How to Convert PST to PDF With & Without Outlook

Written By Eva Shirley
Approved By Mithilesh Tata
Publish on March 18th, 2025
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Summary: Most companies prefer to have a local backup of their emails to enhance security and ease of access. Because of this aspect, users want to convert PST to PDF. Nevertheless, PDFs are a versatile service, providing customers with access on different devices. This conversion offers enhanced communication between different operating systems. In this blog, we demonstrate simple manual procedures along with a dedicated PST Converter to easily convert your PST file.

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What are the Reasons to Convert PST File to PDF?

Converting a PST (Personal Storage Table) file to PDF has many advantages, especially in data management, accessibility, and security. Some of the main reasons why this conversion should be considered are listed below:

PDFs are readable on any operating system and device without needing any special software.
Once you’ve stored emails in PDF, you can secure them for later use without logging in to your Outlook account.
It is more convenient to send PDFs than sending files via email. This way also guarantees that attachments are in their original format.
PDFs are also compact compared to other formats and consume less space to store the information.
Besides that, you can encrypt and password-protect the PDF documents so you can safely keep the sensitive information

By transferring PST files to PDF, users achieve greater accessibility, security, and ease of management while keeping their email data safe and easily sharable.

How to Convert Outlook Data File to PDF Format?

Now we are aware that PST to PDF conversion is an effective method of backing up, sharing data, or viewing it offline. You can save PST emails as PDFs in several ways, depending on your requirement. Following are two of the best methods of successfully converting your Outlook emails into PDF.

Manual Method to Convert Outlook PST to PDF

The simplest method of converting a PST file to PDF is through the use of Outlook’s native “Print” option. By choosing “Microsoft Print to PDF” as the printer, you can export emails to PDF without any third-party applications. This process is easy and efficient for converting individual emails contained in a PST file manually.

First, download, install, and launch Microsoft Outlook on your default system as an administrator.
Next, log in with your valid account credentials.
After that, select the desired email you would like to convert.
Next, navigate to the File section in the Info section.
Then, click on the Print option in the file panel.
After that, select the Microsoft Print to PDF option from the list of available options.
Here, select another feature given within the Print Options tab.
Then, after defining the properties and features, click on the Print button.
Now, input the desired location and name of the output files.
Finally, click on the Save button to save the file.

Note: The manual process to export Outlook emails in PDF usually doesn’t include bulk conversion. So, users have to convert emails individually.

Limitations of Manual Method

The manual method of converting PST files to PDF has several limitations, including:

This method does not bulk convert PST to PDF at the same time.
Converting each email individually can be tedious and ineffective, particularly when dealing with massive volumes of data.
You have limited control over the layout or format of the PDF, which might not suit particular requirements for certain users.
While the email content is converted, attachments are saved separately, which can complicate the conversion process.
This method relies on having Microsoft Outlook installed, limiting its use for those without the application.
Manual conversion is prone to human error, particularly in the case of large numbers of emails.

For these reasons, employing specialized software to convert Outlook emails to PDF is usually more effective and dependable.

Simplest Way to Convert PST to PDF Without Outlook

This PST Converter Tool is among the most trusted tools applied to convert Outlook PST files into the PDF file format. It also finishes the tasks of conversion without changing the content. Further, it can import PST to Amazon WorkMail and email platforms. It offers a collection of exclusive features to ease and make the conversion accurate. Since it has a friendly interface, is fast in execution, and offers creative migration possibilities, it is better than other tools.

Steps to Convert PST to PDF with Attachments

Below are the instructions to guide you through how the tool operates. Simply follow them step by step:

First, download and install the PST Converter Tool on your system.
Next, click on the Select File or Select Folder option to choose the file.
After that, browse and select the PST file from your local drive.
Now, preview all details and file in tree-like structure.
Next, browse or select the essential mailbox folders for conversion.
Here, from the dropdown list, select PDF file format to save.
After that, choose the optional feature of the software that you need.
Then, browse a destination on your local system to save a resultant file.
Lastly, click on the Convert button.

Conclusion

In short, the blog has discussed why and how to convert PST to PDF file format. Some manual methods are present but can be time-consuming with a high risk of losing data. Professional software for PST Conversion simplifies things in less time with no errors and data loss. The best choice for non-technical users is a trustworthy conversion tool. It depends on the choice of the individual based on requirements and preferences.

About The Author:

Eva Shirley

Eva Shirley is a skilled technical content writer with expertise in creating engaging and informative content. With over 5 years of experience and a passion for writing, she has solved many users' queries by providing quality content.