Offline Storage Table (OST) files are the offline copy of your mailbox stored locally on your system. These files are essential to the framework of your Microsoft Outlook account considering they contain the entire data of your mailbox stored offline. As soon as the user gets connected to the internet, OST files synchronize with the Exchange Server and save all the changes made while working offline.
In spite of that, opening OST files in Outlook can be a challenging task since when these files are created, their data gets synchronized and encrypted with the account they are created with. In this article, we aim to provide a step-by-step guide on how to locate OST files on your system and steps to open these files in Outlook.
What’s the need to open OST files with Outlook?
There can be plenty of reasons why users need to open OST files with Outlook, each unique to every user. Some of the most common reasons are:
Locate OST files on local system
All the Outlook OST files are saved at a default location on your system. It is essential to know the exact location of OST files on your local system to open them easily. Generally, the location remains the same across every Window’s version apart from Windows 10/11. Let’s learn the procedure to find the locate OST files with Outlook.
- Click on the File tab in Outlook and click on Account Settings.
- Choose Account Settings from the drop-down list. A new window will open your screen.
- Navigate to the Data Files tab and click on Open File Location.
- You’ll see the default location of OST files in a new window on your screen.
Alternative way of locating OST files in your system is by searching for the data files at their default location. The default location for Windows 8 and older versions is:
drive:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
The default location of OST files for Windows 10 is;
drive:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
Methods to open OST file with Outlook
There are two free methods to open OST files with Outlook depending upon the situation you’re currently in. We’ve explained both the methods in detail below.
Method 1: Convert OST file to PST using Import/Export wizard
It’s quite a challenging task to open OST files with Outlook directly especially on another device, users need to first convert them to PST to access them easily. This can be done easily with the help of the Import/Export wizard of Outlook. Follow the steps below to use this feature:
- Run Outlook and navigate to File > Open & Export > Import/Export
- Choose Export to a file from the given options in the Import/Export wizard. Click on OK.
- Choose the file type to be Outlook Data File (.pst) and hit Next.
- Now, select the mailbox folder that you wish to export to PST format and click Next.
- Browse the location where you wish to save your PST file and set filters for duplicate items.
- Navigate to the location where the converted PST files are saved to confirm all the needed files are there.
Now that we’ve converted our OST files into PST format, they can be easily accessed via Outlook. Let’s see the steps to access the converted OST files below:
- Launch Outlook and click on File.
- Go to Open & Export and click on Open Outlook Data File.
- Choose the converted OST file you wish to access in Outlook and click on Open.
Restrictions faced while using manual method
Some drawbacks that you might face while using the method mentioned above can be:
- Often, users with limited technical knowledge find these methods challenging.
- OST files of a different Outlook version may not be compatible with another version of Outlook.
- OST files of an Outlook version may not be compatible with another version of Outlook.
- If an OST file is orphaned, it can get very challenging to access it directly in Outlook.
- Corrupt OST files can’t be opened in Outlook through manual methods.
Method 2: Use a free OST viewer
While users can open Outlook OST file by executing the method discussed above, it can get pretty time consuming and even a single wrong step can damage the OST files. To save time and avoid the risks of manual methods, try using a specialized OST viewer tool such as Recoveryfix for OST Viewer. Apart from being quite light on your pocket, you can view and read your healthy and corrupt OST files without synchronizing with the Exchange Server. Additionally, this tool allows users to view their deleted items just like it would appear in their mailbox. It’s easy to use interface and wide range of compatibility across different versions of Outlook makes it a top choice amongst users.
Conclusion
Opening an Outlook OST file directly can be quite tricky especially if it’s not connected to an active Outlook profile or is being accessed at a different location. This write-up highlights a simple method to open OST files in Outlook. We’ve also provided an instant solution to access your OST files easily.
However, if your OST files are severely corrupted, you can try to back up your data into PST format with the help of Recoveryfix for OST to PST Converter. This specially designed tool retrieves data from lost, corrupt, or inaccessible files to a PST file and saves it at the location of your choice.