OpenAnyFile
Works
Viewing, inspecting and verifying. You get a byte-level hex and ASCII dump alongside the detected signature, exact size and type analysis. File details, exact byte size and the detected signature are always shown.
How to open a .pst file
You have a PST file and nothing on your machine will touch it. Here is what the format actually is, and how to read one in about four seconds without installing anything.
What is a .pst file?
Outlook Personal Storage Table is a binary & system format developed by Microsoft, first appearing in 1996. It is normally produced by Microsoft Outlook.
An entire mailbox — messages, folders, calendar and contacts — in one file. The older ANSI variant caps at 2 GB and corrupts on reaching it; the Unicode format raised the ceiling to 50 GB.
| Full name | Outlook Personal Storage Table |
|---|---|
| File category | Binary & system |
| MIME type | application/vnd.ms-outlook-pst |
| Magic bytes (file signature) | 21 42 44 4E (!BDN) |
| Developer | Microsoft |
| Introduced | 1996 |
| Usually created by | Microsoft Outlook |
| OpenAnyFile engine | universal hex inspector |
| Opens without upload | Yes — parsed locally in your browser |
Open a .pst file in your browser
OpenAnyFile routes .pst to its universal hex inspector, which inspects a byte-level hex and ASCII dump alongside the detected signature, exact size and type analysis.
- Open the OpenAnyFile opener in this browser — nothing to download or sign up for.
- Drag your .pst file onto the drop zone, click to browse for it, or paste it with Ctrl+V.
- The extension is detected and the file is handed to the universal hex inspector.
- Your PST opens on its own viewer page: a byte-level hex and ASCII dump alongside the detected signature, exact size and type analysis.
- Use fullscreen for a closer look, or download the file back out unchanged. Free, and free in the sense that there is no paid tier waiting behind step three.
What you can and cannot do with it here
Does not work
Full-fidelity rendering. This extension has no standard structure, so you get a byte-level inspection rather than a rendered view.
Local-only by design, not by promise
Plenty of sites promise they delete your uploads. OpenAnyFile avoids the promise by avoiding the upload. When you drop a .pst file in, the browser grants the page temporary read access to those bytes and nothing more — the page has no path to send them anywhere. You can verify it in seconds: open DevTools, switch to the network tab, and open a file. The request list stays empty.
Frequently asked questions about PST files
Can I open a .pst file without installing Outlook?
Yes. OpenAnyFile's universal hex inspector runs in your browser, so you can read a PST file with nothing installed. You get a byte-level hex and ASCII dump alongside the detected signature, exact size and type analysis. It will not replace the original application for editing, but it answers 'what is in this file' in seconds.
How can I check a file really is a PST file?
Look at the first bytes rather than the extension. A genuine PST begins with 21 42 44 4E (!BDN). Opening the file in OpenAnyFile shows that signature in the file-details panel, so a file renamed to .pst by mistake is easy to spot.
Is it safe to open a PST file online?
With OpenAnyFile, yes, because nothing is uploaded. The file is read locally through your browser's File API and never leaves your device, so there is no server copy to leak, log or retain. That matters most for the kind of file people are least willing to hand to a random converter site.
What is a .pst file, exactly?
Outlook Personal Storage Table — an application/vnd.ms-outlook-pst format created by Microsoft since 1996. An entire mailbox — messages, folders, calendar and contacts — in one file. The older ANSI variant caps at 2 GB and corrupts on reaching it; the Unicode format raised the ceiling to 50 GB.
Does the same viewer handle formats related to PST?
Yes — the same engine also opens .dll, .doc, .exe, so you can compare related files without switching tools.
Related formats
These open with the same engine, so if you have one of these sitting next to your .pst file, it will open too: