An OST (Offline Storage Table) file is a local copy of mailbox data associated with an Outlook account. It includes email, folders, contacts, calendar items and email attachments.
If you are manually trying to open emails and save attachments such as invoices, documents, images, reports or any other files from an OST file, then it can be a time-consuming process. Things can get even more complicated when you don’t have access to the original Outlook profile, or when the OST no longer belongs to the original account.
So, how to extract attachments from OST file?
If the mailbox is available, you can manually save attachments with Outlook or use a third-party OST attachment extraction tool that is compatible for bulk extraction or when Outlook is not available.
This guide covers both methods and how you can use Xtraxtor Email Attachments Extractor as a third-party solution to extract attachments from the supported OST data.
Quick Answer: You can extract attachments from OST files with Outlook or any other third party OST attachment extractor. If OST is available in Outlook and then you can easily open the email and manually save the attachment. However, if you need to extract files in bulk or if Outlook is not available, then use a compatible tool like Xtraxtor Email Attachment Extractor. The tool scans the OST, shows you the available attachments and lets you save them to your system directly.
Steps to Extract Attachments from OST Files
The process generally is:
- Select the OST file to process.
- Open the OST in Outlook or compatible extraction software
- Scan emails and attachments in the mailbox data.
- Choose one or several attachments for extraction.
- Select the folder to which you want to extract the files.
- Begin the extraction process.
- When the process is done, check the extracted attachments.
The exact steps will depend on whether you are using Outlook or a third-party program.
Can You Extract Attachments from OST Files?
Yes, OST files attachments can be extracted. But an OST file is not simply a regular Windows folder with individual attachments.
Attachments are part of the email data, stored in the mailbox database. So you need Outlook or a compatible application that can let you to access your OST file emails and save the associated attachments with it.
The best approach depends on your situation.
For small number of emails, manual option is enough to save attachments through Outlook. However, for larger mailboxes, an automated tool is more convenient to manage large data.
Why Extract Attachments from an OST File?
There can be many reasons why one needs to extract the attachments separately from an OST file.
Restore Important Documents: Emails may hold important business documents, invoices, reports, contracts, images and other files. Separately extracting these attachments can make them more accessible and archivable.
Bulk Extract Attachments: Saving attachments one by one is not practical if a mailbox has hundreds or thousands of messages. Bulk extraction allows you to process multiple attachments without opening each individual email.
Recover Attachments from Old OST File: An old OST may have information from an old Outlook account/profile. If the original mailbox is no longer available, then extracting accessible attachments from the file may help recover important data.
Email Attachments Archive: Some users require a dedicated collection of attachments for document management, backup or record-keeping.
Extract different file types: You may not need all the attachments in the mailbox. For example, you may only want:
- PDF documents
- Word documents
- Spreadsheets in Excel
- PowerPoint presentations
- pictures
- ZIP archives
- Text documents
You can filter or select file types if you want to minimize extraction of unwanted files.
Method 1: Export OST Attachments with Outlook
If you have an active Outlook profile with access to the OST, you can save attachments directly from individual emails.
- Open Outlook.
- Open the mailbox that contains the e-mail messages with attachments that you want.
- Browse to the folder that contains the e-mail.
- Open the message and find its attachments.
- An email contains one or several attached files.
- Right-click on the attachment and choose the appropriate save option.
- Select the destination folder and save the file.
- Do this again for each email that has attachments you want to extract.
Limitations of Outlook Attachments Extraction
If you only need a few files, this method is simple. But for large mailboxes, it does not.
For example, imagine an OST with years of business emails and hundreds of attachments. You would have to find the messages in question, open them and save their attachments one at a time.
This can take considerable time and makes bulk extraction difficult.
Outlook may also not be a viable option when the original Outlook profile or mailbox is not available.
Method 2: How to Extract All Attachments from OST Files in Bulk
If you have lots of attachments to pull, or you’d rather not save them individually through Outlook, you might want to look into a third-party attachment extraction application. Another choice is the Xtraxtor Email Attachment Extractor, which can let you to extract attachments from the required emails easily. Also, you can apply various filters to export your OST email attachments specifically.
The general flow is to load the OST, scan the available mailbox data, find the needed attachments, and save them to an output location.
Note: Supported file conditions and available features may vary depending on the software version. Before starting with the important data, it is essential to check your OST file and the required extraction scenario is supported by the current version of Xtraxtor.
Steps to Extract Attachments from OST Files in Bulk Using Xtraxtor
Step 1. Launch Xtraxtor Email Attachment Extractor and click Open.
Step 2. Select Email Data Files >> Outlook PST/OST Files and add your OST file.
Step 3. Preview the mailbox data and select the emails or folders containing the required attachments.
Step 4. Click Extract and choose Email Attachments from the options.
Step 5. Apply filters or select attachment types if you want specific files only.
Step 6. Click the Browse button to choose the destination folder.
Step 7. Lastly, tap on the Save button to start the OST email attachment extraction process.
Xtraxtor lets you extract attachments from OST files in bulk without opening Outlook.
Important Points To Know Before Proceeding With Any Method
- Use of Outlook: Good to save small numbers of attachments manually or if you have access to those emails.
- Bulk extraction: If an OST contains many attachments, a special attachment extraction tool is required.
- Without Outlook: If you don’t have Outlook, you can use a compatible third-party OST attachments extractor as an alternative.
- Specific file types: You must extract different file types such as PDF, Word, Excel, image and other attachments.
- Orphaned OST: If the original Outlook profile is no longer available, third-party OST email attachment software can be helpful.
- Data Safety: Always keep a backup of the original OST and after the extraction process, verify the important extracted files.
Conclusion
Your OST file might hold years of emails and their attachments, but the attachments are part of the mailbox database, not as normal files that can be copied from Windows File Explorer.
If you need only a few files, and the OST is accessible via Outlook, you can manually save the attachments directly from the individual emails.
Compatible third-party software can be an alternative approach for bulk attachment extraction in case of orphaned OST or where the original Outlook environment is not available.
Xtraxtor Email Attachments Extractor is an application that you can use to solve your issue as it supports all types of OST file and let you to extract available email attachments separately without any issue.
