EdbMails EDB Recovery and Migration software
  • Products
    Exchange EDB / Email Recovery Tools
    • EDB Recovery and MigrationRecover EDB to PST, EDB to Office 365 and Exchange NO Duplicate Migration
    • OST Recovery and MigrationRecover OST to PST, OST to Office 365 and Exchange Migration
    • PST Recovery and MigrationRecover Outlook PST, PST to Office 365 and Exchange Migration
    • MBOX Export and MigrationExport MBOX to PST, MBOX to Office 365 and Exchange Migration
    • NSF Export and MigrationExport NSF to PST, NSF to Office 365 and Exchange Migration
    • EML to PST ExportEML files export to Outlook PST format
    • PST to MSG ExportOutlook PST files export to MSG format
    • MSG to PST ExportExport MSG files Outlook PST files
    Exchange and Office 365 Migration
    • Exchange Server MigrationMigrate Exchange 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 to Office 365 tenants. Also, migrate between Exchange servers and PST
    • Office 365 MigrationMigrate Source Office 365 tenants to Destination Office 365 tenants. Also, migrate to Exchange Server and PST
    • IMAP Email Backup & MigrationMigrate all IMAP email servers (Gmail, Zimbra, Zoho, Yahoo etc.), Office 365, Exchange and Backup to Outlook PST
    • SharePoint Online MigrationMigrate documents, files and folders from SharePoint sites
    • OneDrive for Business MigrationMigrate documents, files and folders from OneDrive
    • Microsoft Teams MigrationMigrate Teams, documents, files and folders etc.
    Exchange and Office 365 Backup
    • Office 365 BackupIncremental, Granular, Encrypted and Compressed Office 365 Mailboxes Backup
    • Exchange Server BackupIncremental, Granular, Encrypted and Compressed Exchange Mailboxes Backup
    • SharePoint, OneDrive & Teams BackupBackup Online site collections, Team sites, Office 365 groups, all documents etc.
    • Duplicate Remover - Office 365 & Exchange Remove duplicate emails, calendars, contacts, journal etc. from Office 365 and Exchange
    Go to products
  • Features
  • FAQ
  • Pricing
  • Download
  • Support
  • Sign in
User’s Manual
OST Recovery and Migration

User Manual

User Manual

  • Overview
  • System Requirements
  • Installation
    • Installation process
    • Reinstall or Upgrade
    • How to uninstall
  • Initial Setup
  • FAQ
    • OST to PST
    • OST to Office 365 Migration
    • OST to Exchange Migration
  • Videos
    • OST to PST Converter
    • OST to Office 365 Migration
    • OST to Exchange Migration
  • Screenshots
    • OST to PST
    • OST to Office 365 Migration
    • OST to Exchange Migration
  • How it works?
    • OST to PST Converter
    • OST to Office 365 Migration
    • OST to Exchange Migration
  • Connect to Exchange server for multiple mailboxes migration
    • Connect with Global Admin
    • Connect to multiple users using CSV file
    • Connect using full access permission
    • Connect individual users for Single / Specific user Migration
  • Connect to Hosted Exchange for its Migration
    • Connect with Full Access permissions
    • Using multiple user credentials with CSV file
    • Connecting to Individual user for its migration
  • Connect to target Office 365
  • Modern Authentication Using OAuth 2.0
    • Microsoft 365 modern authentication
    • Automatic Registration
    • Manual Registration
  • Set Exchange Server Impersonation rights
    • Exchange 2007 and below
    • Exchange 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019
    • Set using Exchange Server GUI
  • Knowledge Base
    • Corrupt OST file recovery
    • Unicode and ANSI OST format
    • Split OST file
    • Rebuild OST file
    • Exchange mailbox backup
    • Recover orphaned OST file
    • Recover all Exchange and Outlook OST files
    • Recover metadata and attachments
    • Export unlimited OST files to PST
    • Free OST file viewer
    • Granular recovery of OST file
    • Recover encrypted OST file
    • Recover deleted mailboxes from OST
    • Export email, calendars, contacts
    • Selective OST export
    • Migrate OST to Office 365
    • OST to Live Exchange
    • Outlook OST cannot be accessed
    • Log report
    • Fix Outlook not connecting to server error
    • Fix Outlook the set of folders cannot be opened
    • Fix Outlook not syncing error
    • Outlook Cached Exchange mode
    • Fix Outlook data file cannot be accessed
    • Fix the error Outlook inbox not updating
    • Your mailbox has been temporarily moved on Exchange server
    • Open OST file in Outlook
    • Repair corrupted OST files from Outlook 365
    • Save Outlook emails to hard drive
    • Import OST file into Outlook
    • Your Outlook data file cannot be configured
    • Errors have been detected in the OST
  • Incremental Migration
  • Exchange Throttling Policy
  • Map the Mailboxes
  • Multifactor Authentication
    • Enable MFA in Office 365
    • Create App password for MFA
    • Disable Security Defaults
  1. Home
  2. Product
  3. Recover and export an orphaned OST file
Download Buy Now

Repair and convert orphaned OST files to PST

An OST (Offline Storage Table) file is a local copy of your mailbox that Outlook creates when connected to an Exchange server. This file allows you to access your emails, calendar events, contacts, and other mailbox items even when you're offline. However, if the mailbox is deleted from the server or the Exchange account becomes permanently inaccessible, the OST file becomes orphaned. In this state, it loses connection with the original mailbox and can no longer be opened or used in Outlook.

Once an OST file is orphaned, you can't simply reconnect it or retrieve its contents through Outlook. Any attempt to access the file directly results in errors or failure to load the data. To recover the valuable mailbox information stored in such files, the OST must first be repaired if damaged and then converted into a PST (Personal Storage Table) file. The PST format is fully supported by Outlook and allows you to import and access your recovered mailbox items easily.

Exchange mailbox backup using OST

This is where EdbMails OST to PST converter becomes essential. The tool is specifically designed to extract data from orphaned or corrupted OST files, repair any file-level issues, and convert the contents to PST format without requiring the original Exchange profile or server connection. It’s a reliable solution for restoring access to your Outlook data when traditional methods fail.

In the following step-by-step guide, we’ll walk you through the process of repairing and converting an orphaned OST file using EdbMails, so you can securely restore your mailbox and continue working without data loss or disruption.

Common reasons that make a Microsoft Exchange OST file orphaned

  • OST files can get orphaned in scenarios like failure of Outlook to synchronize the data with the Exchange Server. When the Exchange server crashes or is decommissioned permanently, it can result in file orphaning situations.
  • A second scenario might be bad sectors on the hard disk on which the Exchange server is located. The data read from these sectors can be incorrect and are prone to errors. Such data corruption will make the Exchange database unavailable and your local OST file orphaned.
  • When there are power failures or abnormal shutdown of the Exchange server when the server is accessing the database, then that may damage the database and finally orphan the local Outlook OST file.
  • When the caching controller used with the Exchange Server fails, the cached data is lost and the database is corrupted, which makes the OST file orphaned.
  • Deletion or disabling of the corresponding mailbox on the Exchange server by your server administrator or when the access to the mailbox is denied, it makes your local OST file orphaned.
  • Virus infection on the Exchange Server databases can damage and make them unusable, leading to OST file orphaning situations.
  • Other reasons include accidental deletion of the databases, partitioning the storage device, formatting the operating system. The Exchange server as a result, becomes unavailable and makes the corresponding local OST file on your computer orphaned.
  • How to recover and convert orphaned OST files to PST?

    If the Outlook data file (.ost) is orphaned, you must use a converter tool such as EdbMails OST to PST converter. EdbMails can open corrupted, orphaned, inaccessible OST files and allows you to export the emails and mail items to PST format.

    Steps to Export orphaned OST to PST

    Step 1: Download and install EdbMails OST to PST converter tool

    • Download and install the EdbMails application on any Windows-based computer.

      EdbMails software installation

    • Enter your email address and password to login or if you haven’t registered an account click on ‘Start Your Free Trial’ to explore.

      Login to EdbMails application

    • Select ‘OST Recovery and Migration’.

      Select OST Recovery and Migration

    • Select ‘OST to PST’.

      Select OST to PST

    • You can either enter a new job name or keep the default one, then click 'Next' to proceed.

      Enter export job name

    Step 2: Select the Offline Orphan Outlook Data file

    • Click ‘Browse for OST file'.

      Browse for EDB file

    • Select the orphan Outlook file that you want to export from your computer drive, then click the ‘Next’ button to continue. You can also share the OST file on a network with read and write permissions assigned.

      Select OST file

    • Click ‘Browse’.

      Click Browse

    • Select the location where you want to save the exported PST files and ensure there is enough free disk space for storage.

      Select PST location

    • EdbMails scans your OST file and recovers data in case of corruption.

      Recovery operation progress

    • Once the recovery process is complete, the full folder structure will appear in the left pane. You can expand the mailbox and its folders to preview the contents. The preview pane allows you to view emails, contacts, folders, notes, tasks, and calendars directly within the application, enabling you to explore the OST file without needing Outlook.

    Step 3: Preview and select the mailbox

    • Select the required mailboxes/folders and click the ‘Next’ button.

      Select mailboxes or folders

    • You can use the advanced filter settings to export Exchange emails to PST based on criteria like date, subject, attachments, and so on.

    Step 4: Export the rebuilt OST file to PST

    • Review the selected mailboxes and folders for export. Make sure the 'Action' is set to 'Export', then click the 'Start Export' button to begin.

      Start OST to PST Export

    • The export operation is now initiated, and you can monitor it in the progress bar. Once the process is complete, EdbMails will display the export operation completion message.
    • Backup all of your emails from the OST to PST.

      OST to PST Export progress

  • OST to PST converter video

Additional resources

  • How to open an OST file?
  • Rebuild OST file
  • Repair outlook OST file
  • Convert encrypted OST file to PST
  • Selective OST to PST Conversion
  • OST to Office 365
lady image

 In this manual

IntroductionReasons of OST file orphanedConvertion Steps

OST Recovery and migration

Just $45 Onwards

Buy Now

Need help?

24/7 Customer support

Contact us on Live chat

Personalized Demo

Book a personalized demo

Still need help?

Email us / Call us

@edbmails.com All rights are reserved Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | GDPR | Security | Press Releases

hidden msg
Live Chat

Hi, May I help you?

Hide Chat Now