# Importing Outlook (PC) PST files in OSX



## wazowski (Jul 5, 2005)

I am moving from PC to mac. IS it possible to import my Outlook PST files into some other mail client software that Tiger has? 

Could you please advice me a good email client and also if it can import the PST file. 

regards,
Shalin Jain


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## fryke (Jul 5, 2005)

Moving from Outlook (not Express) to the Mac is, AFAIK, not an easy transition. There's one hint at macosxhints.com (don't remember the link) that's also been discussed on macosx.com in the past (use search).

I personally would try to move your stuff on the PC from Outlook to Eudora. Then move to Eudora on the Mac, and if that works, you can use Tiger's Mail.app. It can import the Eudora files just fine.


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## StarBuck (Jul 6, 2005)

If you have a .pst file you can download a little application called PST Import Tool which works really well, you'll also need a copy of Entourage 2004.

Personally I'm a big fan of the built-in mail application, shame it doesn't have the nice viewing window that Entourage 2004 has.

Mail v2.0 and upwards can import emails from Entourage 2004 in to Mail v2.0.


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## MisterMe (Jul 6, 2005)

StarBuck said:
			
		

> If you have a .pst file you can download a little application called PST Import Tool which works really well, you'll also need a copy of Entourage 2004.


*PST Import Tool* can import only those .pst files created by *Outlook 2001*, the last Mac version of the Exchange client. *Outlook 2001* can archive mail to a .pst file created by *Outlook 2000*, but *PST Import Tool* rejects the file as corrupt.


			
				StarBuck said:
			
		

> Personally I'm a big fan of the built-in mail application, shame it doesn't have the nice viewing window that Entourage 2004 has.


If by this you mean that you want a preview pane added to Mail, Mail has always had a preview pane.


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## StarBuck (Jul 7, 2005)

Yes your correct you the pst tool only imports mac .pst files.

If you run the pc recover app on the .pst it will then work on the Mac not everytime mind you.

This isn't a major problem if you can get your hands on to a IMAP or Exchange server.

Its a bit long winded but it work by you login to the server and uploading the local emails to the server then using the mac client to creat a .pst file as an archive.

Entourage 2004 allows you to create an archive but I've had lots of niggle problems with this it can lose attachments.

The mail program has a preview pane but what I'm talking about is the view 0utlook 2003 and entourage share with the three pane window.


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## lbrandt (Jul 7, 2005)

Check out this software - Outlook2Mac. You run it on a PC.


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## thismarty (Jul 15, 2005)

DO NOT but the Outlook2Mac software!!!!

1.  It does not work.  It chews up your data while converting it.

2.  The company will not respond to emails.

3.  The company will not refund your money.


I speak from my own firsthand personal experience on this.


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## abeness (Jul 27, 2005)

I can't speak to LittleMachines company policy, but I can describe my successful use of Outlook2Mac for a client, to convert some 400 megs of Outlook 2003 PST data to Mac OS X mbox format. I then imported that into Apple Mail (Jaguar, 10.2.8, which is what my client is using). The ultimate goal is Eudora 6.2.3, but Eudora fails (crashes) on attempting to import the mbox files produced by O2M directly. Notably, however, it also fails to import mbox files after they've been converted to Apple Mail--makes me think the Eudora 6.2.3 importer isn't perfect.

Back to importing to Apple Mail (under 10.2.8): Of the ~25 mail folders, 5 were not imported correctly by Apple Mail under Jaguar--only 1 message came through in each case, instead of 1013, 408, 522, 679, and 584, respectively.

Not one to give up easily, I tried importing these problem files into Apple Mail 1.3.11 (v622) under Panther (10.3.9). Success! All messages with their attachments were imported. You can stick with Apple Mail if you like, but I much prefer Eudora--more robust. Keep reading if you want to use Eudora...

In Eudora 6.2.3: File, Import Mail, then choose the Apple Mail option (default). Select Local Mailboxes, then click the bottom left button in the importer window. I chose to import only "mailboxes, messages and attahments". Eudora chugged along for a while, finally leaving me with a new mailbox folder tree for the imported stuff, which came in unscathed.

Upshot: Outlook2Mac worked for me, and a reasonably straightforward conversion. Off to try bringing that 125 MB mailbox and the others into Eudora at my client's under Jaguar...

One other note: keep Eudora mailboxes small--say in the vicinity of 5 megs. They can become corrupted when they get too big.

Abe Hendin
AtYourSpeed Consulting
http://yourspeed.com


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