How to Convert Microsoft Outlook 365 OST File into a PST Format

Microsoft Outlook 365 is one of the most used email application for personal and business communications. It has advanced capabilities for handling email, calendar, contacts, and tasks. However, a typical problem that users often experience is the handling of OST (Offline Storage Table) files and particularly the conversion of OST files to PST (Personal Storage Table) format.

In this article, we will guide you through what are OST and PST files, why you might need to convert them, and the best ways to do the conversion successfully.

What are OST and PST files?

• It is crucial to know the difference between OST and PST files before proceeding with the conversion process.
• When you create an Exchange, Office 365, or IMAP account in Outlook, it creates OST (Offline Storage Table) files.
•  These files enable you to work offline and modifications are synced with the server once you’re back online.
• PST (Personal Storage Table) files are used to store Outlook data locally on your PC. PST files are portable in nature, which makes them great for backup, migration or transfer of data between systems.

Why to Convert OST to PST?

Below are some situations when you need to convert OST file format to PST file format:

• Account Deletion or Unavailability: If your Outlook account is deleted or the Exchange server is not reachable, then the OST file becomes orphan.
• Data Migration: Sometimes you need a PST format when moving data from one system to another.
• Backup Ease: PST files are easier to store and access as backups.
• Corruption Issues: OST files can sometimes corrupt and require conversion to restore the data.

Methods to Export OST to PST

There are two major methods to convert OST files into PST format:

How To Convert O365 OST to PST Manually 

This strategy is only going to work if your Outlook account is still available.

• Open Microsoft Outlook 365 app.
• Click on File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
• Choose Export to a file and click Next.
• Click Outlook Data File (.pst) and then Next.
• Choose the mailbox or folders you want to export.
• Select where you want to save the PST file.Click on Finish.

Limitations: 

• Needed active profile
• Can't convert orphaned .ost files.
• Big mailboxes for a long time.

Professional Way to Export Microsoft Outlook 365 OST File to PST Format

One solid method for OST file conversion is the Softaken OST to PST Converter. This utility can easily deal with both healthy and orphaned OST files. It has a user-friendly interface that makes the conversion procedure easy even to those who are not tech-savvy. The software maintains the original folder hierarchy, email layout and attachments during converting. It also offers the option of batch conversion and allows users to examine mailbox contents before converting them into PST format. 

Simple Steps:

1. Download and run the OST Converter tool
2. Browse and pick OST file.
3. Look through file to get data.
4. Preview emails, contacts and other items.
5. Choose PST as the export format.
6. Select the destination path and start the conversion.

Conclusion

OST to PST conversion is a regular necessity of Outlook users, particularly when there is a need to recover, migrate or backup data. The manual method is effective for accounts that are accessible, but it falls short in more complex cases such as orphaned or corrupted files. The best and most dependable solution for such instances is to go for a professional Converter for OST. Whatever option you choose, always make sure that your data save.