File extension PST
| File type | Microsoft Outlook Personal Folder Format |
| Developer | Microsoft |
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What is a PST file?
The extension .PST refers to files of the type, Outlook Personal Information store files. The extension is the short form for Personal storage table file.
These are the data files that are created by applications like Microsoft Outlook and the Windows messaging client from Microsoft. The format is an open specifications format which is currently controlled and maintained by Microsoft. The file structure includes personal contacts, emails, addresses and many other details that the user wants to store. The maximum limit up to which the data can be stored in a PST file is 2 GB.
Program(s) that can open the .PST file
Windows
Mac OS
How to open PST files
If you cannot open the PST file on your computer - there may be several reasons. The first and most important reason (the most common) is the lack of a suitable software that supports PST among those that are installed on your device.
A very simple way to solve this problem is to find and download the appropriate application. The first part of the task has already been done – the software supporting the PST file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.
Possible problems with the PST format files
The inability to open and operate the PST file does not necessarily mean that you do not have an appropriate software installed on your computer. There may be other problems that also block our ability to operate the Microsoft Outlook Personal Folder Format file. Below is a list of possible problems.
- Corruption of a PST file which is being opened
- Incorrect links to the PST file in registry entries.
- Accidental deletion of the description of the PST from the Windows registry
- Incomplete installation of an application that supports the PST format
- The PST file which is being opened is infected with an undesirable malware.
- The computer does not have enough hardware resources to cope with the opening of the PST file.
- Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a PST file are out of date.
If you are sure that all of these reasons do not exist in your case (or have already been eliminated), the PST file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the PST file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the PST file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.
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This extension
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How to associate the file with an installed software?
If you want to associate a file with a new program (e.g. my-file.PST) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected PST file. From the drop-down menu select "Choose default program", then click "Browse" and find the desired program. The whole operation must be confirmed by clicking OK. The second and more difficult to do is associate the PST file extension to the corresponding software in the Windows Registry.
Is there one way to open unknown files?
Many files contain only simple text data. It is possible that while opening unknown files (e.g. PST) with a simple text editor like Windows Notepad will allow us to see some of the data encoded in the file. This method allows you to preview the contents of many files, but probably not in such a structure as a program dedicated to support them.