Import archive files or identities in Outlook 2016 for Mac. Can import these files (.pst in Outlook for Windows and.olm in Outlook for Mac) into Outlook for Mac.

Summary: Microsoft Outlook email client can be used on both Windows and Mac, however, both platforms store mailbox data in different kinds of data files. While on Mac, Outlook data is stored within OLM files and on Windows, it is stored within PST files. Here, we identify several reasons why users may wish to convert OLM file to PST format.

Rio photo. The OLM file extension is specific to Outlook for Mac and it was introduced with Outlook 2011 for Mac. Its purpose and usage are the same as that of MS Outlook PST files on Windows. This implies that it stores all mailbox data such as Inbox, Calendars, Contacts, etc. Since the OLM file is specific to Mac, it cannot be opened through Windows Outlook. Thus, if a user has recently switched from a Mac to a Windows-based machine, he may experience issues accessing his mailbox data stored in OLM file through Outlook’s Windows version.

To access his emails, contacts, etc. the user will need to convert OLM to PST format and then import the resultant PST file into Windows Outlook.

Steps to Manually Convert OLM to PST

In order to convert OLM to PST, you first need to locate the physical OLM file. The default location of the OLM can be either of these two system locations:

Or,

DocumentsMicrosoft User DataOffice 2011 IdentitiesMain IdentityDatabases

DocumentsMicrosoft User Data MS Office 2011 IdentitiesMain IdentityData-RecordsMessage

But there’s a catch. Even after you navigate to the above mentioned hard drive locations, you won’t be able to locate the OLM file physically there. To access it, you will need to create it by saving the mailbox data in the OLM format. Here are the steps to do so:

1. In the drive location indicated above, click on File -> Select Export. This will open a new Export window
2. Select all data displayed at the location
3. A new option “Delete items after exporting” appears. Check “Do not want to delete item” option.
4. Now “Save As” option will appear. Select the Destination Location where you want to save your OLM File
5. Click on Save

Once the OLM file has been created, it can be converted into PST format using the below mentioned steps —

Note: In this method, the IMAP Server is used as an intermediate between Mac Outlook and Windows Outlook. It is similar to using a storage device between two computers for copying the files. IMAP Server is used because it can receive remote files.

Step 1: Create a Gmail (or any other IMAP server) email account. If you already have one, continue to step 2.

Step 2: Configure Outlook for Mac with Gmail —

1. Open Outlook for Mac and select Tools -> Accounts
2. In the Accounts window that opens, click on the “+” button on left side to add a new account
3. Choose the email address pane
4. Type your email address, password, and user name for G-mail account
5. Enter Incoming server as” imap.gmail.com”
6. Select “Use SSL connect”
7. Enter “smtp.gmail.com” as the Outgoing Server
8. Check both options below the Outgoing Server
9. Enter the Outgoing port as 465 and then click on Add account
10. On the left side of the pane, a yellow button is seen which shows the connection is being made. It turns green if the password keyed-in is correct and the connection is made.

Step 3: Migrate mailbox data from Mac Outlook to Gmail

1. Right-click on the mailbox folder you wish to migrate and click on Copy
2. Select destination folder in Gmail
3. The navigation bar at the bottom of screen shows the uploading messages
4. Once uploaded, Refresh your Gmail account

Step 4: Configure Gmail with Windows Outlook

1. Open Outlook and click on File -> Info -> Account Settings
2. In the window that opens, click “New” icon
3. Check “Additional server type”
4. Check” Internet E-mail”
5. Enter your email address, password, and user name
6. Select the account type as “IMAP”
7. Choose Incoming server as “imap.gmail.com”
8. Enter Outgoing server as “smtp.gmail.com”
9. Select “More Settings”
10. In the “Outgoing Server” tab, choose “my Outgoing server requires authentication”
11. In the “Advanced” tab, enter Incoming Server Port as “993”
12. Select encryption type as “SSL”
13. Enter “465” as the Outgoing Server Port
14. Click on “OK”
15. Select “Test Account Settings” and click on “Finish”

Step 5: Migrate mailbox data from Gmail to Windows Outlook

1. Sign in to your Gmail account and click on the “Settings” icon
2. Select “Forwarding and POP/IMAP”

1. Under “IMAP Access” select “Enable IMAP”

1. Enable “Auto-Expunge On” if desired
2. Enable “Archive” if you want to archive your messages
3. Click on Save changes
4. Open your Outlook and Click on “Send/Receive message”

By this, you can access your Outlook for Mac mails to Windows Outlook

Recommended Solution

Though the above-mentioned steps can indeed help open OLM file into Windows Outlook, however, the process is complex and may appear to be confusing for a non-technical user. Also, manual methods are always a little risky as a single wrong step may cause data loss.

Thus, in order to perform a safe and accurate OLM to PST conversion, leverage Stellar Converter for OLM software. This advanced software is the best choice when it comes to migrating to MS Outlook from your existing Outlook for Mac with all the emails and mail components such as Inbox, Contacts, Calendars, Tasks, Notes etc. The tool provides users with the smart option to save the converted emails into PST, MSG (Message), and EML (Email) formats. Technician version of the tool gives additional saving options such as Office 365, PDF, HTML and RTF formats.

The Final Word

As discussed above, manual methods are a bit risky despite being free of cost but before you proceed with the manual steps, gather appropriate know-how of the procedure and steps and also take a backup of the OLM file that you wish to convert. , However, for rewarding results, leverage Stellar Converter for OLM.

To know the steps to run this converter utility, Visit here: https://www.stellarinfo.com/support/kb/index.php/article/how-to-convert-olm-to-pst

Most of the professionals today have Microsoft Outlook as their center of the workflow. Microsoft Outlook stores emails, contacts, appointments, tasks, notes, journals, etc. in two locations – In personal storage table (.pst) file on your hard disk or in a mailbox located on the server (when you are using Outlook with Microsoft Exchange Server). For a user, it is important to have a periodical backup of PST data in case of a PST file corruption or to move to a different version of Outlook. In general, the user needs a PST backup file in cases such as

• If the user wants to move emails from one email account to another email account
• If the file is corrupted and emails are inaccessible
• If you are moving from Outlook in one PC to another PC having Outlook on it (may or may not have different versions)

Using the backup of PST data, the user can move entire or selective PST data to another version of Outlook (say 2016) quite easily. The migration of PST data can be performed in two stages. Both the stages are to be followed sequentially. To import a PST file, you must have a backup of .pst file from your previous Outlook version. For this, you can use old as well as currently backed up .pst file. You can export the entire PST data or can export a selected folder to a new .pst file.

Look at the process below to migrate Outlook 2010 PST data to Outlook 2016.

Stage1: Backup/Export Outlook 2010 PST data to Outlook PST file

To export mailbox data to an Outlook .pst file, follow the steps given below:

1. Launch your MS Outlook 2010 application.
2. On the topmost ribbon of MS Outlook, go to the File Tab. Click Options>Advanced>Export.
   
3. From Import and Export wizard, select Export to a file. Click Next.
   
4. In the next Export to a file wizard, select Outlook Data File (.pst) and click Next.
   
5. Select the email account name you need to export. To export the entire PST data, select the checkbox Include Subfolders. Click Next.
   You can export a single folder also by selecting that particular folder. In this case, you have to clear the Include subfolders check box. Click Next.
   Note: You cannot select more than one folder to export. To export another folder, you have to perform the whole process again, i.e., a single folder or whole mailbox can be exported at a time.

   Here, only Inbox folder is selected to export to a .pst file or to have a backup of inbox items.

   One more option is available to apply Filter to select particular items from the folder. With advanced filters, you can select important emails from your folder.
   

6. In Export Outlook Data File wizard, Browse and select the required location to export your file. You can select the required option. Click Finish to continue.
   
7. After this, a dialogue box is popped up asking for the password (if you have set a password for PST file or when you are creating a new .pst file). Insert password and click OK. Your file will get saved to the selected location. Select checkbox. Your password is saved for future use.
   

Stage2: Import and Add PST file data to Outlook 2016

Import Outlook 2010 .pst file into Outlook 2016 using the given steps:

1. Launch MS Outlook 2016 application.
2. Go to the File Tab. Click Open & Export>Import/Export.
   
3. From Import and Export wizard, select Import from another program or file. Click Next.
   
4. Select file type as Outlook data file (.pst). Click Next.
   
5. Click Browse to provide the location of the .pst file to be imported. Click on the required option and click Next.
   
6. Select the particular folder or select include all subfolders. You can apply Filter if selecting a single folder. Click Finish to complete the process.
   

Using Export/Import wizard of MS Outlook to migrate the PST data is helpful but not completely successful. The drawbacks include time-consumption and less effectiveness. Slight mistake in the procedure may lead to the corruption of file. Manual and free methods seem quite alluring, but a small mistake might risk your data.

Kernel for Outlook PST repair, a third-party tool can eliminate all such risks and save PST data in the original form in Outlook. The tool is cost-efficient and error-free. You can save your PST files in different formats (EML and MSG) without any change in original structure. You can repair PST file of any size, i.e., the tool is free from any file size limitation. One exclusive feature is migration from Outlook PST to Office 365. Its extensive features easy the job of the user to migrate PST data from one Outlook version to another Outlook version.