Import Contacts From OST File Outlook 2013: Instant Solution

User Query

"I installed MS Outlook 2013 and it fundamentally created offline storage table file and then I shift all my old Contacts from PST file to this newly created OST file. But unfortunately I delete this profile, then I a create new one and tried to use the old file, but it did not succeed. I can’t load my old contacts again. Is there any method to get my old contacts back? Or any automated tool to import contacts from OST file Outlook 2013 to PST?"

OST is the abbreviation of Offline Storage Table file, which is used in Microsoft Outlook email client. The offline folder .ost is used to save the exchange server data. You can access the Outlook OST file when you are not connected to the server. In case of Personal Storage Table file, it is used to save the email data such as calendar, contacts, tasks, notes, etc. Here, this article tells about the techniques to recover data from Outlook OST file and the methods to import contacts from OST file Outlook 2013 to the PST file format.

Mainly the import or export situations are needed in the case of some errors. If the OST file gets corrupted or inaccessible then you need to repair that and also you can import the data to any other format for the safety usage. The main reasons to migrate contacts from Outlook OST is listed below:

Why Do You Need To Import Contacts From OST File Outlook 2013?

There are many reasons behind the process to export Contacts from Outlook OST file. Some important cases are listed below:

1) If any data loss or accident deletion of data is performed.
2) When the Server crashed due to the fault like power failure, software failure, virus attack, etc.
3) If the OST file exceeding the maximum size limit.
4) Improper termination of Microsoft Outlook

Manual Methods To Import Contacts From OST File Outlook 2013

OST files are considered as the copies of Exchange information. There is no necessary to back up the .ost files because one can create a new copy at any time. To import the contact list from Offline OST file MS Outlook 2013 manually, follow the procedures given below:

Method 1:

Step 1: First you need to exit Outlook and click on the “Mail” button from the control panel.
Note: The Mail button appears in control panel depending upon the version of Windows operating system.
The
Step 2: Select Exchange account on the E-mail tab and then click on “Change”. After that clear the “Use Cached Exchange Mode” checkbox.
Step 3: On the Advanced tab, click on “More Settings” and then click on “Offline Folder File Settings”
Step 4: Click on “Disable Offline Use” and click “Yes” on the appeared dialog box.
Step 5: Click again on the “Offline Folder File Settings” then click “OK”-->”Yes”
Step 6: Select “Use Cached Exchange Mode” under the “Cached Exchange Mode Settings”
Step 7: Click on “OK” then click “Next” after that “Finish”
Step 8: Click “Close” on the “Account Settings” and “Mail Setup” dialog boxes.

Method 2: Import contacts from OST file Outlook 2013 to New PST

Step 1: Open Microsoft Outlook email client
Step 2: Create a new PST file in your account
Step 3: Copy all the contacts which you want to import.

Limitations

The above listed manual methods have some drawbacks such as the first method is lengthy and time-consuming. Also, both the methods are not relevant when the users want to recover or import the huge amount of data. If you need to recover permanently deleted contacts then these methods are not possible. So, it is very complex to perform the repair and import process.

Automated Method To Import Contacts From OST File Outlook 2013

To overcome the limitations of manual methods, one can use the third party tool “SysTools OST Recovery”, which is used to repair inaccessible OST file and also import that recovered data to another file formats such as PST, EML, and MSG. There are many unique features available for this utility to repair and import contact list from OST file Outlook 2013, some of the salient features are listed below:

    a, The tool has the ability to view all OST file messages like Contacts, Calendar, Mails, Tasks, etc.
    b, Provision to extract and recover the deleted messages from the Offline storage file
    c, Option to apply date filter to export the selective files or folders
    d, Provides an option to split the exported file to avoid the corruption
    e, The tool supports Microsoft Outlook 2016, 2013, 2010 and all below versions.
    f,  No file size limitations to perform the repair and import purpose.

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed several approaches to import contacts from OST file Outlook 2013. One can use the manual approach to perform the task, but there is no guarantee to get the correct result always. So, it is always advised to go for an automated tool, because a third-party tool like SysTools OST Recovery can definitely provide the perfect solution.