How to Differentiate in Outlook’s PST/OST Files – Guide
OST files are used to store data for offline use and stored on MS Exchange Server. PST files are personal folder data and stored on the client’s hard drive. Microsoft is a reputable company that has a pocket full of apps and utilities. And one of the most famous applications is MS Office Suite. MS Office package consists of a huge number of useful applications like PowerPoint, MS Word, Excel, Access which are used by almost all users.
Outlook is a popular email client that can be used with Microsoft Exchange Server and SharePoint Server. It stores all your data in the form of emails, attachments, calendars, journals, tasks and more.
What are Outlook PST Files
Outlook PST file is an Outlook data file that stores local copies of your calendar events, messages, task data, contacts, etc. any device. POP accounts store data in PST format. The POP protocol is an older email protocol (POP3 is the newer version of the same protocol). When this protocol is used, all your emails are downloaded locally to your computer and can be deleted from the server.
This made sense in the old days when users only had one device to access email. A system where the email servers put the emails on your local device and made it optional to delete those emails from the server was the case until now. However, these days, that wouldn’t make much sense as the average email user accesses their email from multiple devices. If your email client (i.e. the application/software used to access your email from the server) uses POP, any changes made to your email (in the email client) on your device will not affect the server.
Features of Outlook PST files
PST files are not synchronized with your email server, meaning that they may not be accessible or usable.
You can access your emails, calendar events without Wi-Fi/data as long as they have been downloaded and have been saved on your device.
PST files are a type of file that allows the use of password protection over its content. This can help to keep your information safe, and make it easier for you to access it should you need to.
PST is a messaging protocol supported by client applications such as Windows Messaging, Microsoft Exchange Client, and Microsoft Outlook. ..
PST files can be converted to other formats and sent to other email providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo! Mail. ..
OST files are the default file format for Outlook PST files. ..
What are Outlook OST files
PST file format is used for POP accounts while OST file format is used for IMAP accounts. Like POP, IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) is another popular email protocol used by your email providers – which is often the case for Outlook accounts, Exchange accounts, Microsoft 365 accounts, and so on. Your OST file stores synchronized copies of your mailbox information on your device. Unlike POP, any action performed via IMAP affects the copying of your files on the server. By default, if your email client uses POP, deleting an email locally does not affect the copy stored on the server. However, if the client uses IMAP, then locally deleted email will also be removed from the server as long as you have an active internet connection. This is the basic idea of “synchronization”.
If you have an IMAP account, Outlook stores your email in a format that syncs with the server, i.e. in the OST file – as long as you use Microsoft Outlook 2013. In the previous version of Outlook, PST files were used for IMAP and POP protocols.
Features of Outlook OST files
OST files are synchronized to your email server in order to keep your data organized and accessible.
The action you take on your emails also affects the copy stored on the server.
The company said that it will continue to offer the service without data, as long as customers have an active Wi-Fi or Internet connection.
You can create “send” emails without an internet connection pending when there is a connection, but they will not be sent if there is a connection failure.
OST files are not conventional files that can be password protected. OST files are instead created asynchronously and stored on a remote server. This means that they can be accessed by anyone who has access to the internet, regardless of their password or security measures.
OST files cannot be imported into other services such as Gmail unless they are converted to PST format first.
Outlook PST VS Outlook OST
PST and OST files are used to store your Outlook items. They can be up to 20GB in size.
Outlook 2010 has made significant improvements to the way files can be stored, with larger files now possible. This has led to problems with older files not being able to be opened, as well as them becoming more vulnerable to corruption. ..
Advantages of PST over OST
OST files can be moved to a local computer while PST files are synced individually using a server.
The PST file format supports the uploading of files to other email services, but the OST file format cannot be moved to other services unless it is converted. ..
OST files can be copied up and automatically restored, but the PST still requires server sync.
Advantages of OST over PST
OST syncs automatically with PST, but you may need to download and install PST on your computer in order to sync.
OST modifications automatically appear on the server, but PST files become a separate entity once downloaded.
You can access your emails and files on other devices without having to download them locally. However, PST is different in that you will need to download emails and files locally before you can access them on other devices. ..
Final note
This guide will help you differentiate PST/OST files in Outlook. If you have any question about this article, please ask us. Also, please share your love by sharing this article with your friends.
