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Complete Guide to Extract Contacts from OST File

Justin Cener ~ Published: July 18th, 2023 ~ Export ~ 6 Minutes Reading

Throughout this article, we share the top two techniques to extract contacts from OST file. We will share a manual technique as well as an automated solution backed by countless technical experts. So, to find out which solution is a better fit for you, read this entire article thoroughly.

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OST files are a synchronized copy of your Outlook mailbox and are one of the proprietary formats of MS Outlook as well. They contain all the items of the mailbox, for instance, emails, calendars, contacts, etc. Sometimes, users get in a situation where they need to extract items from their OST files, however, they are not aware of the procedure. Therefore, we have brought you the best solutions from all over the internet. Let us start and dive right into the article.

Why Extracting Contacts from OST is Significant?

There are numerous reasons why it becomes significant to extract contacts from OST; here we have listed the most common reasons for that.

  • Extracting and exporting contacts from OST files saves users from suffering accidental data corruption or loss.
  • Upon extracting and backing up contacts, you can also delete them to free up storage space from OST file.
  • If unfortunately, your OST file gets orphaned, then the best way to save lost contacts is to retrieve them by extraction.
  • Since an OST file is not a sharable format, extracting and saving OST items such as contacts is the best way to share them.

How to Extract Contacts from OST File?

  • Download and install the OST Contact Extractor on your system.
  • Click Open > Email Data Files > Choose File/Folder to add OST files.
  • Preview uploaded data and click on the Extract tab.
  • Select Phone Numbers from the dropdown menu.
  • Apply advanced options and click Save.

So this is an expert recommended solution on accomplishing the task. Further in the article, we have shared the manual solution as well. To know both solutions in detail, check out the following segments.

Manually Retrieve Contacts from Outlook OST

  • Open MS Outlook on your system and head to the File tab.
  • Click on Open & Export >> Import/Export Wizard. Doing so, the Import/Export Wizard will open.
  • Select the “Export to a File” option and click Next.
  • In the Export dialogue box that appears, select “Comma Separated Values” from the list and click Next.
  • Then, choose the Contact Folder in the Select the folder to export from an option. Click Next.
  • Click Browse to set the location for the resultant files.
  • Enable the checkbox for the “Export Contacts from Folder” option and at last, click Finish.

This is how you can manually extract contacts from OST file. Follow the given step carefully and with caution to ensure saving your extracted contacts at the set location. Unfortunately, this manual method comes with some limitations.

Drawbacks of the Manual Technique

  • The manual method requires a stable connection to the Exchange Server to execute. If the connection drops in between, then the user is prone to face data loss.
  • Depending on the size of the OST file, the process can take up to several minutes to even hours; this makes it extremely time consuming.
  • The process involves a lot of steps which makes it lengthy and confusing, and if not performed with caution, this could lead to damaging and corrupting the OST file.

All these hindrances make the method an undesirable choice for users. And therefore, technical experts suggest an automated solution that guarantees security and reliability to user OST data.

Expert Solution to Extract Contacts from OST File

When it comes to handling OST files with extreme security and integrity, countless experts suggest the one and only Corbett OST Converter Tool. The utility is equipped with the best features that make it one of a kind. Its easy-to-navigate graphical user interface is highly compatible for even novice users to perform the contact extraction from OST files. Moreover, it provides multiple features that make the entire process extremely easy to perform for users. Along with that, this software can be used on any Windows machine as it is compatible with all Windows OS versions.

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Detailed Steps to Extract Contacts from Outlook OST File

  • Install and launch the software on your system. Upon starting, click on the “Open” button in the top-left corner.
    launch the OST converter
  • Now, from the appeared dropdown menu, select Email Data Files >> OST files >> Choose File or Choose Folder to add your OST files to the software.
    click open > ost files > choose files
  • Now, click on the Extract” tab and select “Phone Numbers” from the dropdown list.
    click extract > Phone numbers
  • Use the provided advanced options and hit the Save button.
    click save

And that is all for the hassle-free tutorial on how to extract contacts from OST file with an expert recommended tool. Furthermore, this tool provides several advanced features that make it a rare find these days.

Advantages of Using the Expert Utility

  • This utility supports the batch extraction of OST file contacts in a smooth manner.
  • With this tool, you can set a preferred destination to save your resultant extracted files.
  • During the procedure, the tool maintains 100% data integrity of user’s uploaded OST files.
  • It also is capable to directly import OST file in Outlook, in a secure and efficient way.
  • You can upload and process even large-sized OST files in this software; there is no file-size limitation.
  • The tool is compatible with all versions of Windows OS, thus, you can use it on any Windows machine without any problems.

So There You Have It

In this article, we discussed how you can extract contacts from OST file. To accomplish the task, we shared two methods with you; one manual and the other automated. Unfortunately, there are several limitations attached to the manual method, thus, technical experts recommend users go for the above-mentioned professional solution to ensure smooth and reliable results.