DBX to PST Conversion – Migrate Outlook Express to Outlook

Are you planning to migrate from Outlook Express to Outlook? Outlook Express creates DBX folders to store emails. But you can’t open a DBX file in the Outlook client. You have two options, either import the emails from DBX to PST manually or convert DBX to PST format via a DBX Converter tool. In this article, we’ll discuss Outlook Express vs Outlook. Also, we’ll learn how to migrate from Outlook Express to Outlook.

Outlook Express vs Outlook

The two most popular email clients provided by Microsoft are Outlook Express and Microsoft Outlook. Though both are email clients, they have different features and functions. Outlook Express is an old email client, now discontinued by Microsoft. But some home users and old organizations are still using it. Microsoft Outlook is a popular email client among desktop users all around the world. Outlook Express comes with Internet Explorer versions 3.0 through 6.0. Outlook client is a part of the well-known Microsoft Office suite. Also, it comes as a separate application.

The major difference between these email clients is the email file used by them. Outlook Express creates a DBX folder on your system to store email messages. You may have multiple DBX folders, such as Inbox.dbx, Sent Items.dbx, Drafts.dbx, and Deleted Items.dbx. Now if we talk about the Microsoft Outlook client, it stores the entire mailbox content in an Outlook data file, called PST aka Personal Storage Table.

Sometimes situations may arise when Outlook Express users need to migrate email messages from Outlook Express to Outlook client. If you’re switching from Outlook Express to Outlook, you’ll definitely need to perform DBX to PST conversion.

How to convert DBX to PST?

There are two ways by which you can convert DBX to PST: manual and professional. If you’re looking for a free solution, you must try the manual trick. Though the manual trick doesn’t convert DBX to PST format, it can help you export email messages from Outlook Express to Outlook. Neither you can export email messages directly from Outlook Express to Outlook, nor can you import them. Windows Live Mail, another email client provided by Microsoft, makes this task easy and effortless for you. How?

export email messages from Outlook Express to Outlook through Windows Live Mail

Download Windows Live Mail

Before you can start the manual operation of transferring email messages from DBX to PST (Outlook Express to Outlook), make sure you’re having Windows Live Mail on your system. In Windows Vista, the program is available by default. And if you’re using Windows 7 or 8, you can easily download the Windows Live Mail program from the Internet. Read this article to know how to download Windows Live Mail and install it on a system having Win 7 or 8 operating system. After this, you need to go to the second process (give below)

Export Outlook Express to Windows Live Mail

You must be using your Outlook Express in a system having Windows XP operating (or an earlier version of Windows). Follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Click the Start button > Control Panel. Click Appearance and Themes, and then click on Folder Options.

Step 2: The Folder Options window will appear. Click the View tab. Under Hidden files and folders, check Show files, folders, and drives.

Note: You must perform these steps because the folder containing Outlook Express messages is a “hidden folder” in Windows by default. To view this hidden folder, you need to follow the steps mentioned above.

Step 3: Now you need to locate the folder, named Outlook Express. As you’re using Windows XP, go to the following location:

C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{12345678-1234-ABCD-EFGH-1234567890AB}\Microsoft\Outlook Express

Outlook Express DBX location

Step 4: Once you have located the folder, copy it to the system having Windows Vista, 7 or 8. Refer to this article to know how to copy files and folders to another computer

Once you have copied the folders, follow the steps shown below:

Step 1: Launch Windows Live Mail program on your system. How?
How to launch Windows Live Mail?

Go to Start > All Programs > Windows Live Mail.

Step 2: Now click File menu > Import messages.

import messages to Windows Live Mail

Step 3: The Windows Live Mail Import window will open.

import from Outlook Express 6

Select Microsoft Outlook Express 6 > click Next.

Step 4: The Import mail from an OE6 store directory box is selected by default. If it’s not, then select it.

Windows Live Mail Import

Now click Browse to locate the Outlook Express folder you have copied earlier from the system having Windows XP. Select it by clicking it once. Click Next to go to the next step.

Step 5: Now select the messages folders that you would like to import to Windows Live Mail.

Windows Live Mail Import

You may select All folders to import all the folders, or Selected folders to select the folders which you want to import. Click Next.

Step 6: This will start the importing process on your system. Don’t cancel it until it gets successfully completed.

Windows Live Mail Import

Step 7: Within a couple of minutes, you’ll receive this message “Import Complete”.

Windows Live Mail Import

Finally, click Finish.

Your Outlook Express data have been successfully imported into Windows Live Mail. Now you need to export emails to Outlook client. For this, you need to go through the third process which is…

Import Windows Live Mail to Outlook

This is the last process, but not the least one. In this process, you can move all your data (imported earlier from Outlook Express to Windows Live Mail) from Windows Live Mail to Outlook. You need to follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Launch Microsoft Outlook on your system.

MS Outlook 2010

At the same time, open Windows Live Mail.

Windows Live Mail

Step 2: In the Windows Live Mail, click File > Export and then select Email messages.

how to convert EML to PST format

Step 3: Now select the format into which you want to export emails.

how to convert EML to PST format

Select Microsoft Exchange as the format > click Next.

Step 4: When you click Next, you’ll receive this message “This will export messages from Windows Live Mail to Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Exchange”.

how to convert EML to PST format

Click OK to continue.

Step 5: You can export all the email folders or select the appropriate folders which you want to export by using the Select folders option.

how to convert EML to PST format

Step 6: Once you select the appropriate option, click OK.

how to convert EML to PST format

This will start the export process on your system. You should wait for the export process to be completed.

Step 7: Once the process is completed, the Export Complete dialog box will appear on your screen.

how to convert EML to PST format

Finally, click Finish.

Important note

The time taken in this process depends on the number of email messages you want to export. The more messages you want to export, the more time it takes or vice-versa.

Outlook Express users might also be interested in DBX Repair Manual Trick – Repair Outlook Express Files

Another way to convert DBX to PST format

If you don’t want to use Windows Live Mail, you can try another manual trick to migrate from Outlook Express to Outlook. This time, you need to use the Import feature of MS Outlook client here. But make sure that Outlook Express client has been installed on your system. Follow the steps shown below:

Step 1: First, launch Microsoft Outlook on your system.

MS Outlook 2010

Make sure you don’t open Outlook Express client at the same time.

Step 2: Click the File menu in the taskbar.

import DBX to PST

Click Open in the options > Import.

Step 3: On the Import and Export Wizard, choose Import Internet Mail and Addresses in the options.

import DBX to PST

Click Next to continue the process.

Step 4: On the Outlook Import Tool dialog box, select the Internet Mail application to import from.

import DBX to PST

In the options, choose Outlook Express. Also, define what you want to import, i.e. email and/or address book. Click Next to continue the process.

Note: If you only check “Import Mail” box, it’ll start the import process for email messages. But if you select “Import Address book” box or both, the Import Addresses dialog box will appear.

Step 5: Select any of these options: Replace duplicates with items imported, Allow duplicates to be created, Do not import duplicate items.

import DBX to PST

Finally, click Finish to start the import process for both emails as well as the address book.

Step 6: You can see the progress bar on Import progress window.

import DBX to PST

Step 7: Once the process is successfully completed, you can check the import summary.

Click Save in Inbox to save the email messages into your Inbox mailbox folder of Outlook. And then click OK.

Professional Solution for DBX to PST Conversion

The above DIY tricks can help you import the email messages from Outlook Express to Outlook. But if you need to import a large number of email messages, a lot of time and effort is mainly required. So if you’re looking for an easy, quick, and effective way to convert DBX to PST file format, you should consider using a professional solution. If you search on Google, there are many vendors providing 3rd party tools for DBX to PST conversion. The DBX Converter tool provided by SysInfoTools Software is considered one of the best solutions. Via this software, you can safely convert DBX to PST format with utmost accuracy. It maintains the Metadata properties, Internet headers, and attachments during conversion. Before purchasing the licensed version of this DBX to PST Converter tool, download the demo version for free evaluation.

The demo version of DBX Converter tool contains the same features and functionalities. You can successfully convert DBX to PST file. But there’s a limitation in the demo version. By using the demo version, you can only save first 25 email messages of each DBX file you select into a new PST file. In order to avoid this limitation, you need to purchase the licensed version.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve discussed the difference between Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, and their files, i.e. DBX and PST. Also, we’ve learned how to import the email messages from Outlook Express to Outlook by using two different manual tricks. And if the manual tricks don’t help you, then you should consider using a professional DBX to PST Converter tool.

Watch the online video tutorial below

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