Tips & Solution to Open Lotus Notes NSF files to Outlook PST format

There can be instances where you need to access the Notes data file in Outlook when using IBM Notes or Lotus Notes client (formerly HCL Notes) as your email program.

NOTE: The names “IBM Notes” and “HCL Notes” will be used interchangeably throughout the essay.

For any of the following reasons, you could require access to the IBM Notes Storage Facility (NSF) database file in Outlook:

The user wishes to use Outlook installed on a separate workstation to view the NSF file.

While switched from IBM Notes to Outlook because the Notes program has a hefty maintenance cost. While Outlook saves all mail items in a single Personal Storage Table (PST) file, the Notes program stores emails, contacts, calendars, and other mail items in separate NSF files. Different NSF files might be more challenging for you to manage than a single PST file.

How Does Outlook Open an NSF File?

You must change an NSF file into an Outlook-compatible file format (such as a PST file) before you can open it in Outlook. Using an expert NSF to PST Converter tool will make the conversion simple and quick. Let’s first talk about potential methods for opening email and calendar files from HCL Notes in Outlook.

Method 1: Manual NSF File Opening in Outlook

There are two stages involved in manually opening a Notes Storage Facility database file in Outlook:

· First, export the NSF database to a CSV file.

· Your NSF database must be exported in the Comma Separated Value (CSV) file format for this step.

· Start the IBM Notes application.

· Open Outlook and the NSF file you wish to see.

· Under the File menu, choose Export by clicking.

Perform the following in the Export dialogue box that appears:

· Wherever you want to save your file, select that place.

· Choose Comma Separated Value from the drop-down list for Save as type. Give your file a name, then click Export.

· Select the preferred option in the CSV Export dialogue box, then click OK.

· At the chosen location, the exported data will be stored in .csv file format.

Step 2: Open Outlook and import a CSV file.

· Import the CSV file into Outlook after exporting the NSF database to it. To do this, take these actions:

· Click File in the Outlook application after opening it.

· Click Import/Export after choosing Open & Export.

· ‘Import from another program or file’ will appear in the Import and Export Wizard. Click Next.

· Select ‘Comma Separated Values’ in the Import a File box, and then click next.

· Choose the CSV file that was previously exported by browsing. Select any choice from Options, then click Next.

· Click next after deciding where to store the CSV file.

· To finish the import procedure, click Finish.

· Now that your NSF file data has been converted, it will be in an Outlook-compatible file format. To examine the content of the imported file, open Outlook.

Problems with Manual Processes

You can access and see NSF file data in Outlook using the manual procedure described above. But it has several shortcomings:

· Long and time-consuming: There are various steps involved in the manual procedure. It takes a long time to complete all these processes to convert many NSF files into Outlook PST files. This is because only one NSF file can be manually converted at a time.

· Risk of data loss: If the manual migration of sizable IBM Notes mailboxes to Outlook is not done properly, data loss can occur.

· Need Technical Assistance: The manual method’s procedures might be confusing to understand and put into practice. To manually convert the NSF file to PST format, you might need expert support.

Utilize a Reputable Softaken NSF to PST Converter Tool

You can simply convert NSF file data to PST format and see PST file data in Outlook by using specialized Softaken NSF to PST Converter Software. Additionally, it can aid in overcoming the limitations of the manual method:

· Enables bulk conversion of several NSF files into PSTs with only a few clicks.

· Enables previewing of the converted files to check the accuracy of the data.

· The software’s user interface is clear and straightforward, enabling users to convert NSF to PST files without needing expert assistance.

Time to Sum Up

Popular email programs include Outlook and IBM Notes (formerly known as HCL Notes). However, there can be circumstances where it’s necessary to access the IBM NSF file with the Outlook email program. For instance, you might need to review the contents in an NSF file on a different workstation that has Outlook installed. A few more factors that can encourage you to read the file contents in Outlook are the difficulties of handling several NSF files for mail items or the migration process from HCL Notes to Outlook.

You must change an NSF file’s format to a PST file to open it in Outlook. By manually exporting the Notes data file to CSV format and importing the CSV file into Outlook, you can accomplish this. However, the manual method might be time-consuming, provide a risk of data loss, and necessitate technical expertise.