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File Converters
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To export part of a PST archive to PDF, first identify the source archive, the folders to include, and whether their subfolders belong in the result. Total Outlook Converter lets you choose a folder and select messages for conversion. Define that selection before exporting, then compare the PDFs with the selected source messages. A folder-based selection does not, by itself, limit the export to a particular date range.
Write down which messages belong in the export
“Export the project emails” leaves several decisions open. The messages might be in a project folder, its subfolders, Inbox, or Sent Items. The same folder name can also exist in more than one archive.
Use a short scope note before choosing files. This illustrative note describes a folder-based handoff:
| Scope item | Example decision |
|---|---|
| Source archive | Working copy of Archive.pst |
| Included folder | Projects/Harbor |
| Included subfolder | Projects/Harbor/Approvals |
| Other folders | Excluded from this handoff |
| Date restriction | None; all selected messages in the listed folders |
| Output location | New folder named Harbor-export-001 |
| Attachment requirement | Preserve originals separately if the recipient needs editable files |
The names are examples, not instructions to use an existing folder on your computer. Replace them with the archive and folders you actually intend to process. Record full folder paths where names repeat.
This note helps the recipient understand coverage. A folder export can be complete for the agreed folders while omitting related correspondence stored elsewhere. If the request concerns a whole conversation or project, confirm the relevant source locations before treating the folder list as complete.
Choose the PST folder and messages
The CoolUtils PST-to-PDF guide describes opening or detecting the Outlook data file, choosing a folder, selecting messages, and using the PDF button.
For a selective export:
- Open the intended PST in Total Outlook Converter. Use a separate working copy when you need to preserve an untouched source for later comparison.
- Locate the folder in your scope note and inspect its messages. Check the archive as well as the folder name.
- Select the messages to include. If the whole folder is in scope, confirm that your selection covers it before continuing.
- Check how the installed version handles messages in subfolders. Select or configure the intended scope explicitly; do not assume that selecting a parent covers every child folder.
- Choose PDF and a new output folder. Keep this run separate from earlier exports so existing files cannot obscure what was produced.
Start with enough messages to check the output settings, including a message with attachments if those are part of the handoff. Once the result matches your requirements, use the same settings for the full agreed selection.
A documented command-line example for Inbox
The official Total Outlook Converter command-line reference includes an example that converts the Inbox folder from a named PST to PDF. With illustrative paths and quotation marks, that example becomes:
OutlookConverter.exe "Inbox" "C:\PSTExport\Output" -pst "C:\PSTExport\Archive.pst" -c PDF
Here, Inbox identifies the source folder, -pst points to the archive, and -c PDF chooses the output format. Replace the example paths with your own. Run the command where the executable is available, and use the installed version's help for additional options.
This example follows the published syntax; it has not been executed for this article. It is not a date-filter command or a recipe for every nested folder path. The reference lists a separate option for messages in subfolders, -sub. Add it to the command when the subfolders belong to the export, and check the result. Confirm the required behavior in your installed version before using a command for a larger export.
Avoid adding deletion or forced-overwrite options just to simplify a recurring job. A new destination for each run makes it easier to compare results and resolve a failed or incomplete attempt.
Do not confuse date display, sorting, and filtering
A request such as “all September correspondence” needs a date-based selection rule in addition to a folder list. The public command reference does not establish a sent-date or received-date range filter. Several date-related entries serve other purposes:
| Documented entry | What it concerns | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
-date |
Including the email's date field in the export | Selecting messages between two dates |
-sort date |
Sorting by file modification date | Filtering by the message's sent or received date |
[date:format] in a naming template |
Using the mail date in an output name | Limiting which messages are converted |
If a date range matters, specify whether it refers to sent time or received time, which time zone applies, and the boundaries. “From September 1 at 00:00 up to, but not including, October 1 at 00:00” is clearer than “September.” It is a definition of the required selection, not a CoolUtils command.
Establish that subset with a verified selection method in the software and version you use. Then reconcile it with the export. Do not label a whole-folder export as date-filtered merely because the filenames contain dates.
Decide grouping and attachment handling separately
Selecting a folder answers which messages you want. It does not answer how the recipient should receive them. Choose whether messages should become individual PDFs or one combined document, then decide what should happen to their attachments.
An editable spreadsheet attachment, an original file embedded inside a PDF, and pages rendered from that spreadsheet are different deliverables. Confirm the required result and the product edition before exporting. The Total Outlook Converter product page distinguishes the standard and Pro attachment capabilities.
Keep an attachment-bearing message in your output check. Open the PDF in the recipient's intended viewer and check any separately saved files. A readable message body does not prove that all requested attachments are present or usable.
Reconcile the result with the selected source
Count messages within the agreed scope. A total file count in the destination may include attachments, logs, and other output, while a combined PDF may contain many messages in one file. Neither number is automatically the message count.
For example, suppose the selected parent folder contains 8 messages and its included subfolder contains 3. The expected coverage is 11 selected messages. This is an illustrative check, not a product benchmark. Compare that scope with the converted output and review any reported errors or skipped items.
Check a few known messages from each included folder: one with a distinctive subject, one with an attachment, and one near any agreed selection boundary. Compare sender, recipient, subject, date, and body. Repeated subjects alone are not proof of duplicate messages.
Keep a brief record of the archive, folder list, selected-message count, output arrangement, attachment choice, application version, and unresolved exceptions. Review any available conversion log. If the numbers differ, investigate the source selection, subfolder settings, naming collisions, and reported failures before handing over the result.
Download Free Trial of Total Outlook Converter and begin with a clearly defined folder selection. Keep the source archive and scope note until the recipient has checked the exported files.
