{"id":694,"date":"2024-09-18T10:09:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-18T04:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mailxaminer.com\/blog\/?p=694"},"modified":"2025-11-18T17:57:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T12:27:36","slug":"search-inside-pst-files-without-outlook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mailxaminer.com\/blog\/search-inside-pst-files-without-outlook\/","title":{"rendered":"Search PST Files for Keywords without Outlook Easily"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Overview<\/strong>: Many email forensic experts and law enforcement agencies need an advanced solution that can help them search inside PST files without Outlook. This article discusses one such solution that offers multiple search types and permits users to load multiple PST evidence files without any hassle. Know more about the solution in detail below.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Microsoft Outlook is one of the most preferred email applications that stores\/exports its data in PST file format. Since PST file store almost the entire data of Microsoft Outlook, it is primarily used by email investigators to look and search for specific evidence within PST files. Moreover, if you have a certain set of keywords, performing email analysis becomes quite simple and effective. Before that let us see the reasons as to why<\/p>\n

Why Won\u2019t PST Files Open for Search in the Absence of Outlook Client?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Directly double-clicking on a PST file pops up a notification that these types of files are only accessible from an Outlook client. So, how to view the contents of PST files without the Outlook app?<\/p>\n

\"PST<\/p>\n

As even when you have a working copy of the client, you can\u2019t open the files on your own you have to launch the client first, import the files to a preconfigured account, and only then can the files become searchable.<\/p>\n

If you attempt to bypass it by trying to see what’s inside the PST using a free text editor like Notepad as unlike MBOX, the Portable Storage Table is a proprietary file format whose intellectual property rights stay with Microsoft.<\/p>\n

Moreover, due to enhanced security features, you will only end up with encrypted gibberish that cannot be read or used for any sort of forensic examination. Neither the new Outlook desktop variant nor the Web-only version allows the upload of these storage tables.<\/p>\n

Attempting any further tries of this may make unwanted and unintended changes inside the evidence, rendering it useless for any further investigation.
\nThus, a proficient Email Forensics Tool<\/a><\/strong> is required that can help you load multiple PST files into it and help perform in-depth search PST files for keywords.<\/p>\n

Know more about the solution in the following section.<\/p>\n

How to Search Inside PST File Using Keywords?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In order to perform searches within PST files, you need to use the most advanced software i.e. , MailXaminer<\/strong><\/a>. This is one of the best solutions that enables you to add multiple email data files, including PST files, into the software. Following that, the tool performs thorough Indexing within the PST file and ensures that you can search PST files for keywords.<\/p>\n

The tool also comes with OCR (Optical Character Recognition) capability, using which this tool can also perform searches within the attachments and images. Thus, if you are looking for an all-in-one solution, this is the perfect solution to help you perform searches within PST files without Outlook.<\/p>\n

Along with OCR forensics<\/a><\/strong> there are multiple search options as well that you can use to make sure you find the desired evidence without putting in additional effort. There are many other advanced features as well loaded in this application that make it a one-stop solution for all email forensic investigators.<\/p>\n

You can schedule a free demo with our experts and get to know more about our software in detail.<\/p>\n

\"\" \u00a0Schedule A Demo<\/a><\/p>\n

Highlighted Features of this Tool<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This software allows searching inside the PST file without the installation of Microsoft Outlook Email Client. It provides the following features:<\/p>\n