How to Get & Extract Contacts From Outlook OST File Using Different Ways
Every time a contact is created in an Exchange server account it is saved in a .ost file. This is a mailbox copy of server data saved locally. To extract contacts from OST file it needs to be converted to a portable file format. The .ost file can only be read through Outlook application and needs conversion before it can be read elsewhere. This post describes ways and means to pull contacts from OST file.
Ultimate Way to Extract Contacts from OST File
There are multiple different approaching to extracting contacts from an Outlook offline data file. These methods mostly involve saving contacts to a separate single file. Following are some of the ways to extract contacts from OST file in Outlook 2010.
Method#1 Save Contacts as PST
This is an optimal way to pull contacts from OST file. This method saves all Outlook address book contacts in a .csv file. This file can be read by any spreadsheet document viewer. This file contains each contact in a tabular form with attributes. Following is a convenient way to export Outlook contacts to a PST file.
Step 1: First, Open the Outlook application and go to File>>Open>>Import
Step 2: Now, an Import and Export Wizard box will appear.
Step 3: Under Choose an Action to perform, select Export to a File.
Step 4: Then, click on the Next button to proceed to the next step.
Step 5: From Export to a File section, select Outlook data file(.pst) to save contacts from OST .
Step 6: Next, click on Next button to move to the following step.
Step 7: Under Select Folder to export from, choose Contacts from the list and click on the Next button.
Step 8: Next, Browse to the folder location where the PST file will be saved. This file will contain OST contacts in CSV format.
Step 9: On selecting the location, give the .pst file a name and click on the OK button.
Step 10: Back to the Export dialogue box, click on the Next button to proceed to the next step.
Step 11: Also, select the appropriate option on how to deal with duplicate contacts.
Step 12: Finally, click on the Finish button to save Outlook contacts as PST file.
Step 13: There is also an option to password protect the .pst file for protecting contacts in an encrypted file.
Method#2: Expert Solution to Get Contacts from Outlook OST Files
This is an automatic approach to directly extract contacts from OST file. This method involving using a third-party software to save contacts from Outlook offline file. It very simple-to-use and easy even for a non-technical user. The OST File Extractor is a professional software that meets the need all those looking to pull contacts from OST file. It can even export Outlook offline data to Office 365 mailbox. The tool works .ost files from all Outlook version 2007 and above.
Final Word
There is often needs of users to save contacts in a separate file from Outlook. They may need to copy those contacts to their phone or use it across platforms. The manual method can easily export contacts from Outlook OST file. There are also alternative solutions available in the market that may be better suited to the needs of many. These are professional tools that help save contacts from Outlook .ost account to PST file. One such tool has been described thoroughly in this post. Read and learn about each method before making a decision to move important business contacts.
