Anil Kondla
Last Updated on February 26, 2023 by Team Experts
Summary: There exists a large number of email clients who support different-different file formats, for example, MS Outlook and Thunderbird. Outlook supports OST and PST files, whereas Thunderbird allows MBOX format. But point is that the .ost file is supported by Outlook only, but many email clients keep the .mbox format. Due to many other reasons, users wish to import OST file to MBOX to those email clients who support the mailbox format. Read this article to get a better solution to complete this task. For this importing process, you can opt for a manual method or go with the recommended professional approach for better results.
Introduction
OST is an Offline Storage Table file used to keep a copy of all your Outlook data at the default location on your computer. OST files allow users to work in offline mode after connecting to the internet, it automatically synchronizes your data with the Exchange. Another side, the MBOX format is a Mailbox file that is permitted by many email clients and operating systems. The operating systems which support .mbox formats are Windows, Mac, and Linux, and email clients are Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Gmail, Opera Mail, etc. By coming in contact with these attributes of an MBOX file, users wish to import OST file to MBOX format. Before performing the solution to execute the task, we will see first, the common reasons behind exporting the .ost file into an MBOX format.
Common Reasons Over Convert OST to MBOX
There are many crucial reasons, which impel users to move over to Thunderbird MBOX from Outlook OST format. Some of the reasons are mentioned below.
- You are not allowed to move OST files from one system to another. Contrarily, MBOX files are easily shareable with users or your colleagues.
- It’s great that you can work offline with OST files in Outlook but, the bad part is that, the .ost files are more prone to corruption.
- If you want to switch from Outlook to other email clients like Thunderbird, Apple Mail, and Opera Mail. etc.
- OST file is accepted by Outlook only whereas, There are various email clients who support the .mbox format.
Here, in the above section, you have seen how many advantages are there of migrating OST to MBOX format. That’s why users are insisted on the benefits of a Mailbox format and wish to migrate OST to MBOX file. However, In some scenarios, users also want to convert OST to PST file format in order to save the copy of their crucial data. Now, go ahead to analyze the manual method that can help you to execute the task.
Convert OST file to MBOX Manually
For performing the manual steps, first, you need to install Mozilla Thunderbird and Outlook applications to complete this task with the help of the native method. We will try to finalize this task in two stages. The stages are delivered here, perform them carefully.
Step 1. Convert OST to Thunderbird with Outlook
In this step, you have to use your MS Outlook and go with its Import/Export feature for exporting OST to PST.
- Launch the Outlook program on your system.
- After that, go to the File menu and hit the Open & Export option.
- Here, select Import/Export option, choose the Export to a file option then click the Next button.
- Now, select Outlook Data File (.pst) option and click Next.
- Afterward, check those files which you want to export and hit Next.
- Here, provide a location to save the output PST file.
- Lastly, click on the Finish button to over the task.
Step 2. Import the Exported PST File in Thunderbird
Here, import the migrated PST file in Mozilla Thunderbird that we have performed with Outlook in the first step.
- Open the Thunderbird application, and click on the Local Folders.
- After that, hit the three lines situated in the top-right corner.
- Here, select Tools and choose the Import option.
- Now, choose Import from Outlook option and hit the Continue button.
- After that, choose what to import and hit Continue.
- Finally, click on Start Import to begin the process and hit Finish.
After considering the above-pointed manual method, you can transfer OST to MBOX properly. However, there are many disadvantages to the manual ways such as taking too much time to complete and requiring some technical skills to execute so, a normal user is unable to perform the manuals. Therefore, we have presented here, easy-to-use advanced software that assists users to finish the given task in an easy and effective way.
Reliable Solution to Import OST File to MBOX
OST to PST Converter is full of unique and salient features, which are highly capable to export your OST file into MBOX along with various other file formats like PST, PDF, MSG, etc. Moreover, this utility helps users to migrate their OST file data to different email clients and provide the features to convert various .ost files in a single go. Now, the time is to go through the steps of the tool, which will give you a way to convert your OST file to .mbox.
Conclusion
With the help of this guide, we have provided the solution to the query about how you can import OST file to MBOX format. We used both manual and professional techniques to finish the task. You can go with anyone but, the automated solution is recommended by the experts to neglect the manual method restrictions and complete your task freely, without consuming more effort and time.
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