Solved: Careful If You Remove this Account is Offline Cached Content Will Be Deleted

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Written By Kumar Raj
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh
Published On July 27th, 2022
Reading Time 6 Minutes Reading

There is no doubt that Outlook still holds the title of the best desktop-based email application. However, it has some issues whose answers are still searching by Microsoft Outlook users. Amongst all, there is an error message that is shown below. The error definitely becomes a mind-scratching situation for a user who does not know how to tackle it. Because no one wants to lose its data at any cost. So, here, we are going to show some easy-to-use methods and the origin of the ‘Careful If You Remove this Account is Offline Cached Content Will Be Deleted’ error.

Microsoft Outlook OST File Warning Message

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Will It Delete All Content From Outlook Account or Local Drive?

The biggest question comes in user mind, when they first encounter this alert message is, will OST file data get deleted from the local location or Server? Are you confused about ‘Is it safe to delete OST file of your Outlook account? So, relax!

As soon the as you clicked on the Yes button on pop-up message, no OST file deletion happens in Outlook. So, no need to worry about it. Your data is still available. It just removes the account whether it is the Gmail, Exchange, or Office 365 from Outlook interface. And, the Offline Storage Table file (or .ost) associated with the deleted account remains at its default location. Now, the problem comes when a user needs to access OST file data after its account deletion. Because there is an issue attached to the Offline Storage Table file due to which it does not open and a user cannot view its data. This is the major reason why Microsoft Outlook displays this error message when a user tries to remove an account in Outlook.

Careful If You Remove this Account is Offline Cached Content Will Be Deleted

The Downside of Microsoft Outlook OST File

To understand this problem, first, need to know about the Outlook data file. On a fundamental level, Outlook creates PST (Personal Storage Table) or OST (Offline Storage Table) file. In terms of basic functionality, OST and PST file do the same, they both save mailbox data on the local system.

However, PST is the default file type of Outlook whether OST creates with Exchange, Office 365, or an IMAP-enabled account added to the MS Outlook application. But, there is a huge difference between both the file types. OST saves a synchronized copy of the mailbox from the server on the local machine. It permits the user to view all downloaded emails and do work in Outlook when there is no internet connection. So, whenever the connection is established between the server and Outlook, all the changed data get synchronized with it.

On the other side, the PST file can be easily importable to another Outlook on a different computer whether the OST file is strongly bonded with the configured profile. This difference makes the .pst profile independent and OST file profile dependent. Because of this reason, Microsoft itself stated that, if you want to access the data of the OST file after its associated account removal, then create a backup of OST files file. So that an Outlook user can easily resolve Outlook warning message: ‘Careful If You Remove this Account is Offline Cached Content Will Be Deleted’.

Note: Since the release of Outlook 2013, OST file is used by IMAP accounts. In Outlook 2010 and below releases, PST file is also created when an IMAP account configured in it.

Limitation of IMAP OST File:

There is a certain technique through which the user can view its .ost file data after its account deletion. This method is known as Recreate OST file. As we discussed earlier, OST is just a synchronized copy of the mailbox. It means the data saved in the OST file is available on the Server. So, the user can reconfigure the account (Gmail, or Exchange) in Outlook and a new OST file again create in Outlook. Thereafter, delete the old .ost file from the account. By doing this, you can view the emails from the OST file.

Also Read: Deletion of Outlook account and deletion OST file user dependent. But what if your OST file becomes inaccessible suddenly. Do you know how to repair OST file efficiently?

Wait! Is the Above Method Beneficial?

From this error ‘Careful If You Remove this Account is Offline, Cached Content Will Be Deleted’ message, it is clear that the user is going to remove the account. But, due to some reasons, he/she needs to again access the data of that OST file. However, with the help of the above solution, a user can view its data items. But, there are some scenarios where the above method does not work and the only solution left will be conversion.

When an employee moves to the different workplace and wants to take its all OST file data, then conversion is the best option. So that this .pst can import in Outlook on any PC and users can view its content.

In such a situation, when the user forgets the credentials of the IMAP account and also deletes the same account from Outlook. And, meanwhile, he/she needs to access the old emails. At this moment, the OST file cannot be opened or imported. The best solution is to import the OST file to Outlook and easily access the data.

What Say, Is Your Outlook Error Resolved or Not?

That’s all, we have provided all information related to the root cause of ‘Careful if you remove this account is offline cached content will be deleted error message. Besides this, the relevant workaround also discussed above.

Now, it depends upon the user, which method they prefer? Although, if the user wishes to take the OST file data whose account has been deleted. The above discussed OST Data File Exporter is always there for help to move data in PST file format. Just implement the solution and forget about the error.

  author

By Kumar Raj

A versatile writer with the vast knowledge of technology helps to reduce the gap between a user and technology. Provides easy and reliable ways to resolve multiple technical issues, which users encounter in their day-to-day life.