Outlook, Click New Items and expand it with More Items. Choose, Outlook Data File.

Later, you can use the simple drag-&-drop function to move the account objects.

This solution works well if the data for conversion is not much and the Exchange conversion is not interrupted. Data or properties loss during conversion is also a common situation in these free methods. There are data or items limits in the native processes with procedural complexities.

The most expensive limitation is users need Outlook to be connected well with Exchange Server all the time and that is why it does not convert orphaned OST files or when the server is down or under maintenance.

The above also does not support conversion of corrupt Exchange OST files and includes very lengthy processes, thus have slow performance.

Users seeking large OST data conversion under safe environment are suggested to try the efficient professional or third-party tool. It guarantees safe and efficient conversion without any connection needs and file-size restrictions. The handy tool confirms conversion in few minutes with only 5-6 steps. Also, data loss and modification is nil during the whole conversion process. Orphaned and corrupted OST files are easily recovered and converted with extensive compatibility to all Outlook versions.

Conclusion

Exchange OST file needs conversion to Outlook PST file in many scenarios like backup need, when Exchange is under downtime and if it is crashed, etc. Free solutions like archiving and exporting the OST data to PST file are explained in this article along with a suggestion of a full-proof automated OST to PST converter solution at the end.