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Learn How to Open Outlook OST File Without Outlook

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Published By Nilesh Kumar
Aswin Vijayan
Approved By Aswin Vijayan
Published On February 17th, 2018
Reading Time 4 Minutes Reading

Outlook OST data files are used when a user has an account in the Exchange and wants to work offline. Offline Storage Table files are the copies of files that are saved mainly in the Microsoft Exchange Server and does not need to be backed up. In the following blog, we will discuss methods to view OST without Outlook. Some of the users have shared their queries such as:

Alfredo Lewis: “Hi. My Exchange Server is not working and I need to open my OST file. Is it possible to open it without the help of Outlook? The size of the files is larger and they store a lot of information. Any help or suggestions are welcomed regarding how to open Outlook OST file.”

Erma Rose: “I have backed up an OST file. Now, when I tried to go to Outlook 2007 by clicking on File >> Open >> Open Outlook data file, it is not there. That OST file is not recognized by the application. Is there any other way to open this file. Please help me!”

Workaround to Open Outlook OST File by Recreating it

OST files are saved in MS Exchange Server. Hence, it is not required to create a backup of this file. Also, users can also recreate it whenever they want. Following are the set of instructions that a user needs to go through to generate the copy of OST file in order to open OST file:

  1. Close the Microsoft Outlook application.
  2. Open the Control Panel and double click on the Mail.

Mail is present at different locations depending on the version of Outlook and MS Windows operating system (whether 32-bit or 64-bit). Hence, to open Outlook OST file, you need to locate the Mail on your local system, type Mail in the Search box of Control Panel. In case of Windows XP, type Mail in the Address box.

  1. Navigate to the Email tab, choose the Exchange account and then, click on Change.
  2. Deselect the Use Cached Exchange Mode checkbox.
  3. Then, click on More Settings.
  4. Switch to the Advanced tab and select the option Offline Folder File Setting.
  5. Click on the option Disable Offline Use. A new dialog box will appear on the screen. Select the option Yes.

Note: If you are unable to click on the option Disable Offline Use, this means that Use Cached Exchange Mode was not deselected in Step 4. To read OST files, make sure that this checkbox is cleared to open Outlook OST file.

  1. Next step is to click on Offline Folder File Settings again.
  2. Select the option OK.
  3. A dialog box will appear on the screen. Select the option Yes.
  4. On the Cached Exchange Mode Settings, choose the checkbox Use Cached Exchange Mode.
  5. Choose the option OK followed by Next and at last click on Finish.
  6. Close both the dialog boxes, Account settings and Mail Setup.

Limitations of the Manual Method

There are some of the limitations that can be encountered when it comes to viewing OST file in Outlook 2016. These are:

  • There are a number of steps involved in the manual procedure. Hence, making the process very lengthy and time-consuming.
  • It does require technical knowledge regarding the Exchange Server and OST files.
  • Therefore, to avoid these issues, users are advised to go with the automated method.

Automated Solution to Open Outlook OST File

Users can go for the third-party tool like OST Viewer. This is the professional solution to read Outlook OST file 2013. The user interface of the utility is so simple that even a novice user can use it without any problem. Some of the features of the tool that makes it unique from other available products are:

  • Open Microsoft Outlook OST files along with the attachments
  • Add multiple OST files one after another to read multiple OST files
  • No need to install and configure Server on the local system
  • Reload already scanned OST file and view the entire data
  • Items like emails, contacts, calendars, notes, journals etc., can be previewed
  • Deleted OST items can be recovered using Advance Scan mode
  • Compatible with all the versions of Windows OS and Microsoft Outlook

The Bottom Line

OST files are made when the Outlook on the local system is linked with MS Exchange Server. It happens many times with users when they are unable to read contents of OST file in their systems. Since the OST file is saved in the Exchange, there is no need to backup the file. Users can recreate it any time whenever they want. The manual approach for the same has been discussed. In addition to it, a professional tool is also introduced to open Outlook OST file efficiently.