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OST files or Offline Storage Table store a copy of emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, notes, etc. from Exchange Server or Office 365. This copy is stored locally on the user’s system and allows the user to work offline. On the other hand, an EML file stores email messages with body, sender, recipient, attachments, and timestamp in a standard format. The EML file is used mainly for archiving and backup.
Key Reasons to Convert OST to EML
There are various reasons why a user wants to convert OST to EML format, some of them are:
- EML is a standard format supported by various email clients like Thunderbird, Apple Mail, and MS Outlook.
- EML file store email messages individually, which is suitable for creating a backup.
- EML files are compact and easy to share, unlike OST file that are large in size.
- When the OST file gets corrupt, it is advisable to convert OST to EML to recover important user data.
- OST file can be accessed only with Outlook and an Exchange server, while an EML file can be accessed on any device without the need for Outlook to be installed.
Let’s now learn different methods of converting OST to EML in the next step.
How to Convert OST to EML?
When we talk about OST to EML conversion, there can be two scenario. First wehn OST file is accessible or connected to Outlook profile and when it is orphan. In this blog we will discuss both the situations in details. Let’s talk about both of them.
Scenario 1: When OST is Connected to the Exchange Server
You can manually convert OST to EML by following a few simple steps when the connection to the Exchange Server is available. However, there are some important conditions you have to keep in mind before starting the process.
Important Conditions:
- The OST file must be connected to the active profile.
- You need to configure your Gmail account with Outlook
- Thunderbird email client must be installed on your system.
After verifying all the conditions, follow the given steps to Convert OST Emails to EML Files Manually.
Step 1: Move OST file to Gmail
To start with, first create a folder under your Gmail account in Outlook. Then drag and drop your OST emails (active Outlook profile emails) to the newly created folder. Here you import OST to Gmail mailbox.
Step 2: Configure the account in Thunderbird
In the second step, configure the same Gmail account that is connected with Outlook to Thunderbird by following the steps mentioned:
- Open Thunderbird email client, and click on the three horizontal lines
- Click on the Account Settings option.
- Now go to Add Email Account
- In the account setup tab, enter login details and click Configure Manually.
- In the next step, enter server details and press the Re-Test button.
- After a successful retest, click on Done and then the Finish button.
Step 3: Extract EML files from Thunderbird
Here, all your Gmail emails will be present in Outlook, which means all your OST file data is in Thunderbird. Now you need to export the emails into EML files. Here are the steps.
- Open Thunderbird.
- Select the emails you want to convert to EML format.
- Right-click on selected emails and choose the Save As option.
- Select EML format from the options.
- Choose the location where you want to save EML file.
- Click on Save to complete the process.
Scenario 2: When OST File is Offline (Not connected to Exchange)
There is no direct method to move OST to EML when the connection to the Exchange Server is not available. In such conditions, it is suggested to take the help of the BLR OST to PST Converter to export OST to EML in just a few clicks. The key features of OST Converter software include converting inaccessible OST file, migrating single or bulk emails simultaneously while maintaining the integrity of data.
Conclusion
In this article, we have come to know about the differences between OST and EML file and why there is a need for OST to EML conversion. For this, we introduced two different methods of exporting Outlook OST files depending on the specific situation. In this case, if OST file is linked with the MS Outlook email account, then it is easier to switch OST emails to EML format. However, if you want to export an orphaned OST file, then you will require the help of professional software.
FAQ’s
Q1. What is an OST file in Outlook?
Ans. OST is the offline database file that is automatically converted when you connect Outlook with any IMAP account. It will be helpful to access your emails when you don’t have network connectivity.
Q2. Does converting OST to EML affect attachments or formatting?
Ans. No, with the BLR OST to PST Converter tool, you can convert your emails without affecting your emails and attachments.
