Please follow the steps below. For any setting that’s not specifically mentioned, you can either use the default (preset) value or consult the Aid4Mail 5 user guide for details.

Step 1: Open Aid4Mail’s settings

1. In Aid4Mail, select the Settings tab.
2. Update the Session name to so it describes for the task at hand. In this example, we will be converting John Doe’s OST file to MSG files so we’ve entered John Doe OST to MSG as the session name.
3. Below the session name there are three sections: Source, Target and Filter. Each can be displayed or hidden by selecting the +/- symbol next to the section heading. This tutorial requires them all to be displayed.

Step 2: Set an OST file as your source

1. In the Format list, select OST file.
2. Set the location of your OST file, either writing it directly in the field or by using the Select button to browse your file system. By default, the Windows version of Microsoft Outlook stores OST files in this location:

   C:\Users\<WINDOWS USERNAME>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\

3. Choose whether to Remove journaling envelope if your email files are journaled.

Step 3: Set MSG files as your target

1. In the Format list, select MSG files.
2. Choose whether to Process using Outlook. This means using Outlook’s internal engine (MAPI) to create the MSG files (it has no effect on the reading of your source mail). Using Outlook’s engine is faster but requires Outlook to be installed on the same computer as Aid4Mail. If you don’t have Outlook installed, keep this option off.
3. Specify the Location where you want your MSG files to be saved. You can write directly in the field or use the Select button to browse your file system.
4. Select an option for the Folder structure of the exported mail. Usually you’ll want to keep it the same as the original, so choose Same as source folder structure.
5. Determine the criteria for each MSG File name. In this example, we have chosen to use a template which we will define in the next step.
6. Define your File name template. Templates consist of a combination of text and tokens. The text must not include illegal file name characters. The tokens represent data from the email being processed. You can use the Insert button to help you find and include tokens. We have used a combination of two tokens (separated by a dash) to name each file, representing the local date and the email subject: {LocalMessageDate}-{Subject}

Step 4: Set your filter (optional)

1. Under Folder filtering, pick Folder selection. Your OST files folder structure will appear in the box below.
2. Select the folders you want Aid4Mail to process. The others will be skipped.

Step 5: Run your OST to MSG conversion

Select the Run button or Session > Run from the menu. Aid4Mail will convert your chosen OST file to MSG files. It will automatically open the Progress tab so you can monitor what’s going on. Once finished, you will find full reports in the Progress log and, if relevant, the Error log.

That’s it!

We hope you found this tutorial helpful in showing you why Aid4Mail is the best OST to MSG converter on the market. As shown above, Aid4Mail can convert OST to MSG reliably and quickly.

If you’re looking for further information, first take a look through the Aid4Mail 5 user guide and our knowledge base articles.

If you still have questions, don’t hesitate to contact our award-winning Helpdesk.

If you’d like to buy an Aid4Mail license, please visit the online store.

Or if you’d like to try Aid4Mail first before purchasing, download a free trial and run your own tests converting your OST file to MSG files. We want you to have full confidence in Aid4Mail!