When we talk about email managers, Microsoft Outlook is a benchmark since it has a large number of functions that is especially used within a professional and business environment. This manager is responsible for storing emails, tasks and appointments as OST or PST files. Although they both do the same job, we must use one or the other depending on whether we want to make a backup, move or restore data.
When it comes to synchronizing our different email mailboxes with Outlook, we find PST and OST extensions that contain relevant information. If we do not know the difference between these types of files, it is possible that we could end up corrupting or deleting these files. That is why when managing our data with Outlook now it is important to have knowledge of PST and OST files
What are OST, PST files and their differences
Next, we are going to see what is meant by an Outlook OST and PST data file, as well as their main differences.
Outlook Data File (PST)
A PST file is nothing more than a personal storage folder where Outlook stores its mail rules, as well as copies of all our messages, calendar events, among others. They are used for POP3 accounts. That is why it is not recommended that we do not try to modify a PST file or move it to another location as this could cause errors in the application that would cause us to have to reinstall it.
It is also possible to use an Outlook PST data file to make backup copies or export items from any type of email account, and in this way keep our emails, contacts and calendar safe. When Outlook exports email, contacts, and calendar information to a PST file, it creates a copy of this information. That is why, in certain cases such as we want to move an email from one email account to another or move items between several computers, it is also recommended to make a backup copy of a PST file.
Until Outlook 2013, PST files were also used by IMAP or MAPI accounts. However, since the arrival of Outlook 2016, the client stores all its emails from IMAP and MAPI accounts in an offline storage file, called OST.
Outlook data files (OST)
An OST data file is a storage folder where Outlook stores copies of items from an IMAP and MAPI mail server . OST files are automatically synchronized with the email server, as long as we have an Internet connection. Therefore, OST files cannot be imported as it is not necessary. If we have Outlook configured on a new computer and we connect to our email account through an IMAP or MAPI mail server, all our emails are hosted on the server and are downloaded automatically.
Differences
When we talk about the difference between a PST file and another OST we can find it in its tangibility. This is because the PST files have the real data of all the emails with a POP3 server from our Outlook mailbox, so their content is only available in that file. On the other hand, OST files contain their cached files on IMAP or MAPI servers , where a local cached copy of the data is created in the memory of our computer. For this reason, these data are not physically available, since they will only be available on the email server and, therefore, on any device that we use to access our email account.
When we use an OST or PST data file
In general, we will not have to worry about when we use an OST or PST data file, as it is unlikely that we will see or want to access them directly, unless we search for them. These files are really only important when we want to move data from one computer to another or we want to archive our emails.
In the event that we use a POP3 email account, we must copy the PST files to the new computer and then import them into Outlook, otherwise we want to lose all their content. On the other hand, if we use an IMAP or MAPI account, these are downloaded automatically . Therefore, we should only worry about it if we ever reach the maximum size of our account and want to keep all emails. In that case, we must export a part of them to a PST file and then delete them from the email server. Later we will be able to see the emails if we import the PST file into Outlook, since they will no longer be found on the email server.
Location of PST and OST files
If we want to locate the folder where our PST and OST files are stored, we must open Outlook and click on the “File” tab. Later, in the right pane, we click on “Account Settings” and then on “Account Settings”. On the “Data files” tab, we click on an entry and then select “Open file location.”
PST data files created with Outlook 2013 or Outlook 2016 are saved on the computer in the files folder of documents archives. If the file has been created with Outlook 2007 or earlier , these files will be saved in a hidden folder in drive: Users / user / AppData / Local / Microsoft / Outlook.
OST files are also saved in drive: Users / AppData / Local / Microsoft / Outlook user.
How to convert an OST file to PST
To convert an OST file to PST we can use an online tool, from which to make the conversion easily.
Osttopst.online
From this website we can convert OST files to PST , in order to transfer data from one format to another using any computer operating system (Windows, macOS …) as well as from mobile (Android and iOS). To perform this conversion, it is not necessary to access Exchange Server or Microsoft Outlook, since we only need to upload the OST file that does not exceed 4 GB in capacity. Later we select the email address and click on “Next step”. We wait for the file upload to be uploaded to the service and for the OST to PST conversion process to finish and finally, we download the converted PST file with all our data.
To convert our OST data to PST with Osttopst.online, just access their website .
