How to Attach OST File to New Profile? – Compressive Solution!

Ritu Roy | Email Conversion email migration file conversion How to's Outlook Software Technology | 5 minutes read | Modified on: 16-09-2023
How-to-Attach-OST-File-to-New-Profile

Summary: Are you looking for a solution on how to attach OST file to new profile? If yes is your answer then you landed at the right place. In this article, we will discuss how to attach an OST file to a new profile account. Here, you will get easy processes to add OST file to new Outlook profile. To learn more, read this blog post through to the conclusion.

 Microsoft Outlook saves your email messages, attachments, notes, contacts, and other mail items in an Outlook data file, called Offline Storage Table or OST (also referred to as Offline Folder File). The OST file enables you to have access to all your emails, contacts, and other mail items even when you are not connected to the internet. However, there are situations when your OST file becomes orphaned or unavailable – either as a result of a system upgrade or after moving to a different email client – necessitating you to attach your OST file to a new profile to have access to your emails.

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Reasons to Add OST File to New Profile Account

When a new account is added to Outlook, an OST file is generated in its database. The file cannot be opened in Outlook directly once it has been created, although it can be recreated if necessary. It is necessary to convert the OST file to the PST file type in order to attach it to a new profile. This can be done manually or by utilising an automated system, as this article goes into great depth to demonstrate.

Additionally, there are numerous circumstances in which users may run into problems while attempting to add an OST file to a new Outlook profile.

Several of these causes are listed below:
  • Incidental Exchange Server failure.
  • Avoidance of expensive maintenance.
  • When using Microsoft Outlook and getting the error notice “OST File Cannot Be Opened”.
  • OST file corruption or damage.
  • The latest edition must be upgraded according to organisational needs.
  • Transferring to a new company while still requiring access to information from the old mailbox account.
  • Outlook is having trouble sending a single email once.

How Can I Attach OST File to New Profile Manually?

To find out the solution, you must first comprehend what an OST file is and how it functions.

An offline copy of the information in your inbox stored on your computer is an OST file. It starts to exist as soon as you set up an IMAP, Exchange, Microsoft 365, or Outlook.com account in Cached Exchange Mode (the default setting).

Users can access their mailbox data using OST files as long as they are not connected to the internet or a mailbox server.

Additionally, the file is by default encrypted using a MAPIEntryID GUID key, which prevents users of Outlook from accessing, viewing, or importing it into other Outlook accounts, profiles, or computers. A new profile cannot contain an orphaned, inaccessible, or orphaned OST file.

However, you can use an OST to PST Converter application, like CubexSoft OST Converter, to convert such orphaned OST files to PST format. The utility aids in the extraction of your mail items from OST and saves them as importable PST files for Outlook. You may access and retrieve all of your mail items with this.

Techniques to Attach OST File to a New Profile

Step 1: Get Your System Ready

You need to first get your system ready. Save all of your work before closing any open programs. This will lessen the chance of data loss or conflicts during the OST attachment procedure. Make a backup of your OST file as well. Although attaching the OST file to a new profile is a secure operation, it’s always a good idea to have a backup in case anything goes wrong. It will assist in regaining access to the emails stored in the OST file.

Depending on the Windows edition and Outlook version, different OST files have different default locations. However, often, the OST file can be found in the following location:

C:/Users/Your_Username/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Outlook

Copy the OST file to a different location when you’ve located it, preferably in a different folder or drive.

Step 2: Make a New Profile in MS Outlook

You must make a brand-new profile to which the OST will be associated. To create and set up a new profile in Outlook, follow these steps:

  • While Outlook is closed, launch the Control Panel.
  • Select User Accounts > Mail (32-bit) from the menu.
  • The Mail Setup window’s Show Profiles button should be clicked.
  • To create a new profile, select Add and then enter a name. Select OK.
  • An email configuration window will appear. Click OK after selecting Cancel. It will produce a profile without an email address. To this empty profile, you will attach the OST file.
  • Return to the Mail Setup window after that. By choosing the profile and clicking Remove, you can delete the old profile.
  • When the prompt opens, click Yes to confirm.

The OST file is likewise deleted along with the old profile when it is deleted.

Step 3: Add the OST File to the New Profile

OST files cannot be accessed with any other profile because, as was already established, they are encrypted. However, you can reconstruct the OST file and regain access to your mail items on a new PC or Outlook version by logging into the new profile with the same email address. The following are the steps:

  • Start Outlook. An invitation to sign in with your email account will appear.
  • Sign into your newly established profile by using your email credentials. Microsoft Outlook will build a new OST file and download to this new OST file associated with your new profile any mail items that were in your old inaccessible or inconsistent OST file.
  • Outlook will synchronize and download all of your mail items to your OST file after you create and attach the OST file to the new profile.

In rare instances, you can discover that after attaching the OST file to the new profile, some of your mailbox data is missing or insufficient. If this occurs, or if Outlook fails for any other reason to create and attach an OST file to a new profile, you can use CubexSoft OST File Converter to migrate the inaccessible or orphaned OST file to PST format. Then, import this PST file into an alternative Outlook profile or account to recover all of your mail items. With a few clicks, the software may also export data from OST files directly to Exchange Server or Office 365 (Microsoft 365).

Conclusion

When updating your system or moving to a different Outlook edition, it’s imperative to attach an OST file to a new profile. You can guarantee a smooth movement of your email data by following the step-by-step procedure described in this post. You can use professional software to convert the OST file to PST and restore all mail items if the OST attachment fails or you discover missing emails or data on your new profile.