The EML And PSL Formats
The EML format has become the preferred standard when it comes to storing an email into a file – this format is characterized by ASCII text for the content of the message and headers, while also containing embedded attachments and hyperlinks. The format has been adopted by many mail clients as the preferred mail data storage solution, while many other applications offer the choice of exporting mail in this format.
Among the applications that use or allow export in this format are: Apple Mail (native for the Mac OS), Thunderbird (from Mozilla), The Bat, Vista Mail (native for the corresponding version of Windows), Outlook Express (the ancestor of the modern MS Outlook), Eudora, etc. Whichever of these mail client you are migrating from, you would not be able to open .EML files in Outlook unless you convert these to the proprietary PST format implemented by MS Outlook. While each EML file contains data from one email, a PST file is large and contains all email messages with the corresponding attachments, notes, tasks, contacts, etc. There is no simple way of converting manually, thus, a specialized converting software is to be used.
The Scenarios When EML To PST Conversion Is Indispensable
The need to transfer /convert your email data might be a result of the following:
- Migrating from Outlook Express to MS Outlook. Outlook Express was used as an email and news client in versions 3.0 to 6.0 of Internet Explorer until it was discontinued. Compared to this, MS Outlook is more powerful and is actively maintained.
- The need to transition might also come as a result of a forced Windows upgrade since different versions of Windows come came with different default or supported email clients.
- You are migrating from an actively supported mail client due to the relative scarcity of features, poor performance, data privacy concerns, etc.
- You are forced to transition from an email client which has been discontinued or faces an uncertain future.
- You have previously used a web-based email client but decided to boost your performance by trying a standalone desktop application and MS Outlook came out as the preferred choice. You were able to download the mail data in the EML format but are left with the challenge of reliably converting it to the PSL format.
- You don’t care about the email client, however, you have archives of EML files that have been corrupted or damaged and you want to restore the integrity of the data by fixing existing errors – some conversion tools do this automatically.
Whichever the reason, to choose a reliable conversion tool, one has to ensure it is able, among other things, to reconstitute the hierarchy (tree structure) of the folders in the previous email client, to preserve the formatting and all the features of the email data, as well as to offer a friendly user interface to guide you through the process.
