Microsoft Outlook is one of the most popular desktop email clients that lets users manage multiple accounts from a single interface. MS Outlook stores all the data including emails, attachments, tasks, etc in the PST file format in the absence of the Exchange Server.
In general, PST files can be viewed only through the MS Outlook application, but sometimes, due to the unavailability of the MS Outlook application, users may need to open and view PST files without the MS Outlook application. This article describes the top 6 ways to view the contents of a PST file outside the Outlook environment. All the techniques described in this article are free to use.
Method 1: Convert PST Email to TXT Format
By converting email to TXT format, users can easily view the contents of PST files without using Outlook. In this case, select the email you want to save in TXT format, and follow the below steps.
- Open and Select email then click on the File tab then Save As
- Browse the destination and Choose TXT as the file type then hit on Save.
Method 2: Convert PST File to MSG File Format
This is one of the easiest ways by which we can view the contents of the PST file without using the Outlook application. You can convert the PST file to MSG format by dragging the message you want to convert to MSG on the desktop or any other location.
It is now possible for users to view the contents of MSG files without using Outlook, try SeaMonkey and Free MSG Viewer. This way you can easily read the PST data in MSG format.
Method 3: Save the email to a PST file in the HTML file format.
By saving the email in HTML format, users can easily view the contents of PST files.
First, select the email you want to save in HTML format
- Click the File menu, and then choose Save As option from the list.
- Browse the destination in local system and Select HTML as the save type, click on Save button.
Method 4: Import the contents of a PST file into Gmail
Users can open and view the contents of the PST file in Gmail by importing the PST file into the application. The process is more technical than the previous one.
GAMMO Migration Tool can be used to import PST files into Gmail. Launch the application and follow the step-by-step instructions to import PST files into Gmail.
Method 5: Convert PST email into CSV file format
This is also an effective method to view PST data in CSV file format and read content in Excel Sheet. To export data in CSV, follow the below steps.
- First, click on the File tab.
- Choose Import Export Tool, and select “Export to a file” in the pop-up.
- Select Comma Separated Value (.csv) from the list and click on the Next button.
- Select folder which you want to export then click on the Next button
- Browse the destination to save the PST file in CSV then hit on Next.
Once data is exported in a CSV file, you can open and check the data in Excel Sheet.
Method 6: Use MailsDaddy Free PST Viewer or any other third-party PST Viewer Application
Another way to view PST file contents is to use the PST File Viewer tool. There are a lot of free PST viewers available to download for Windows as well as MAC OS. Users can open PST files and view their contents using some free available applications like the Free PST Viewer tool. With these free tools, users can read multiple and corrupted PST files at once without any hassle.
Conclusion
In this article, I have explained some tricky ways to open PST files without an Outlook environment. Hope this information will be helpful for you. Please feel free to leave a comment if you would like more clarification about any of the methods described above.
