How to View OLM Files — 3 Free Methods to View OLM Files

Introduced with Outlook 2011 for Mac, OLM (file extension – .olm) is a proprietary mailbox data file format used by Outlook for Mac. The mailbox archive contains a copy of email messages, contacts, calendars, and other mailbox data stored locally on the device itself. As the .olm format is exclusive to Mac systems, users often face difficulty opening them on a Windows PC because there isn’t a native way to open and view their contents. Moreover, you cannot view OLM file on a Mac without Outlook for Mac app. In this blog, we’ll explore ways to view OLM files, both on Mac and Windows, using a specialized OLM viewer and converter tool.

How to View OLM Files on Mac and Windows?

Let’s us explore some ways to view Outlook for Mac (OLM) data file on both Mac and Windows systems.

Part 1: View OLM file on Mac:

You need to first locate the OLM file stored on your Mac before you proceed. Next, you can use either of the two ways – direct import into Outlook for Mac or a free online utility – to open and view the contents of your OLM data file on your Mac.

Method 1: Import .olm file in Outlook for Mac:

You can open the .olm file using Outlook’s built-in Import wizard. Here’s what to do:

For Mac Outlook 2019 and 2016

Note: According to Microsoft, the Outlook for Mac (New Version) now allows importing OLM files. The feature is at the “Preview Available” stage. You can check the app for “Import” or “Import on My Computer” options in the Menu Bar. If in case you are unable to click on them, switch to the Legacy Outlook.

• Click on File and then on Import.

• The Import window will appear.
• Select the Outlook for Mac archive file (.olm) option. Click Continue.

• Another window will open. Navigate to the location of your OLM file. Select it and then click on Import.

• The wizard will import the OLM file into Outlook.

• Once it is complete, click on Finish.

For Mac Outlook 2011

• Start Outlook 2011 on your iMac/MacBook
• Go to File and click on Import.

• The Import window will open. Select the Outlook Data File (.pst or .olm) option.
• Click the right arrow towards the bottom-right corner to continue.

• Select Outlook for Mac Data File (.olm) and click the right arrow once again.

• Go to the OLM file location and select the file.
• Outlook will import the selected OLM file into it.

• Click Done to complete the process.

The imported OLM file will be located in the left pane under “ON MY COMPUTER.” Expand it to view OLM file and its contents.

Limitations of the above manual method:

• Works only if the Mac Outlook is installed and configured
• Steps to import OLM file in Outlook for Mac are slightly different for various versions
• It does not work on Windows PCs.
• The imported data appears under “On My Computer.” It means that it is stored locally and not synced with Exchange or Office 365 accounts. You can view the OLM data locally, but not across devices.
• Large OLM files (>2GB) can take a substantial amount of time to import. In some scenarios, the wizard may appear to be frozen or stalled.

Method 2: View OLM File on a Mac Using an Online Utility:

To open and view OLM file on a Mac without Outlook installed, you can take the help of the Stellar OLM to PST converter online. You can use it via a web browser on any system to quickly view a single OLM file (≤100 MB in size) and its contents for free. Once you scan the OLM file, it lets you view its contents using a downloadable HTML file.

Some highlights of this online converter are:

• Simple OLM file conversion process
• View/convert OLM files instantly, on the go
• No download or installation of any software (Outlook) is required
• Convert an OLM file less than 100 MB in size for free
• Works via a web browser on any system running on macOS, Windows, or Linux

Now, follow the steps below to use this utility:

• Launch Safari, Google Chrome, or any other web browser on your Mac.
• Go to the Stellar’s free OLM to PST converter online‘s official site.
• Click on Sign Up at the top-right corner and create an account using your credentials.
• After signing in, the homepage will open again.

• Click on Upload OLM File.

• Locate and select the OLM file you want to convert. Click on Open.

• After this, you will see the status updated to File Uploaded. Click on Start Conversion.

• The tool will first analyze the selected OLM file and automatically convert it afterward.
• Once the selected OLM file is converted to PST format, the File Converted Successfully window will appear.
• You will see two buttons to choose from.
  • Preview: This option will generate a downloadable HTML file containing the mailbox preview.
  • Save PST File: This will download the converted OLM file as PST file on your system.

If you have a large OLM file (size larger than 100MB and smaller than 5GB), you can upgrade to the Premium edition of this online OLM to PST converter. Using it, you can converter 5 OLM files of size ≤5GB.

Pros and Cons of the Online Utility

Here are some pros and cons of the above way to view OLM files on Mac:

Method 2: View OLM File on Windows

A simple way to view OLM files on Windows PCs is to use Stellar Converter for OLM – a dedicated desktop application that you can install on Windows and view OLM file(s). With this specialized software, you can scan the OLM file and view all its contents in its 3-pane “Preview” window. The first pane lists all the mailbox items (folders and sub-folders) in a tree-view. The second pane shows the contents of the selected mailbox folder. The third pane shows the enhanced preview of the selected mailbox folder item.

Additionally, you can use it to view OLM files even if you haven’t installed and configured Outlook on your PC. You can save individual mailbox items or a complete folder as PST, MSG, or EML files. All you need to do is transfer the OLM file from a Mac to a Windows PC, install and run the software.

Some salient features of this advanced OLM to PST converter:

• Accurately convert OLM to PST
• Preview mailbox items before saving/exporting them
• Save mailbox data as EML or MSG files
• Save individual email messages, contacts, calendars, etc.
• Apply filters or exclude deleted or spam/junk mailbox items from the resultant file
• Auto split PST file at around 45GB
• Directly export data from the scanned OLM file to an existing Outlook profile

Now, follow the stepwise process to use Stellar Converter for OLM to import OLM file to Outlook for Windows.

Which Method to View OLM Files is Better?

Here is a comparison of all three editions of Stellar Converter for OLM and the online tool:

Conclusion

You can open and view OLM files only with the Outlook for Mac app installed on a Mac system. Because of this reason, you are unable to open them natively on Windows or even on a Mac computer without the supporting email client app. To view OLM files on any device, you can use the Stellar Online OLM Converter for free to quickly view an OLM file of size ≤100 MB at no cost and without Outlook for Mac. If you want to open and view OLM files without any limitations, you can opt for Stellar Converter for OLM – a specialized desktop application that can help you preview the OLM file data using its demo version. You can get its license and use it to convert and save the Outlook for Mac mailbox file (.olm) items to file formats, such as PST, MSG, and EML.

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