Protect your offline Outlook data from server crashes and accidental deletion. While OST files sync automatically, converting them to PST format ensures a secure, accessible local copy of your emails, contacts, and calendars. Discover why this matters and the best ways to do it.
What is the OST file?
If you are familiar with Outlook, then you might already know when we configure Outlook with the Exchange, It asks us to enable the Cached Exchange Mode option. After enabling this option, Outlook stores a copy of Outlook’s mailboxes on the local computer. This stored copy is called the OST file as known as Offline Storage Table.
OST file allows users to work in offline mode and save the changes. When the connection with the Internet establishes, it makes changes. The users can also access their Exchange mailboxes data when they are not connecting with the Internet.
Reasons to Backup OST file
OST and PST files are very crucial for Outlook users as both contain important data. OST file used to store a copy of your Exchange mailbox data, including business emails, contacts, etc. There are some common issues as well as reasons with the OST file, which lead users to back up the OST file. Some of them are:
- OST files are highly prone to corruption. Virus infection, abrupt system shutdown, malware attack, hard-disk failure are some common reasons which make the OST file corrupted.
- If the user deletes a folder in the Exchange Server or on the OST file, that folder will be automatically deleted from the server and local computer while the synchronization.
- If the OST file reaches the size limit, which is 50 GB, then the remaining data will not be stored in the same OST file. Hence the overflowed data will get deleted due to no space.
These are some reasons which can make the OST file corrupted. To eliminate these issues, users need to back up the OST file.
How to Backup OST File:
If you are a technocrat, then the way to back up an OST file for Microsoft Outlook is to export exchange-connected OST file to PST using the Outlook Import/Export Wizard. Follow the steps to convert an OST data file to PST.
- Firstly, open Outlook on your system.
- Secondly, click on the File tab on the ribbon bar and then choose the Open & Export option.
- After that, click on the Import/Export option, then select Export to a file option and hit the Next button.
- Now Export to a file window will open choose the Outlook Data File and then click on the Next button to continue.
- In the new wizard, choose the folder you want to Export. If you want to Export an OST file, then select the entire OST file. After this, click on the Next button.
- At last, browse the location where you want to save the resultant file. Check other options as well and choose according to your need.
You can easily back up and convert your OST file to a PST format using Outlook’s Import/Export wizard. It’s completely free, but there are a few downsides to keep in mind.
Drawbacks of Manual Method
- The manual method only backup the data if it is non-corrupted. Users cannot copy OST files’ data if it is corrupt.
- If you want to use the manual method, then you have to use it on the same computer where the OST file is created. Hence if you are using a new computer, then the manual method doesn’t work.
- The manual method doesn’t recover the deleted data and doesn’t work on severe corruption.
- Manually users cannot export an OST file if it is large and contain the data of several years.
- If you have multiple OST files to backup, then you have to repeat the same process again and again.
Now the question arises what if there are multiple OST files available for backup, or the user wants to retrieve some of the deleted mail components, and the user is using a new system to back up the OST file?
To eliminate the drawbacks of the manual method and resolve all the above queries, users should use Shoviv OST Converter to backup OST file.
Professional’s Tool for OST file to PST Conversion
Shoviv OST Converter is a professional software for backing up OST files. This software is a multi-functional utility. Unlike the manual solution, Shoviv Software provides a hassle-free, quick, and mastered utility to export an OST file to PST. Using this software to back up the OST file has many features.
- This software allows recovering deleted mail components from the OST file.
- Provide a simple and user-friendly GUI, which allows a first time user and non-technical users to export OST file data to PST format.
- The users can preview the selected OST files’ data before taking backup and also can eliminate unwanted data.
- This software has no bar on the file size and adding many files. Hence users can add multiple OST files in a single process.
- The software can convert an OST file format in a hassle-free manner. Besides converting OST files to PST, this software offers many more file formats to convert.
- Shoviv Converter for OST comes with a free trial version. The users can download and use the free trial version before making any decision about the software.
Wrapping Up
Having a backup of data is always a good move. We all know, data is the backbone for every organization and individual. In this blog, we explained the reasons and ways to backup OST files. The manual method doesn’t guarantee a successful backup. You can use Shoviv OST to PST Converter for this task. In the end, the choice is yours. Whatever you choose, choose wisely.
