Best Free Methods to Convert OST to PST on Windows 10/11

MS Outlook is the most used email client to handle and send emails and alerts from one person to another, as it contains certain additional capabilities that you do not often find in other email applications. That is, most of the customers prefer to utilise MS Outlook due to its popularity and great data security.

The user can open many accounts on the email server at a time. In Outlook, users can also perform other things like manage the calendar, store names and numbers in the contact, create and track various tasks, and more.

Difference Between OST and PST file formats

An OST file is an offline folder that is created by MS Outlook and the Exchange server to store offline copies of all the items that are on the Exchange server. The OST file allows users to work offline, which means without being connected to the Exchange server.

A PST file is a personal file or folder that can be used to store the MS Outlook file locally.  PST files can be located anywhere on your local hard disk. When user configure their email account by utilising the POP3 server or IMAP Server (For Outlook 2010 & above versions), a PST file is created.

Reasons to Convert OST to PST

• To import an OST file from one Outlook, the user first has to convert the OST file into PST because the user can not import an OST file straight into Outlook.
• If the Exchange server goes down due to a virus attack, sudden system shutdown or any other reason, the user cannot access the OST file again without converting it to a PST file type.
• When the Exchange Server goes down for maintenance or downtime.
• After recovery of the corrupted OST File, users need to convert the OST file into the Outlook PST file format for importing data into Outlook.

How to Convert OST to PST for Free?

Here I am describing the top three free methods to convert OST files to PST format. All free techniques have their advantages and disadvantages, and they may result in better outcomes.

Method 1: Utilise Import/Export Option

• Open MS Outlook and click on the “File” tab.
• Go to “Open and Export” & click on the “Import/Export tool” option.
• Choose “Export to a file” and click “Next”
• Select “Outlook data file” and hit the “Next” button.
• Select the folder or mailbox that the user wants to export and click Next.
• Click the Browse option to choose the destination location of the converted PST file. Also, check the “Do not export duplicate items” option and click on finish.

Method 2: Use the Auto-Archive Feature

The Auto Archive feature helps users convert OST files to the PST format. Auto Archive allows you to save older OST data files to an archive folder as a PST file.

If the users enable this option, then they will get OST files in PST format. To know how to enable this option, follow the options below:-

• Go to the file option in MS Outlook and select the “Options” tab.
• Now select an Advanced option and click the “Auto Archive Setting” button.
• In the AutoArchive dialogue box, select “Run AutoArchive every _ _ _days” and specify the day you wish to run auto-archiving.
• Click the “Browse” option to assign the location to save the Archiving PST file. Finally, press the OK button.

Method 3: Drag & Drop Technique

This is the third and last free tool to convert OST to PST format. The drag-and-drop approach is also described as an easy process, although it takes a lot of time.

• In Microsoft Outlook, select the “Home” option.
• Select More Items in the New Items menu and click on the Outlook data file.
• Here, give the name and storage location of this mailbox, which will save the data as a PST file.
• Now, using the Drag & Drop method, copy all the emails you wish to move to the PST file and paste them into the newly created mailbox folder.

Risks & Cons of Free OST to PST Conversion Methods

We know the free methods to convert the OST file to PST format, but they also have some drawbacks.

• The manual process needs more technical understanding to follow.
• The user will have to be patient and take a lot of time to do each step, one by one.
• There are risks of data loss even if clients have huge-sized OST files.
• It can give an unstructured format for broken files and emails.
• You can’t utilise this technique for numerous corrupted OST files.

Expert Method to Convert OST to PST

When the manual procedure fails to meet the criterion, a professional tool must be used, like Softaken OST to PST Converter. With the use of a dedicated software, you can efficiently restore all inaccessible & corrupted OST files and convert to Outlook PST file format, including email, contacts, calendar, notes, tasks, attachments, etc. Moreover, the OST Converter are simple and easy to use; no tech skills are needed to use.

Quick Steps to Convert OST file to PST

1. Download and run the OST Converter
2. Browse and upload the OST Mailbox file
3. Take a complete preview of the uploaded OST file
4. Choose the PST format from the file type
5. Select the destination path on the PC
6. Lastly, click on the convert button

Conclusion

In this article, we discuss the free techniques and an expert method to convert an Offline OST file to PST. I have discussed how the OST to PST conversion can be done. Users can opt for any way as per their comfort, and can also convert OST to PST simply.