Home How To Convert Mac Outlook OLM to PST Manually

How to Convert Mac Outlook OLM to PST Manually

When we talk about converting OLM to PST, there are many options available in the online marketplace. Often times, users want to know how to convert OLM to PST file format manually and simply by creating an IMAP email account. In this article, we’ll go through an easy manual method to convert Mac Outlook OLM files to Outlook PST file format. In the end, we’ll also talk about a professional solution to convert OLM to PST in hassle free manner.


Microsoft Outlook for Windows and Microsoft Outlook for Mac are two popular email clients that are widely used by users around the world. MS Outlook for Windows is as appealing as Mac MS Outlook. The only major difference between the two programs is that they use separate mailbox data to store data files. So if you want to switch from Outlook for Mac to Outlook Windows, you need to convert OLM to PST files. So, let us start with the manual method.


Manual OLM to PST Conversion Method

The manual solution to convert OLM to PST seems to very easy and simple in the first look. But originally, you may need some technical knowledge to go through the multi-stages steps in the conversion as it is not as easy as it looks. The basic idea of manual conversion is to create an IMAP account through a Gmail account and then configure it in Outlook for Mac email. You can then use the labels created in Gmail to transfer OLM mail to IMAP mailboxes, which can then be configured to Outlook on Windows.


To get a clearer picture of what the actual process is and how the steps are performed one by one, let's see the steps to do the OLM to PST conversion manually.

Manual Technique: OLM to PST Conversion


This manual technique consists of five main stages that you must follow in sequence. Read all the instructions and follow the entire procedure:


Stage 1: Setting IMAP Server Account via Gmail

Follow the steps below to set up an IMAP Server account in your Gmail application.

  • Sign in to your Gmail account with your username and password.
  • Go to Settings and select Forwarding and POP/IMAP Tab.
  • Go to IMAP Access option and check the status of IMAP; if it is not enabled then enable IMAP as the option.
  • After saving the changes a new IMAP account is created.

Stage 2: Configure Outlook for Mac with IMAP Account

Once you successfully create the IMAP account in Gmail (after enabling IMAP in Gmail settings), the next you have to add this account to Outlook for Mac. For this you can follow the steps given below:

  • Open Microsoft Outlook for Mac application on the system
  • Then navigate to Tool tab and select Accounts
  • Now, accounts window will appear, click on E-mail Account option.
  • Now choose Email and enter your email id, password, and other details. Click on Add Account option to add it.
    Note: Add IMAP Server as account, choose SSL connection option, SMTP server and 465 port number as details.
  • Finally, the IMAP email account is added and can be viewed on the Email tab.

Stage 3: Creating Label in Gmail Account

After configuring the IMAP account successfully with Microsoft Outlook for Mac, you can move on to the next task which is to create the label. Let’s know the steps to do it.

  • Firstly you need to open your Gmail account again and go to Settings.
  • Now go to the Labels tab and under Labels click on the Create New Label option.
  • Now, you need to enter a label name and click on Create option.
  • Here, a new label is created. Make sure the Show in IMAP check box is selected.
  • Now switch to the Outlook for Mac email application and click the Send/Receive option for the IMAP mailbox to update it.

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Stage 4: Moving OLM Emails to IMAP Server Mailbox

This stage includes exporting the desired OLM emails to the IMAP mailbox in Outlook for Mac. To do this, follow the steps below:

  • Select the desired mailbox folder items from the OLM mailbox that you want to export
  • After that right click on the selected folder and select Move >> Copy to Folder.
  • Provide the name of desired IMAP folder and then click on Copy option.
    [Note: Do that again for multiple files transfer.]
  • Now you need to click the Send/Receive button to update the IMAP folder.
  • After the update, all the OLM emails are transferred to the IMAP Server account mailbox folders.

Stage 4: Moving OLM Emails to IMAP Server Mailbox

This stage includes exporting the desired OLM emails to the IMAP mailbox in Outlook for Mac. To do this, follow the steps below:

  • First of all go to Control Panel
  • Select Mail → Email Accounts → New.
  • On the Account page, select manually configure server settings and click Next.
  • Now select the option IMAP/POP Settings and click on Next.
  • Enter your IMAP account credentials, server details and click on More Settings option.
  • On the Advanced tab, add details like 993 as port number for IMAP server settings and 465 as port number for SMTP server settings. Choose SSL connection everywhere and save settings. Finally, click on Finish option.
  • Now, click the Advanced tab, and add details such as 993 as the port number for IMAP server settings
  • Now add details such as 465 as the port number for SMTP server settings. Select SSL connection and save the settings. Click Next.
  • Finally, click on the Finish option.
  • Now you can export your OLM emails from the configured IMAP folder to PST mailbox inbox folder by dragging or copying and pasting actions.

Final Conclusion:

As you have seen, the process is having multiple stages and therefore it is very time consuming, and there is a good chance of manual errors throughout the process as well. With this complex method, only a few OLM e-mails can be converted at the same time. It takes more time and effort to convert large amounts of data. Because the process is indirect, there can be gaps at each stage that can affect the next stage. The need for different environments (Windows and Mac) with e-mail clients installed at the same time may pose another hurdle for users. This method is possible, but users have to face many hurdles as mentioned above.


Hence, choosing an alternative solution is a wise decision for the safe side. The OLM to PST converter tool is a great tool for smoothly converting OLM to PST in minutes. The conversion process is completed in 5-6 easy steps, with full data security and without any file size limit. With this automated conversion, no complex server settings are required. It even includes filter options for the custom conversion process with compatibility with all Outlook versions.

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