Open SysTools PST Upgrade by clicking on the strong>Start Menu » All Programs » SysTools PST Upgrade » Check for Prerequisites
After Clicking on OK button you will reach to first screen of the software as shown in the image below:
Now Select the Outlook PST file. Click on Add File(s) or Add Folder from toolbar as shown below:
As soon as you select the Outlook PST file, PST Upgrade tool will automatically recognize its format as to whether it is Unicode PST or ANSI; as shown below:
Now click on the "Browse" button to select the destination location for saving output PST file:
Then choose the Location where you want to save the converted Outlook PST file from the Browse for Folder box:
Now click on "Start" button to start converting PST file to ANSI & Unicode PST file respectively.
Then Upgrade PST software will transfer the selected PST file to ANSI PST or Unicode PST file according to your selection. A successful notification will pop on screen. Click OK
After converting Outlook PST file, the software will display you the PST file name with its location as shown as below. Click Close to Exit:
After completing the entire process a dialogue box will appear, Click on Yes option to close the application.
View Converted PST file in Outlook?
Open MS Outlook, Go to File Menu » Open & Export » Open Outlook Data File
Now select the Upgraded PST file from the location where it was stored by the PST Upgrade Software.
Tips to Upgrade or Downgrade PST File
"I have a bunch of PST files, some of which have to be upgraded while the rest need to be downgraded. Is it possible to load them all at once so the tool could process each respectively?"
No, you cannot upgrade as well as downgrade PST files at once. You can perform only one operation at a time and not both. Select Unicode to ANSI option to load Unicode formatted PST files for downgrade process. Or, select ANSI to Unicode radio button to load ANSI formatted PST file for upgrade.
"Is it necessary to have Outlook installed and configured of the same version as that of the PST file being processed. Like, if I want to upgrade PST file do I need to have an older version of Outlook?"
No, there is no such requirement enforced by the PST Upgrade tool. You just need to have Outlook installed & configured on your machine to upgrade/downgrade PST file, regardless of what version it is. This won’t affect the software performance in any way.
"Does the software process original copy of the PST file when performing upgrade/downgrade? If so, do I need to create a backup before starting?"
The software does not process original PST file, instead it just considers it as the source to upgrade/downgrade. Data from the source PST is extracted (without any changes made) and saved to the destination location, as a new Unicode formatted PST file (in case of upgrade) and a new ANSI formatted PST file (in case of downgrade).
"When the software upgrades a PST, does it also consider upgrading the internal data formatting? Like, will it upgrade the vCard version in which contacts were saved earlier, to the version supported in upgraded Outlook versions?"
Basically, the software extracts data from source PST file of ANSI formatting, and saves it to a new Unicode formatted target PST file. The process is carried out in such a way that the compatibility is maintained accordingly. Thus, this upgraded PST file, when used on the respective version of Outlook, will automatically have contacts in the supported vCard version and not the older one.