2 Things you Should do Before Rebuilding your OST File

Read time 5 minutes

Synchronization issues can occur frequently when using Outlook with an Exchange account. To resolve these issues, Outlook users may need to rename their existing OST file and create a new one in its place. Before recreating the OST files, there are two essential steps to gain a better understanding of the issue:

• Check if you are working in Cached Exchange Mode
• Verify if OST to Exchange mailbox synchronization is proper

How to Check if You are Working in Cached Exchange Mode?

If you discover that the synchronization between the OST and Exchange is not functioning as expected, it’s possible that Cached Exchange Mode has not been enabled. In such cases, it’s essential to verify whether Cached Exchange Mode is enabled.

• In MS Outlook, go to File > Info > Account Settings, and then select Account Settings.
• In Email tab, select the default OST file, and click Change.
• Check if the Use Cached Exchange Mode option is checked (if not, check it and click Next).
• In the end, click Close (in the Account Settings dialog box).
• Now, restart the application and check whether the needed changes have been updated.

If synchronization continues to be problematic even after rebuilding the OST file, renaming the existing OST file and allowing Exchange to create a new one might be necessary. However, this action could potentially result in the loss of some data that was saved in the previous OST file, as certain information may not have synchronized with the Exchange Server mailbox.

In cases where you notice missing information in the rebuilt OST file, you have the option to revert to the old OST file (the renamed one) and convert it to a PST file using Kernel for OST to PST. This PST file will contain all the data, including the unsynchronized information. After converting it to PST, you can import this data into Outlook, ensuring that no critical information is lost during the synchronization process.

How to Verify if OST to Exchange Mailbox Synchronization is Proper?

When you suspect synchronization issues, it’s essential to confirm whether the synchronization between the OST file and the Exchange mailbox is operating correctly. To do so, follow these steps:

• In Outlook, select an OST folder, right-click it, and select Properties option.
• Click the Synchronization tab in the popped-up window.
• Click OK to synchronize the current folder. You can check the information under Statistics for this folder to verify the synchronization.

When synchronization issues arise, Outlook users have several methods to address them. On occasions, it may be necessary to rename the old OST file and allow Exchange to create a new one in its place. However, this approach has a drawback: the possibility of losing unsynchronized OST data—data that hasn’t been synchronized with Exchange.

In the event that critical data has been lost, users can recover it by converting the old OST to PST file using tools like Kernel for OST to PST. This enables the retrieval of unsaved OST data, helping to ensure that no valuable information is permanently lost.

Kernel for OST to PST

Kernel for OST to PST Converter is indeed a remarkable application for data recovery from OST files. This software excels at converting OST files into PST format seamlessly, ensuring that not a single bit of data is lost in the process. Its effectiveness in preserving data integrity makes it a valuable tool for users dealing with OST file-related challenges.