Easy Steps to Convert OST to CSV Format – A Complete Guide

Summary: An OST is a Microsoft Outlook file format to manage emails, contacts, calendars, and more. Managing OST files is what users find difficult, as they cannot be opened or accessed on other platforms, except Outlook. Therefore, users want to convert OST to CSV to open and read the OST file data on different platforms. Besides, it helps in data analysis, which is difficult to do in OST files. Do you want to save your OST file as CSV? 

Furthermore, we will discuss all the possible solutions, including conversion without or with Outlook. If you want to handle bulk or orphaned OST files, the OST Converter for Mac is best. 

Is it Beneficial to Convert OST File to CSV?

Here, we will describe the differences between OST and CSV files to understand why the CSV file format is a better choice than the OST file. 

Features	OST (Offline Storage Table)	CSV (Comma-Separated Values)
File Type	Proprietary file format used by Microsoft Outlook	It is plain text and open format.
Accessibility	Need MS Outlook and the original profile.	Easily accessible in Excel, Google Sheets, Notepad, and other text editors
Portability	It cannot be opened on most systems as it is large and complex.	Lightweight and portable
Compatibility	Compatible only with Outlook or Microsoft Exchange	Compatible with text editors, spreadsheets, databases, and many software tools
Editability	Cannot be edited without specialized tools	Can be edited using any text editor or spreadsheet application
Corruption Risk	Higher risk	Lower risk

Moving forward, we will explore methods to resolve the user query: Can I convert an OST file to CSV format? 

Convert OST to CSV – How to? 

After reading the above section, you might now understand that saving your OST file in CSV is helpful. If you want to export your emails into CSV format, read more to learn about the effective approaches.  

#1. Free Technique to Export OST Files to CSV: Use Outlook

For exporting contacts and mailbox items from OST files to CSV format, you can do it with the Import/Export feature of Microsoft Outlook. Also, ensure that you have an active Exchange server profile, connectivity, and an Outlook profile that was used to create the OST file. Afterwards, you need to follow the mentioned steps: 

1. In your Microsoft Outlook, tap File (from the top bar).
2. Next, pick Open & Export from the given options.
3. Then, hit Import/Export (left side). 
4. Further, a list will display, choose Export to a file -> click Next.
5. After this, a new list will again display, select Comma Separated Values (CSV) -> tap Next.
6. Later, select the folder to export: Inbox, Contacts, Calendar and other. Press the Next tab.  
7. Thereafter, tap Browse to assign the path or a location to save the CSV file. 
8. At the end, click the Finish button to start converting the OST file to CSV. 

When this manual method is not suitable for your requirements, it is better not to use it. This technique is useful for users who want to export a few files at once. Besides, it will not convert the orphaned OST files. Therefore, try another way to save OST files as CSV in bulk quickly with zero risk. 

#2 Topmost Solutions to Convert OST File into CSV File

MacSonik OST to PST Converter is a top-notch utility to accelerate and smooth the process to convert OST to CSV. Using this wizard, you can save OST files into various file formats without any hassle. In addition, this software is developed with an easy-to-use GUI, which makes it easy to use. Furthermore, it gives advanced features to customize and speed up the whole process. For instance, view or convert OST files without Outlook installation, skipping identical emails, and others. 

Quick Procedure to Convert OST File to CSV

To learn more about the working of this tool, follow the given steps. After this, you can complete it without any issues. 

1. Download the OST Converter Software and run it as an administrator. 
2. Next, add the OST files you want to convert via the Select Files/Select Folder tab. Hit Open. 
3. Then, choose the item to preview and tick the folders to convert. Click Next. 
4. After that, pick CSV as the saving format from the saving formats. 
5. Further, assign a customized saving location to the resulting file/folder.
6. Lastly, click the Convert button to convert OST data to CSV.

Also Read – Import OST to Gmail Account

Final Statement

In this article, we have included an effective and efficient solution to convert OST to CSV. It also discussed the difference between OST and CSV file formats to understand the importance of OST to CSV conversion. Apart from this, we covered the manual and automated approaches. If you use an automated method, you can finish this task efficiently with 100% accuracy. 

Frequently Asked Questions

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