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 Plain text files so we’ve entered John Doe OST to Plain text 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 Plain text as your target

1. In the Format list, select Plain text.
2. Specify where you want your Plain text files to be saved. You can write directly in the field or use the Select button to browse your file system. If you want to save all of the emails to a single text file, turn-on the option Export to a single text file.
3. 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.
4. Select an option for the File name of the exported Plain text files. For this example we selected Use a template to create a custom file naming template.
5. For the custom File name template, {LocalMessageDate}-{Subject} was added. Each Plain text file will have the emails date and subject as the file name. Select Insert to see all available template options.
6. Select an option for the Email header configuration. You can select one of the default options in the drop-down list or you can create your own by using the Add button. Aid4Mail allows you to fully customize which items of information from the emails you want added to the HTML files. As shown below, there are 95+ items that can be selected. For this example, we are using Email with basic header and extracted attachments.
   

   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 Plain text conversion

   Select the Run button or Session > Run from the menu. Aid4Mail will convert your chosen OST file to Plain text 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 Text converter on the market. As shown above, Aid4Mail can convert OST to text reliably and quickly without needing Outlook.

   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 OST to Plain text. We want you to have full confidence in Aid4Mail!