OST Vs PST | Differences Between OST and PST Files
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If you are among millions of people who use Outlook applications for email communication, you may have come across OST and PST files. These data storage files save the mailbox items such as email messages, calendars, contacts, and notes. Both these files are stored in your personal system and are helpful in recovering mailbox items when any corruption occurs.
MS Outlook is a part of the MS Office Suite and works as an e-mail client application with mind-blowing features like a calendar, task manager, contact manager, journal, and a lot more. This application offers several innovative features that make it unique from other options. But many Outlook users are still confused about the data files included in it, i.e., OST and PST. They don’t know exactly what it is actually and what is difference between PST and OST. Now, you need not worry; this expert blog on Outlook OST Vs PST will guide you to get detailed information about both data files.
What is an OST File?
OST (Offline Storage Files) allow access to mailbox data offline on the local machine upon registration with Exchange Server using Microsoft Outlook. This file gets automatically created after establishing connection with the server and is saved in a system with .ost extension. If you are facing any issue with your local OST file location, you can simply change the location of the OST file in Outlook.
Suggested software to access OST file’s data in Outlook. Try Kernel for OST to PST Converter to convert OST file to PST format.
PST (Personal Folders file) is an Outlook data file that stores your messages and other items on your computer. It is the most common file in which small organizations and single users use information in Outlook. They may have one or more email accounts. The most common types of accounts are referred to by their Internet protocol named POP3. In POP3 configuration, data is stored as a PST file with a .pst extension. In addition, these files are also secured from unauthorized access with a password.
Now it’s time to know what is difference between OST and PST in Outlook.
If you are still confused between these two data files, you need not worry, as here we listed the top differences between OST and PST files.
| OST | PST |
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| Criteria | OST | PST |
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| Dependency | This can’t be moved from the Exchange server independently. | Possible to move and separately make a database Outlook file. |
| Server Support | It supports mainly an Exchange server | It supports Exchange Server and other mail servers also |
| Security | Encrypted using MAPIEntryID GUID key | Not encrypted and is easy to access through a third-party tool |
| Error or Damage | Hard to get damaged | Easily get corrupt or damaged |
| Import | Only access using the original MAPI profile | Easy to import into any Outlook account |
| Online/Offline | It supports offline access to the mailbox | It does not support offline access to mailbox items |
| Portability | Server dependent and can’t be ported | It is portable and can be saved anywhere on any local system |
| Synchronization | Data automatically get synced after restoring the internet connection | Not possible to sync automatically |
| Benefits | Users keep working with domains irrespective of server availability | It works great when users want to have a backup |
To access OST files, you can convert OST files into PST. Then you can easily access the mailbox items. Using the third-party OST to PST converter tools is a reliable option to do so as it can save OST emails to Gmail, Outlook.com, and other IMAP servers efficiently.
PST files are very easy to access. To save the data from theft or corruption, you can use this PST converter tool which converts the PST files into various file formats such as DBX, MBOX, MSG, EML, TXT, RTF, HTML, and MHTML. It easily converts corrupt OST files to the desired formats. In addition, you can also recover your deleted emails with this tool.
Conclusion
Whether it’s Outlook OST vs PST, MS Outlook keeps all information using both these file formats. OST has its own importance as it allows offline access to mailbox data; one can easily send new messages even when the system is offline or disconnected from the Exchange Server. OST files are highly encrypted, whereas PST files are easy to access without a password by using a third-party tool. Still, one can access the OST file and convert OST to PST format or export it to live Exchange or Office 365 by using a Kernel for OST to PST Converter.
A- To choose any one among both these data files, you must be clear about your preferences. If you want to back up Outlook items on your system, you must use PST files. But, if you have an Exchange account and want to work offline without network connectivity, you must prefer OST files.
A- OST and PST refer to file formats used by Microsoft Outlook to store data such as emails, contacts & calendar entries. OST stands for Offline Storage Table & is used to store data in an offline mode while PST stands for Personal Storage Table & is used to store data in a personal folder that can be accessed by multiple devices.
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