Convert PST to EML

This utility converts email messages from PST data files, which are only used in Outlook, to EML format.

What is an EML file?

The EML format is used for storing and backing up email, and for migrating messages between different email clients and systems. EML files are compatible with Mozilla Thunderbird, Mac/Apple Mail, Windows Live Mail, Outlook Express, IncrediMail, Entourage, Eudora, and most other email programs.

Only one message can be saved in EML format: 1 EML file = 1 email message. Most email clients support importing messages from EML files, but they don't work with PST.

What is an Outlook PST data file?

• Microsoft Outlook uses the PST format to store messages, contacts, appointments, meetings, tasks, notes, journal entries, and documents.
• A folder structure in the PST file contains the above Outlook items.
• Data can be located in folders of different types: mail, calendar, contacts, tasks, notes, journal.
• PST files hold important properties of Outlook items and folders: mail processing rules, view settings, search folders, etc.

Only users of Desktop Outlook for Windows can open PST files. To access PST file content from other mail programs, you need to convert your PST files to another format.

Why convert PST to EML?

There are several reasons for PST2EML conversion:

1. Compatibility. PST is an internal Microsoft Outlook format not compatible with other email programs. To use a different email client instead of Outlook, you need to convert the PST file to the format your program understands. EML is supported by the majority of mail apps and Outlook can't save emails to this format.
2. Cross-platform. Microsoft Office Outlook supporting PST data files works on Windows only. EML viewers are available on all modern platforms, including smartphones. To share a message with another user, you can save it to EML, and the other user is guaranteed to open and view it, regardless of what device or operating system they are using.
3. Separate file for each message. The PST file keeps all email messages, so if it gets damaged, all your emails will be lost. After converting PST to EML, all messages are saved in separate EML files. If you lose one of them, the rest will remain intact.
4. Paid vs Free. Outlook is a paid product. After the free trial period expires, you must purchase the product. This is one of the many reasons other, free email clients are sometimes used by home users.

Why can’t you convert PST to EML online?

Outlook PST files contain your important confidential data. When you use an online service to convert mail from PST to EML, all your data is transferred to someone else's server, including private messages, contacts, tasks, and notes. The data is processed on someone else's computer, and you can't control it. Only then can you download your emails in EML format. Also, the size of PST files can reach dozens of gigabytes and uploading such files will take a long time - if possible at all.

In contrast to online converters, our utility works strictly on your computer. No information is transferred anywhere. With this tool, your data will not fall into the wrong hands.

How to convert PST to EML?

1. Select the source folder with the PST files and the destination folder for the resulting EMLs.
2. Specify whether to create separate folders for each PST file or create the original Outlook folder structure.
3. Additionally, you can set filters, such as the date range, sent or received status, and others.
4. Run the utility and everything else will be completed automatically.

If the subfolder processing mode is selected, the original Outlook folder structure will be created on your disk. These folders will contain Outlook message files in EML format.

Is it possible to customize EML file names when converting from PST?

You can select a folder for EML files on your disk or network share or specify a template for flexible naming of folders and files.

The utility allows you to flexibly configure the names of resulting folders and EML files. To do this, you can use macros in the target path. For example, the message subject, the names and domains of the sender or recipients, dates, Windows environment variables, and many other values.

Advanced users may want to use regular expressions to extract strictly the necessary parts of the subject, body, and other message fields in the target folder and file names.

Are there any limits when converting from PST to EML?

There are no limits on the number and size of resulting EML files and PST files to be converted. You can convert an unlimited number of folders or files as often as you want.

Since EML is a format for storing email messages only, no contacts, calendars or other Outlook items will be saved in it.

When converting, the utility saves all available data, such as:

• message subject,
• send and receive dates,
• sender and recipient addresses,
• message text with HTML markup,
• attachments and images,
• message flagged or starred,
• read/unread and replied/forwarded status,
• Internet headers.

How to perform mass PST to EML mail conversion?

The program can bulk convert PST to EML in batch scripts, using PowerShell, Task Scheduler, and other automation tools. To do this, use the command-line utility in the product. If you run several command-line apps at once, the automatic conversion of several PST files to EML will become much faster due to parallel execution.

To schedule PST to EML conversion, use the command-line application provided by the product along with the standard Windows Task Scheduler. This allows you to flexibly configure schedule parameters and use the utility in your scenarios even without logging into a user account.

By converting your emails from Outlook PST data files into EML format, you'll get separate files for each message, arranged according to the original Outlook folder structure. You can then import the resulting EML files to other email programs.