How to Safely Convert PST to CSV Using 3 Easy Methods?
Direct Answer: To convert PST to CSV, there are three different ways. It includes using Outlook’s built-in export option (best for Outlook Classic users), a PowerShell script (meant for technical users), and a certified desktop-based PST to CSV Converter (the ultimate solution for bulk, easy, and no-Outlook-conversion).
If you are also someone who wants to convert their PST file data, including emails, attachments, contacts, calendar, etc., into CSV format to get a structured file output, then this blog is meant for you. This expert guide contains a detailed answer on how to convert PST file to CSV without Outlook and with Outlook. It considers both Outlook New and Outlook Classic so that you master this conversion irrespective of the Outlook edition you are using.
In addition to that, it also shares the possible reasons behind this export, the prerequisites for each method, the pros and cons of the manual and professional solutions, frequently asked queries, and an unbiased conclusion to convert PST file to CSV. So, without any further ado, let’s begin with the main drill.
Why Users Need to Convert PST to CSV?
Many people convert PST to CSV to make Outlook data easy to handle, view, import, or share. In such a case, CSV files are compatible with many applications, including Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and other such platforms. This makes accessing the data in an organized, tabular, and readable way possible.
Here are the main reasons to convert Outlook PST file to CSV:
- In most of the cases, users convert PST contacts to CSV so that they can easily import data into CRM.
- Since CSV has rows and columns like structure, it makes navigation, sorting, filtering, etc. easier than any other file format.
- Apart from this, many of the users convert Outlook PST to CSV for backup or long-term future-use purposes.
- CSV files can be easily integrated and supported in data-driven analysis and decision-making.
How to Convert PST to CSV With Outlook Classic?
Outlook Classic gives an in-built option to import or export data safely. Therefore, using that, a user can easily convert Outlook PST to CSV format with ease and efficiency. However, there are some limitations as well in this method, so make sure you check that out too. The detailed steps for this solution are as follows:
- Open the Outlook application on your computer.
- Go to the “File” option, choose “Open & Export,” and click the “Import/Export” button.
- After that, select the “Export to a file” option and hit “Next.”
- Then, choose “Comma Separated Values” option and click on “Next” again.
- Now, select the “Folder” including inbox, contacts, calendars, etc. that you want to export in CSV format, and select the “Next” button.
- Further, click on the “Browse” button to select the saving path on your computer, and hit the “Next” button.
- After this, click on Map Custom Fields to cross-check the Outlook contact and CSV fields. It includes First Name, Phone Number, Last Name, Suffix, Job, Title, and so on.
- Once done, click on the Finish button and let the process of conversion complete.
- Done! With the use of this built-in method, you can convert PST to CSV with Outlook itself.
Alert: Outlook Classic only supports one folder at a time to convert or export the data in another format. This makes it an inefficient solution for those who have bulk data to convert in CSV format. In addition to that, this method works great in converting Outlook PST contacts only to CSV format since other data, such as emails, do not retain the same after conversion. Thus, it does not support attributes like attachments, images, categories, and more of an Outlook PST email when converted to CSV using this method only. Therefore, to convert more than contacts, using a dedicated PST to CSV converter is the ultimate solution.
How to Convert PST to CSV With Outlook New?
If you are a new Outlook user and want to convert PST files to CSV, then you must learn that New Outlook does not fully support exporting local PST contacts and calendars to other formats.
Therefore, to get complete access and control over PST export to CSV, the user must have Outlook Classic installed and actively working in the background.
- Thus, open Outlook New and click on File.
- Now, click on the Open and Export option.
- After this, from the left panel, select Data Files and then choose the Export option.
- Further, click on Get Started to select the Outlook PST data.
- Moreover, follow the instructions to choose Comma Separated Value as the saving option, saving destination, and mapping option.
Alert: In most of the cases, this option is greyed out and requires a Microsoft 365 subscription to convert PST to CSV with Outlook New. In such a case, the ideal step is to switch to Outlook Classic for export purposes and then get back to the New Outlook once done.
Convert Outlook PST to CSV Using PowerShell
This is one of the technical ways to convert PST files to CSV format. In this, the user has to write a script to proceed with the conversion. The brief steps for the same are as follows:
- Open Windows PowerShell on your desktop PC.
- Now, simply copy and paste the code below into PowerShell.
# Path to PST file
$pstPath = "F:\Outlook Testing\Robert.pst"
# CSV output path
$csvPath = "F:\Output\Robert.csv"
# Create Outlook COM object
$outlook = New-Object -ComObject Outlook.Application
$namespace = $outlook.GetNamespace("MAPI")
# Add PST file to session
$namespace.AddStore($pstPath)
$pst = $namespace.Folders | Where-Object {$_.FilePath -eq $pstPath}
# Create array to store email data
$emails = @()
# Loop through all folders in PST
function Process-Folder($folder) {
foreach ($item in $folder.Items) {
if ($item -is [__ComObject]) {
try {
$emails += [PSCustomObject]@{
Subject = $item.Subject
Sender = $item.SenderName
Received = $item.ReceivedTime
Body = $item.Body
}
} catch {}
}
}
foreach ($subfolder in $folder.Folders) {
Process-Folder $subfolder
}
}
Process-Folder $pst
# Export to CSV
$emails | Export-Csv -Path $csvPath -NoTypeInformation
# Remove PST from session
$namespace.RemoveStore($pst)
- Before using this code, change the path location as per your computer location in these areas.
$pstPath = "C:\Path\To\Your\File.pst"
$csvPath = "C:\Path\To\Output\emails.csv" - Done! Your PST files are converted to CSV using PowerShell.
Alert: This PowerShell script supports only the PST email messages and does not work well for PST Contact and Calendars. Trying it to convert more than PST emails might give error, altered results, or empty output.
Common Drawbacks of Manual Methods
- Users must have technical knowledge of Microsoft Outlook and Windows PowerShell to use the conventional ways.
- Using Outlook to convert PST to CSV for large PST files and multiple folders is time-consuming and might freeze the computer system.
- Users need to select folders individually, which makes it inconvenient in case of nested folders.
- Non-tech users might face some unknown challenges while running and setting up PowerShell scripts.
- A large PST file will slow the script, and your computer’s storage will start getting full.
- These methods are very prone to error and can result in permanent data loss.
These are the major unavoidable drawbacks of the manual workaround that every user should know before using them.
Convert PST File to CSV Without Outlook Using Professional Tool
No doubt that all the manual ways mentioned above have lots of limitations and are not meant for enterprise-grade conversion. Thus, if you do not have Microsoft Outlook installed on your computer system, or you have any corrupted PST files, and you are looking for a reliable batch PST to CSV converter, then you must try the Outlook PST Converter Tool by MailsWare. It is one of the easiest, fastest, and most advanced solutions to convert PST files to CSV without Outlook. This tool securely does the conversion with complete data integrity, while maintaining folder hierarchy.
Download the free trial version of this tool to check out its working efficiencies.
Quick Steps of PST to CSV Converter
- Launch the tool on your computer system and click “Next” to start the conversion process.
- You either choose “Convert configured Outlook mailbox data” or select “Let me select my Outlook mailbox data” to directly select the complete Outlook account, or choose only specific Outlook PST files or folders, respectively.
- Then, choose “Folders” from the preview panel, and click “Next.”
- Now, select “CSV” as a saving option and do the further settings such as saving destination and encoding format.
- After this, you can also apply “Advanced Filters” to generate a more filtered and specific output.
- Finally, click the “Next” button to start the process to bulk convert Outlook PST to CSV with precision.
Benefits of Using Automatic Solution
- Turns out to be a one-stop solution to work with Outlook PST files as it has various saving options.
- Has Recovery Mode available in the beginning steps to support even corrupted PST files.
- Keeps the data end-to-end encrypted to ensure no data breach at any cost.
- Supports thousands of PST files in one go, which makes the conversion process easier and faster.
- Gives a decluttered output as it has dual selection modes and folder preview to select only those files that one wants to convert.
- Users can select files directly from the system’s configured Outlook account and easily do the conversion without any PST export needed.
- Keeps the folder hierarchy nesting maintained like the original one even after the conversion.
- Supports all the elements of the PST file, including contacts, calendars, attachments, tasks, journals, and more.
- Has advanced filters like Date Range, From, To, Subject, Exclude Folders, and so on for a customized output.
- Free trial version available for both Windows and Mac operating systems to test its efficiency before getting the paid license.
- Around-the-clock customer support available to provide a swift experience to professionally convert PST to CSV format.
Common FAQs
Q: I have some corrupted PST files saved in my system, and I want to convert them to CSV. How is that possible?
In this situation, most of the users prefer the MailsWare PST to CSV converter as it has a Recovery Mode that converts damaged PST files to CSV format easily without any hitch or glitch.
Q: Can this utility convert more than 4 GB PST files to CSV for auditing?
Absolutely yes. This Outlook PST to CSV converter is known for its batch support. Without any lag or hassle, one can smoothly convert large PST files in terms of size and number to CSV or any other file format of their choice, using this certified tool.
Q: How can I choose selective PST files for conversion into CSV?
For this, there are dual selection modes, folder preview and check option, and advanced filters to ensure user only converts what they want. It is developed smartly for professionals who are very specific about their conversion from PST to CSV format.
Q: I have some very crucial and personal PST files of mine to convert to CSV format. Is this tool safe to share?
Data privacy is one of the major policies of the MailsWare PST to CSV converter. It keeps everything encrypted and ensures that not even a single elements of the shared files are breached.
Final Thoughts
In total, almost every user for whom the accuracy of their PST files is important and want a way that is not only easy but also reliable to share their crucial information chooses the advanced PST to CSV converter tool. This is because manual approaches are too technical, have various limitations, and are not appropriate for a professional conversion process where the user has multiple requirements to generate a specific output type.
