Outlook is one of the most popular email services used by businesses and professionals. Its simplicity and reliability make it a primary choice for businesses. One important feature of Outlook is its local storage. Now, if you don’t know what it is, let me put it into a few simple words.
Outlook stores all the mailbox data in the OST file. Now, what exactly is an OST file? OST stands for Offline Storage Table. As the name suggests, the storage is offline. So, even if there is no internet connectivity, the user can access the file.
This feature makes Outlook a great choice for professional emails. But sometimes, this feature can cause problems instead of solving them! Let’s say you were trying to do something with your OST files, and your OST file gets corrupted.
A chilling thought, right? Businesses cannot afford to lose even a single email, let alone the entire mailbox. Or even worse, your OST file becomes inaccessible. In such conditions, you cannot use your OST files.
Solution? You can convert OST files into PST files. PST stands for Personal Storage Tables, which are accessible online. And today, we are going to explore a tool that can help you convert your OST files into PST files easily. Yup, you guessed it right; I am talking about the Stellar Converter for OST.
Let’s get going.
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What is a Stellar Converter for OST Tool?
Stellar Converter for OST is touted as the best OST to PST converter available in the market right now. It was launched by an established software company called Stellar Data Recovery. They have been in the market to create such helpful tools for businesses for quite some time.
They have built a lot of other software like Merger Mailbox for Outlook, Stellar Splitter, Stellar Compactor, Stellar Deduplicator, Stellar Data Recovery, Stellar Data Backup, and many more.
Coming back to the Stellar Converter for OST files itself, this tool is really helpful. It can convert any number of OST files into PST files without compromising or losing data. It converts every detail from the OST file, like contacts, emails, calendars, and attachments.
What amazed me even more was its ability to convert even inaccessible OST files into PST files. The best part? You can download the tool for free, but it has some limitations for testing.
Here are some technical requirements for running Stellar Converter for OST files:
- Processor compatibility: Intel compatible
- OS required: Windows 7 or more
- RAM: Minimum 4 GB required for optimal performance
- Hard disk requirement: 250 MB of free space for installation
Now, let’s look at how you can download and activate the software.
How do you Activate Stellar Converter for OST?
Step1: Download Stellar Converter for OST
Go to Stellar’s website, and you will see the download and buy now option, as shown below. If you are giving it just a try, you can download the free version and upgrade later.
Hit on the download button and your file will start downloading.
Step 2: Install the package
Once your download is ready, double-click it to launch the installation wizard. You will be asked to choose the language and then the installation window will pop up.
The installation wizard will ask you a few basic questions, like the location for the installation and the agreement for terms and conditions. Once you accept all, the installation will begin and wrap up within seconds.
Step 3: Launch the Software and Activate the Software
If you have already purchased the key, you will have to activate your software. For this, launch the software, and you will see a dashboard that looks something like this:
Click on the activation button highlighted in the above image and an activation box will pop up. Install your activation key and hit enter. You are ready to roll! If you have not purchased the key yet, you can do so from this pop-up box itself.
Stellar Converter for OST: The First Impression
The most common issue with such converter tools is their dull and cluttered UI. But that’s not the case with Stellar Converter for OST. When you launch for the first time, you’ll get a great first impression.
As you can see this almost matches with the MS Outlook. So you will feel like you are operating within the Outlook ecosystem only! The layout is clean and clutter-free; you get access to every option from the dashboard only.
So, overall, the first impression of this tool is amazing. Now, let’s understand how to convert OST files to PST files using Stellar Converter for OST.
How to Convert OST files to PST files using Stellar Converter for OST?
Converting OST files to PST files is super easy. Here’s a step-by-step guide for you:
Step 1: Launch the Software
Launch Stellar Converter for OST using the shortcut on your desktop. The moment you launch the software, the tool will 2 options. Either you can let the tool itself list all the Outlook Profiles automatically or choose the file manually.
Step 2: Choose the file
Let’s say you know the exact location of your file. In this case, click on the “Choose Manually” button. Then browse your file, select it, and hit the “Convert” button.
The software will analyze the file and will start converting the OST file into a PST file. It will convert all your emails, contacts, calendars, and attachments during the process. The time required to convert an OST file to a PST file totally depends on the size of your OST file.
Step 3: Save Converted File
Once the process is complete, you can view all of your OST file data on the screen. As shown in the image below, the software will ask you to save the converted PST file. You can select all the folders that you want to save from the left pane.
Step 4: Select File Type and Location
Stellar Converter for OST offers you multiple file format options while saving the file. But in this case, as we are converting an OST file to a PST file, select the “PST” option and click the “Next” button. A pop-up box will appear to ask you about the file destination. Browse the location where you want to save your file and you are good to go!
You have successfully converted your OST file into a PST file within minutes.
What did I love about Stellar Converter for OST?
There are numerous OST converter tools on the market. And some of them are entirely free, too. So why would I recommend using Stellar Converter for OST? Well, there are pretty good reasons for that. First of all, you are using Outlook for your business.
The data in your Outlook is critical for your business. So, there is no shame in spending a couple of bucks to grab this tool. Now, apart from these obvious reasons, Stellar Converter for OST comes with a host of features. Here’s the list of features that I loved:
Find and Save a Single Message
This is absolutely crazy feature, to be honest! And that’s why it was made first in my list of best Stellar Converter for OST features. Using this tool, you can easily pick out a single message from any sender. The best part? You can filter it based on the name of the sender, receiver, or even a subject!
Such a granular filtration ensures you don’t have to sift through infinite emails to find the one you are looking for. But what if you don’t have the remotest idea about who the sender and receiver are (in the case of multiple email accounts)?
Well, no worries! The tool lets you identify emails from a specific date range. So, if you know when the email was sent, you can get the list of emails and easily find the one you are looking for. Imagine how much this feature can simplify your burden!
You can view the message by double-clicking on it, or you can save it by right-clicking on it. The Stellar Converter for OST offers multiple format options to save these messages. It includes PDF, MSG, EML, HTML, and more.
Preview of a Converted File
You might want to preview your PST file before saving it. So Stellar Converter for OST has taken care of that too. You can preview your PST file once the tool converts it from OST to PST. This preview is very helpful in determining what things you want to keep and what you want to discard.
For more simplification, the tool divides the entire PST file into three sections, as you can see above. The first section acts like a navigation tree. From here, you can present a folder or subfolder. You can pick any folder and subfolder to see the files within.
The next section is all about the folder you selected. It shows all the files, contacts, emails, messages and more.
Finally, the third section gives you detailed information about the file you select. For e.g., you get information about the subject, the body of the message itself, information on the receiver and sender, and attachments (if any).
In short, the preview feature gives you an in-depth look at all of your files. It helps you filter out things that you don’t need before you save the file.
Save Converted Files into Multiple formats.
This is another major benefit of using Stellar Converter for OST. It lets you save your file in multiple formats like MSG, HTML, PDF, EML, etc. There are very few tools that allow you to do so. Now, if you are wondering what its benefits are, let’s take a look.
The first benefit is you can view your messages on multiple platforms, apart from Outlook. So you can easily share them with the individuals that do not use Outlook. The second benefit is you can preserve the exact layout of certain files using formats like PDF. Moreover, saving your files as an HTML can serve as a backup in case you lose your PST files.
Log Reporting
This feature is a bit technical, and a lot of users might ignore it. But it’s an outstanding feature that can help users track errors. Let’s say you have to deal with a lot of OST files, and you convert them into PST files. But there is a specific error that occurs with a lot of your OST files.
With the help of Log Reports, you can identify the error and its root cause and take steps to mitigate the problem. Apart from this, you can use this feature to track the performance of the software itself. You can keep an eye out for how much time it takes to convert a specific-sized PST file and how many items you can convert in a day.
Well, you are paying for this tool. So it’s obvious that you would like to track what Return On investment this tool is offering you! Moreover, if you encounter a problem and reach out to the support staff, they can use these logs to offer potential solutions.
Batch Conversion
What if you have to convert a lot of OST files to PST files every day? Doing them one by one manually is a headache, to be honest. Those who deal with this problem will surely agree with me! But with Stellar Converter for OST, you don’t have to deal with this headache.
The tool offers you an option of Batch Conversion. Using this feature, you can easily convert multiple OST files to PST files quickly. Stellar has put a lot of effort into identifying the problems users face regularly while dealing with OST and PST files. So they have found a fix for almost every issue via Stellar Converter for OST Tool. This feature is available in Technician Edition.
Auto-locate your OST file.
If you know where your OST files are, the conversion becomes easy. But what about the times when you don’t? And this is the most common case. Well, finding OST files automatically is even easier with Stellar Converter for OST!
The tool automatically lists all the available OST files, and you can choose which one to convert. This makes the job a lot easier, especially when you have tons of OST files with multiple profiles. So the next time you want to convert an OST file to a PST file and don’t know where it is, just say hello to Stellar Converter for OST!
Split PST files automatically
The PST file sizes can reach up to 50 GB after the conversions. Now keeping such large PST files can be cumbersome. Apart from this, it’s a risky move too. Imagine losing a single 50GB file to some corruption or cyber attack! Imagine the amount of data you will lose.
Option? Split the larger PST files into smaller PST files using Stellar Converter for OST files’ in-built auto-splitter! Or you can split the file based on its size manually too.
The only problem? This feature does not come with the free and standard version of the tool! You will have to buy a “Technician” version.
Save/Load Scanned. DAT file.
There are times when you do not want to convert OST files to PST files right away. There could be a lack of time or lack of need for this. But you want to make sure these files are available when you want the conversion. What do you do in such a situation?
Well, you simply Scan your OST file and save it as a . DAT file on your system using Stellar Converter for OST. Benefit? Well, you can convert it into a PST file, whenever you want it. For this, all you have to do is click on the “Load Scan” button below the main menu bar, upload the DAT file and you will be good to go!
Advance Filtering option
For those who want some advanced filters to optimize their OST file conversion, Stellar Converter for OST offers an advanced filtering option. Here, the user can get more control over the conversion process.
You can apply multiple filters like date ranges, sender IDs, Junk Emails, and Deleted items. All these features allow the user to keep only the necessary files and ignore all the others.
If your mailbox is filled with junk emails and you don’t want them in your PST files, using the “Junk Emails” filter, you can eliminate them during the conversion process. In short, you get complete control over the conversion process, which results in more targeted conversion.
Easy Compatibility
The best part about Stellar Converter for OST is its wide adaptability and compatibility. Doesn’t matter what type of Windows operating system you are using; it is compatible with most of them. For e.g., it can work well with Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11. So whether you are a small business operating on a legacy system or a high-tech organization, Stellar Converter for OST can easily adapt to meet your needs.
Moreover, Stellar Converter for OST supports OST files from multiple Microsoft Outlook versions, from 2007 to the latest. It is also compatible with all the Microsoft Office versions starting from Office 2007. So, if you are looking for a tool that’s versatile and can be used across multiple platforms, the Stellar Converter for OST is the one for you.
Overall, there are a lot of features that amazed me while I was giving Stellar Converter for OST a try. But are there any limitations with this tool? Let’s find out.
What are the limitations of Stellar Converter for OST?
Honestly, I did not find any specific limitations of the tool that could be a deal breaker. But still, there are a couple of things that I would like the Stellar team to look upon. As a user, you, too, should be aware of these limitations.
- Limited Access with Free Version: While Stellar Converter for OST does offer a free version, there are certain limitations. The biggest one is, that you can only preview the mailbox items. This could prevent a lot of free users who could potentially become paid users.
- Works with Windows OS only: This is another drawback. If you are using another OS like Linux or MacOS, you cannot use this tool. While the number of Windows users is quite large, the other systems, too, have a big chunk. They cannot use Stellar Converter for OST, which limits its use up to a certain extent.
Stellar Converter for OST Pricing
Stellar Converter for OST comes with 3 pricing plans. Stellar has done this to ensure they can cater to a wide range of users. Let’s take a look at them one by one.
Corporate Plan
This is the most basic plan with 1 year of licensing. You can buy this plan for $79 for one year and you get 5 mailbox conversions per year. With this plan, you can convert your OST files to PST files and can use it with any version of Outlook. Apart from this, there are no added benefits.
Technician Plan
This is an advanced plan. Here, you can opt for either 1-year license or a lifetime license. One year’s license will cost you $149, and the lifetime license will set you back $ 249. Here, you get some additional features apart from what you get in a corporate plan.
For example, you can split large PST files, compact them, or even migrate them to Office 365 or Microsoft Office 365. The best part? You get unlimited mailbox conversions.
Toolkit Plan
This is the most expensive yet most popular plan. Why? Because along with Stellar Converter for OST, you get access to other 6 tools from Stellar! So when you opt for this plan, you can split, compact, repair, merge, and undelete your PST files and even reset your Outlook Password.
A one-year plan will cost you $199, while lifetime access will cost you $299. So overall, this plan is a great deal if you have to deal with PST files regularly.
Stellar Converter for OST: My Final Verdict
After using Stellar Converter for OST for almost a week, I can confidently say that this is an excellent tool. It offers clutter-free UI, is super-efficient, and is worth every cent. You can use it to convert your OST files to PST files, you can pick which particular messages to save, and you can preview the file before saving it, and can do a lot more!
I have not seen any other similar tool performing so excellently. So, my final verdict: Go For It! If you are still skeptical and do not want to risk your money, go for a free version. Once you like the tool, you can always upgrade to the paid plan and get the best benefits.
Wrapping Up
Look, there are numerous other alternatives to Stellar Converter for OST, as mentioned above. But this one does stand out with its loads of features. So, if you feel like doing so, you can also take trials of other tools. But if you ask me, you won’t be disappointed in this one!
I hope this detailed Stellar Converter for OST Review has offered you much-needed insight into the tool. For more such review articles, stay tuned to our website. I regularly come up with a lot of review articles on my website. I am sure you will find a lot of them useful.
Till then, enjoy your reading!
