How Outlook Recover Emails From OST File? – Solved

If you want how Outlook recover emails from OST file? Then, you are at the right page  With upgrading technology, millions of applications are increasing data by day. However, Outlook is one of the desktop-based email clients, which offers a specific range of services. It contains two data files i.e. PST as well as OST file. PST file is widely used for POP3, IMAP, and web-based email, and OST file is used for Exchange server and access in Offline mode.

However, it works in online mode and performs the task automatically when the server is connected with the MS Outlook application. In this article, we are going to discuss various reasons and manual methods to restore outlook OST file.

Reasons to Restore Outlook OST File

Here are the various reasons given below to know how outlook recover emails from OST file and we will discuss the need from the user point of view. 

1. Users may accidentally delete important emails from the outlook mailbox. There is a chance if these emails were cached in the OST file, you can recover them from the OST file.
2. Outlook data file & OST file can be corrupted due to system crashes, power failures etc. In such cases users are left with only one option to retrieve lost data by recovering emails from OST file.
3. Also, When migrating from one server to another, users need to access the previous OST file to recover important emails.
4. When a user faces issues with outlook profile, then you can recover emails from OST file because you can access this file in offline mode until your connectivity issues get fixed.

How Outlook Recover Emails from OST File Using Manual Methods

These are the following solutions that help to restore outlook OST file. These methods can be effective for recovering emails from an OST file requires guidance of expertise to ensure successful data retrieval without compromising the ethics of the file.

#1. Archive Way

Follow these steps to archive all data of the mailbox on the local storage file. Let’s have a look:

1. First of all, launch the Outlook application on your local machine.
2. After that, navigate to the File tab and click on the Archive option.
3. Then, browse the destination location where an Outlook .pst file can be saved.
4. In last, Choose the Finish button to begin the archive process

#2. Using Import or Export Wizard

Yet another way to export all saved data on the user’s machine. It provides an inbuilt feature i.e. Import /Export Wizard. It allows saving all the selective mailbox data in an individual PST file. Even this file may be used to access the mailbox content when a default .pst file gets corrupted. For this, follow these below steps to know how Outlook Recover Emails from OST File:

1. Open MS Outlook application
2. Afterward, go to the File menu and choose the Import/ Export option
3. Once the Import and Export Wizard is opened, then, select the option Export to a file
4. After this, click on the Outlook data file to migrate mailbox data in PST file format
5. Next, enable the checkbox next to Include Subfolders
6. In the end, click on finish to initiate the export process. Now, you can open an OST file in MS Outlook

#3. Know How Outlook Recover Emails from OST File Using Drag & Drop Option

One of the easiest ways to restore the .ost files of MS Outlook 2016, 2013, 2010, and 2007 accounts. It is a simple three-step procedure within just a few clicks. Here, some of the steps are mentioned below:

1. Firstly, create an empty Outlook PST file
2. Now, Drag the desired mailbox folder and drop them into the new PST file by using the drag and drop option
3. There are a few limitations of this manual approach. This process can restore only email messages except for contacts, calendars, and notes. If users have a large mailbox then, this process will take so much time.

#4. Restore from Backups Method

If you have previously backed up your Outlook data, then you can restore your emails from these backups.

1. Locate your backup file (could be a PST or an earlier version of your OST file).
2. Open MS Outlook.
3. Go to File > Open & Export > Open Outlook Data File.
4. Browse and select your backup file.
5. Now, Drag and drop your emails from the backup file to your current Outlook profile.

Limitations for Using Manual Methods

How Outlook recover Emails from OST File can be a challenging task to do while using a manual approach. Go through the steps to know:

1. Users should have a good understanding about the outlook settings and the file systems.
2. There can be Data loss due to incorrect data handling during the manual process.
3. Outlook does not provide any direct in-built features to convert OST to PST file.
4. Thus, It can become slow at the later stage of the process because of large OST files.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q) Will I lose emails if I delete the OST file?

Deleting the Outlook OST file is possible without losing access to data, as it serves as a cache for mailbox content.

Q) Can Outlook recover emails from OST file?

Yes, you can recover deleted emails from an OST file if the deleted items are still within the holding period. Use the “Recover Deleted Items” feature in Outlook or use the third-party tool mentioned above.