Step-by-step tutorial: Backup and Restore Outlook OST Files without data loss

Email is the most convenient method of professional communication for a business, and it requires zero investment. It is more permanent than verbal communication and you can save it for an unlimited period too. You can include several non-text items like images, videos, links, and data sheets in an email. MS Outlook is the best organizer for a complete email management process and Microsoft offers lots of benefits to manage multiple accounts separately.

5 Advantages of having MS Outlook application for email communication

MS Outlook desktop is the majorly used form of the application and there are distinct benefits of using it. We are listing 5 important ones:

    1.It is designed for professional usage.

    Microsoft has designed Outlook as a professional email manager and its functionalities help a business to operate email communication, run email marketing campaigns, and collaborate effectively with a team. Becoming familiar with it can help in increasing productivity substantially.

    2.Managing contacts is easy.

    In Outlook, you can create multiple address books with different contacts and utilize them to send/receive emails. You can also use different commands to manage contacts.

    3.Integration with calendar features.

    Calendar is a highly beneficial feature to access in Outlook as it allows you to plan meetings, appointments, interviews, and multiple other activities and share with others. The manager can easily send meeting requests to your contacts and view upcoming appointments using the month, week, or day layouts. The same keyboard shortcuts you use for reading and composing emails can also be used for managing calendar tasks efficiently

    4.Execute shortcut commands to run different tasks

    The shortcut commands amplify the speed in which you can execute multiple tasks like sending a new email (Alt + S), replying to an email (Ctrl+R), marking an email as read (Ctrl+Q), marking an email as unread (Ctrl+U), etc.

    5.Access multiple accounts in an organized environment.

    There is no other application in which you can manage multiple accounts from different servers in such an organized environment. Outlook employs a folder system in which emails are organized in different folders and when you click on a folder, then its emails appear distinctively.

Why do you need to back up the Outlook OST file?

Outlook OST files belong to the Exchange Server and reside within the computer system. Its default location is –
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
Just like any other file present in your computer, OST files are equally vulnerable to various threats like virus corruption, accidental deletion, abrupt shutdown, synchronization problems, etc. There are other important reasons like compliance that compel a business to have a backup of OST files.

Backup OST file using the export method in Outlook

MS Outlook can export an account’s data file to an offline PST file. You can consider it as a backup file. It is the most sought-after method of creating a backup file without any third-party application. The following is the complete procedure:

  1. In the Outlook application, click on the File option.
  2. File

  3. Select ‘Open & Export.’
  4. Open & Export

  5. Choose ‘Import/Export’ wizard
  6. Import/Export’

  7. Choose ‘Export to a file’ as the action to perform. Then, click Next.
  8. Export to a file

  9. As the file type, select ‘Outlook Data File (.pst),’ and click Next
  10. Outlook Data File (.pst)

  11. Select the folder to export from and you can also include subfolders. Click Next
  12. Select the folder to export from

  13. Browse the location to save the PST file and select the suitable option for managing duplicate files. To create the backup file finally, click the Finish button.
  14. Finish button.

Restore the OST file using the import method in Outlook

Once you have created the backup file of your OST data file, it remains separately from the account as on the offline file. When you need to access the data again, you can restore it to Outlook again. Here is the complete procedure:

  1. Click File in the menu bar.
  2. File

  3. Click Open & Export, then choose Import/Export.
  4. Open & Export

  5. From the available list, select ‘import from another program or file,’ then click Next.
  6. Next

  7. Select Outlook Data File (.pst) as the file type to import from and click Next.
  8. Outlook Data File (.pst)

  9. Click Browse and select the backup PST file from its location.
  10. Browse

  11. Select the data file and click Finish to upload it back to the application.
  12. Finish

Final words

Converting Outlook OST files to PST format offers significant advantages for all users. While the manual method is free, it comes with limitations. Goldytools OST to PST Converter, on the other hand, delivers quick, efficient processing with advanced features and an intuitive interface. It streamlines the OST to PST conversion process for a smoother experience. A free demo version is also available, allowing users to test the software by converting up to 20 items per folder.

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