If you are looking to change OST to PST Outlook 2016, 2019, this article will help you knowing whatever you need to know in detail.
OST and PST Files – What Are They Actually?
When you add an Exchange account or IMAP account to Windows Outlook for the first time, it starts downloading the data from the servers to an OST file on your computer. OST stands for Offline storage table, and as the name suggest, it lets you work even offline. The changes are later synced when Outlook is connected to internet. Therefore, OST is an offline cache copy of your email mailbox on servers.
Although, Outlook also uses another file, PST, for storing contacts and calendar locally. You can also see the syntax “This computer only” in the names of those folders.
This change, beginning from Outlook 2013, can make users confuse. Some users may also dislike the fact that there are two data files for one account. If you dislike that too, you can archive contacts and calendar to local PST file, delete your OST file, close Outlook, add the account again, and Outlook will recreate the OST file without storing contacts and calendar into PST file this time.
This brings us to PST file. What are PST files?
PST files are used with POP3 protocol, as it means the data is downloaded to the computer and you are free to do with it whatever you want without making any changes to the server data. PST file and servers aren’t synched.
Other than, PST is a standard data file for purposes such as migration, backup, and archive, since OST cannot be opened manually or imported into Outlook. It is also useless in case the original email account is deleted.
Why You need to Change OST to PST Outlook 2016, 2019?
As said above, you cannot import OST to Outlook 2016, 2019. And most users think they can.
Often when moving away from an organization, they copy their OST files to a personal drive, under the false impression that they are saving their personal data for use later.
And when they realize OST cannot be imported to Outlook to restore the data, they have to change OST to PST Outlook 2016, 2019 etc.
There are other reasons too for converting the files, and they have mostly to do with the corruption of the files and OST syncing issues with the servers. Hard drive failures, power failures, viruses, internet connectivity issues, and other similar factors can make OST files inaccessible. And if you have not synced the changes to the servers, your unsaved work can be stuck inside OST.
The solution is to change OST to PST Outlook 2016, 2019 files.
Can I rename OST files?
In older Outlook versions, it is technically possible to simply rename the OST files to PST by changing the suffix. However, that would make many components inside the files broken and you may even face difficulties during importing the renamed file to Outlook. This is simply because OST and PST are not similar structurally from within. Renaming is a trick that seldom works, if at all.
In more modern versions of Outlook (including 2016 & 2019), renaming doesn’t work at all. Outlook will give an instant error saying, “It cannot recognize the file.”
Which brings us back to the only solution and that is to convert or change OST to PST Outlook 2016, 2019 (or other versions too).
How to Change OST to PST Outlook 2016, Outlook 2019 Files?
So, finally, the big question – How to change OST to PST Outlook files?
First of all, there is no manual option to do that, like renaming. Second, there is also no in-built program or feature to do that. ScanOST.exe is a program offered by Microsoft itself to repair your OST files if they are corrupted, but they cannot change the files to PST.
That means, you have to rely upon third-party solutions. It sounds unpleasant and scary for some users to find third-party solutions to convert OST to PST files properly. And it is reasonable to feel that way. For a job that’s not quite common relatively, finding an application can be daunting. More importantly, finding an application that’s safe and reliable.
However, there’s no other option than converting OST to PST files for the situations stated under “why you need to convert these files” section above.
If you decide to go for any ordinary out of the mill tool, or worse, for a free OST to PST converter, you can face many problems.
Such as:
- Too cumbersome due to poorly designed UIs. For a non-experienced they can be hard to get around, but even for experts, they can cause trouble and headache.
- Too inaccurate: this is perhaps the biggest hurdle of conventional OST to PST converters. They don’t have decent programming logic or conversion algorithms to extract information and convert it accurately into PST files. You can find lots of missing data and partially converted items, which is also called data integrity loss.
- Too slow: Some tools that work to some extent can be so slow that they become also non-practical to use in real world situations. You probably do not want to give several hours unnecessarily to a task that you didn’t even feel prepared for.
- Too rigid: If by chance, you found a tool that doesn’t have the problems stated above, they will most likely be so rigid that you won’t find essential features in them, making the job harder. Those tools are email file converters, whereas, for this job you need a fully-developed utility with necessary options and functionalities.
With all that said, let’s move on to the good news. If you are feeling anxious, the last section will provide some relief.
Apparently, OST to PST conversion doesn’t have to be so dramatic as the ordinary tools make them out to be. If you are in need of quick conversion of OST to PST files that is also accurate and easy, you need to read further.
“OST Extractor Po” – The Best Way to change OST to PST Outlook 2016, 2019
USL Software is a company offering solutions for email conversion, migration, and more for many years now and have firmly established themselves as the leading source of best tools. They have come up with another one of the efficient solutions called “OST Extractor Pro,” which offers the safest, efficient, and quick approach to OST to PST conversion. It’s suitable for beginners as well as experts, due to the simple interface and advanced features respectively.
Let’s take a very quick look on its features:
Comfortable Interface:
One of the worst parts of poorly built tools is their interfaces. “OST Extractor Pro” is complete opposite of that. It has a simple to use interface that comfortably guides users at each step, making any kind of technical experience or knowledge redundant.
Accurate:
The second worst part of all ineffective tools is their inaccuracy with data and data integrity. No conventional converts data without losing at least some of the details of the original files. Fortunately, “OST Extractor Pro” has extensive algorithms that process data cleanly and doesn’t end up with missing items. It will convert from largest component to minutest details of your database, such as metadata, headers, attachments, images, and so on.
Quick:
Speed or rate of conversion often goes unnoticed, especially when the other components of the converter aren’t up to the job. And this makes the rate of conversion that “OST Extractor Pro” offers even more impressive and notable. Without bringing down the quality of conversion like accuracy. The tool can convert 1Gb of OST files to PST in less than 10 minutes under normal circumstances. That’s like 200% faster than other typical converters.
Options and Other Features:
“OST Extractor Pro” gives users necessary control through options without cluttering the interface or without making the process more complicated. You can manually remove folders that you don’t want to convert to PST. You can also convert multiple OST files to PST together. There’s even a full conversion log in easy to read manner that can help analyze large conversion projects easily. There’s a full preview of the selected OST files with correct hierarchy, making it easier to select the folders you want to convert or ignore the ones you don’t.
Download it to Change OST to PST Outlook 2016, 2019 and Earlier
“OST Extractor Pro” makes the best use of advanced conversion algorithms to give you accurate OST to PST conversion results. It also makes the best use of creative designing of UI to make it easy on beginners for a job that is otherwise never easy.
If you want to try it out, you can download the setup below link. And you can check the features in trial version. It converts ten items per folder before activation.
Download Now at https://www.uslsoftware.com/download/ost-extractor-pro/.
Get free trial and try it yourself. This is the solution for How to change ost to pst Outlook 2016, Outlook 2019 and other versions.