When Microsoft Outlook suddenly becomes unresponsive or your computer crashes, one of the most prominent concerns is losing access to your valuable emails and attachments. OST files, or Offline Storage Table files, are generated by Outlook to save your mailbox data to the hard disk drive locally. But these files are closely related to your associated Outlook profile and Exchange account. When that connection is severed, from a crash, program re-installation, or corruption of the OST file, you cannot open or read the content.
This is where the OST to HTML conversion comes in. The process of converting an OST file to the HTML format provides easy access to emails, without Outlook or Exchange, by reading them in any browser.
In this article, we will illustrate why it is helpful to convert an OST file to HTML, summarize how to carry out the conversion manually, and take a look at how the Professional OST to HTML Converter makes the process easier for either a single or bulk conversion.
Why Convert OST to HTML?
Whenever Outlook crashes and the operating system becomes unstable, your data in the OST file usually becomes inaccessible. By converting your OST files to HTML, you keep data from certain loss and can read your emails in whichever web browser you desire and at your own leisure. There are definite short-term benefits to the process of converting OST to HTML:
- Browser Access – HTML files can be opened in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or any of the available browsers without opening Outlook.
- Cross-Platform Use – After your emails are converted, your email is available to view on all devices, including Windows PC, Linux, and mobile.
- Formatted Text Retention – HTML retains the original text formatting of the email being read, including font style, colour, inline images, and any hyperlinks.
- Sharing Made Easy – As a bonus, when emailing clients or sharing designs with team members, you quickly share the document/artwork without tweaking the settings in Outlook.
- Archiving & Backup – HTML has low overhead when it comes to archiving or backing up your email data for the long term.
These positive points make using an Outlook OST to HTML converter an easy choice for busy professionals needing quick access to old or corrupt mailbox data following system issues.
Manual Methods to Convert OST Files to HTML
If your OST file is still connected to Outlook and not damaged, you can try the manual conversion method. However, note that this approach works only when Outlook is functional and the OST file is accessible.
Method 1: Using Outlook’s Save As Option
- Launch Microsoft Outlook on your system.
- Open the email you want to convert.
- Click on File > Save As.
- Choose the location to save the file.
- From the “Save as Type” dropdown, select HTML.
- Click Save to export the email as an HTML file.
You can repeat this process for other emails, but it’s a time-consuming approach, especially if you have hundreds or thousands of messages.
Limitations of the Manual Method:
- You can only convert one email at a time.
- It requires Outlook to be installed and properly configured.
- Cannot recover or open orphaned OST files.
- There’s a high risk of formatting inconsistencies in some cases.
Due to these limitations, most users prefer automated solutions for large-scale or corrupted OST files.
The Best Way: Use OST to HTML Converter
If the OST file is corrupted or your Outlook profile is no longer accessible, then the manual method will not be beneficial. Here, the FixVare OST to HTML Converter provides a simple and reliable way out. It assists users in converting any OST file (including damaged or orphaned OST files) into HTML in an accessible format without needing a working Outlook or an Exchange account.
Here are the key features of this tool:
- Batch Migration of OST files – Users can simply select OST files for migrating to HTML, converting several OST files at a go for saving time and hassle.
- No Outlook dependency – Users only need to have the OST file, and it will work even if there is no Outlook installed on the system.
- Preserves data integrity – The folder hierarchy, metadata, and actual formatting of the email content are preserved.
- Preview option – Users can preview the email content before converting to verify the accuracy of the email message.
- Support for all varieties of OST – It comes with support for working with Exchange, Office 365, and IMAP OST files.
- 100% Safe Conversion – Attachments and inline images are preserved in an accurate manner.
- User-friendly Interface – It is designed with a user-friendly interface for beginner and professional users.
If a user possesses these features, OST to HTML conversion can be a savvy and relatively easy process that maintains the data without losing data in the process.
Steps to Convert OST to HTML
Follow the steps below to complete the process with FixVare OST to HTML Converter:
- Download and install the mentioned OST to HTML Converter on your Windows system.
- Add OST File(s) – Click on the “Add File” or “Add Folder” button to import single or multiple OST files.
- Preview the Content – The software displays a complete preview of all mailbox items, including emails, contacts, and attachments.
- Select HTML Format – From the “Export As” options, choose HTML as the desired output format.
- Apply Filters – You can apply date, category, or folder filters to convert only specific emails.
- Choose Destination Path – Select a folder location to save the converted files.
- Start Conversion – Click on “Convert” to begin the OST to HTML conversion process.
Within a few moments, the software converts all selected OST files into HTML format while maintaining the same structure and properties. You can now open the HTML files using any browser and access your lost Outlook data easily.
Benefits of Using the Professional OST to HTML Converter
- Quick Processing Speed: Even large OST files with thousands of emails are converted within minutes.
- Batch Mode Conversion: Ideal for IT admins or business users handling multiple accounts.
- Accurate Results: The output HTML files perfectly mirror the original Outlook data.
- Wide Compatibility: Supports all versions of Microsoft Outlook and Windows OS.
- No Data Loss: Ensures 100% precision with headers, attachments, and embedded links preserved.
This tool is an all-in-one solution for those who want to recover or repurpose their OST data for long-term use, sharing, or backup.
Conclusion
If you experienced a system crash and no longer have access to your old Outlook emails, don’t fret. One of the easiest methods for successfully recovering data is to convert the OST file to HTML. The manual method works fine for small-scale conversions when you still have access to Outlook, but it is not intended for bulk or orphaned OST files.
The FixVare OST to HTML Converter is a simple, fast, and secure process of converting OST to HTML without Outlook. The software will guarantee complete data recovery with the same formatting and will allow you to batch migrate OST files. Whether you’re an IT professional, a business user, or someone just trying to get old emails back, the OST to HTML converter makes the process easy and the results accurate.
Once in HTML files, the emails are no longer captured by Outlook—they are available to you, shareable, and viewable anywhere. Therefore, when faced with an issue of accessibility of OST files because you had a system crash, utilize FixVare’s smart solution to easily retrieve your Outlook data.






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