How to Open a PST File Without Outlook (Windows, Mac, Phone)
A .pst file only opens by double-click on a computer with Outlook for Windows installed. If you don't have Outlook — a Mac, a new laptop, a Chromebook, or you've left the company whose license you used — you still have options.
1. Open it in your browser (no install)
Choose the file below. You'll see its folders and emails, can search them, save emails as PDF and download attachments. The file is read on your computer and never uploaded, which matters for a whole mailbox.
This works on Windows, Mac, Linux and ChromeOS. On a phone it works too, but very large files are more comfortable on a computer.
2. Import it into Outlook (if you can borrow it)
On a Windows computer with classic Outlook (the desktop app that comes with Microsoft 365 or Office): File › Open & Export › Open Outlook Data File, then choose the .pst. Its folders appear in the left pane. Import/Export copies the emails into the current mailbox instead.
Legacy Outlook for Mac can import a .pst as well: File › Import, then choose Outlook for Windows archive file (.pst). In the new Outlook for Mac, Microsoft is still rolling out importing data files, so the option may not be there yet.
3. Get just the emails you need
If you only need a few messages, open the file here, then:
- Save as PDF for a readable copy,
- .eml to open the email in Apple Mail, Thunderbird or another mail app,
- Download for the attachments.
Common problems
- "This does not look like an Outlook data file" — the file isn't a .pst, or it was renamed. Outlook data files start with a fixed signature the page checks.
- The file stops partway or can't be read — it was probably cut off when it was copied or downloaded. Copy it again from the source. If the original is damaged, Outlook's free Inbox Repair Tool (ScanPST.exe) can repair it on a Windows computer with Outlook.
- I only see email — calendars, contacts and tasks in the file are counted but not shown yet.