Top Ways to Extract Attachments from PST File – Full Guide

Overview: In this tutorial, find out different ways to extract attachments from PST file. Also, why manual does not work, and follow our professional solution for an easy extraction process.

Outlook slows down when you have a large PST file. Most of the time, it is because of the emails with a lot of large attachments. It’s better to extract and then save attachments to reduce the mailbox size. Ensure to keep check on your important files without losing data.

Know More: Extract Attachments from OST Files

What are PST Files & Email Attachments?

It is spelled as Personal Storage Table which is your PST. Basically, it stores the mailbox data of Microsoft Outlook on your hard disk. It has your emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, and attachments.

Attachments in a PST file can be in the form of:

• PDF
• Word
• Excel
• Images
• Videos
• ZIP Files
• Business Reports

Nowadays, no of attachments are increasing day by day and the size of the PST files are getting bigger. Outlook may perform slow, like it will take time to open any large files. Another would be file corruption errors or file damage.

Why to Save Attachments from PST File?

Most users prefer to extract attachments from PST file, only when they are facing issues with Outlook. Let’s see those scenarios:

• Firstly, if you have a huge PST file, it can impact your Outlook speed
• Because of Outlook older versions, there’s a size limit to it
• There are chances your file will become corrupted or it does not work properly
• Some companies tend to archive emails & store attachments in a separate list
• As per industry norms, you need to save attachments
• Users prefer to keep attachments in an organized folder
• Lastly, if you want to shift from PST to any other file format

Extract Attachments from PST File – Free Methods to Opt

There are two different approaches which you can follow to save your attachments separately. Follow the given steps from below one:

Method 1. Save Attachments from Outlook Directly

You can extract attachments from the PST file, by taking help of Outlook. Just follow the below steps:

1. First, open Microsoft Outlook
2. Next, open the email with the attachment
3. Right click on attached link and select Save As
4. Then, save the file in a folder on your PC

Best For:

• Save few number of attachments
• Small PST files
• No need of bulk export

Limitations:

• Repeat the same process for each email
• Bit lengthy process
• Not good for large emails
• You cannot extract the attachments from multiple folders at once

Method 2. By Selecting “Save All Attachments” Option

You can opt for this method for extracting multiple email attachments. As, it is easy to save multiple emails all together rather than selecting each email one by one.

1. Start by opening any particular email in Outlook
2. In that, view to the attachment part
3. Then, choose Save All Attachments option given there
4. Set the desired path where you want to store it

Limitations:

• You cannot save attachments from multiple emails
• Do not have any filter options
• The whole process is manually based
• Chances of attachments not getting extracted properly

Why Manual Methods Fail?

If you only want to extract attachments from PST file in bulk mode. Then, these steps will not be effective.

• If your PST file has numerous attachments. Then, it will take a lot of your time
• It’s more difficult when you have more than one PST file to extract attachments
• Also, not suitable for maintaining folder structure, or reduce PST size

For professional results, you need to use our automated solution which is mentioned in the upcoming section.

Key Aspects:

• You can extract attachments from multiple files like PST, OST, & BAK
• Provides filter options like file type, date, to save only the files which you want
• Maintain folder structure while performing the steps
• Remove attachments after extracting in order to create space in mailbox
• Runs without Outlook and works even with corrupted PST file

Quick Steps to Export Attachments from PST File

Here are five simple steps to extract attachments from PST file.

1. First, download & install the software on your PC.
2. Open the tool after installation process.

3. Then click Add files or Folders to browse and find the location of your PST file.

4. After adding the file, click Mailbox Data to add attachments.

5. Finally, click on Extract to start the extraction process.

Manual vs Professional Solution – Simple Comparison

This section contains a table which will help you understand all the methods easily. Read all the criteria to decide which method to go with.

Aspects	Manual Method	Professional Solution
Time Required	High	Low
Bulk Feature	No	Yes
Filtering Options	No	Yes
PST Size Reduction	No	Yes
Folder Structure	No	Yes
Professional Use	No	Yes

Final Wordings

We have covered all the desired steps to extract attachments from PST file. I hope you have understood and followed all the methods to save your attachments. It eventually helps you to increase Outlook speed, manage data, and remove file corruption issues. Going with our professional tool is the right choice because it will save effort and time. As, manual methods lack to do that. At last, choosing the solution totally depends on how much data you have and easily complete the extraction process.