Extract text from OAB files
To convert your OAB file to another format, you need Microsoft Outlook or other Database software.
To convert other file formats to the "Email Contact Cache" file type, you need software like Microsoft Outlook or a similar tool.
The .OAB file extension represents the Offline Address Book used by Microsoft Outlook in conjunction with Microsoft Exchange Server. These files serve as a local cache of the Global Address List (GAL), allowing users to access contact information even when disconnected from the corporate network.
While essential for offline functionality, .OAB files are proprietary system containers not designed for direct user interaction. Users frequently encounter them when troubleshooting synchronization errors ("0x8004010F") or when attempting to recover contacts from a local machine backup. Because they are binary cache files, they cannot be opened in text editors or standard database viewers, effectively locking the data inside unless accessed via the original Outlook profile.
To make this contact data usable outside of the Exchange environment, it is best to convert the content into standard formats. For spreadsheet editing or importing into Google Contacts, converting to CSV is ideal. For mobile devices and individual contact sharing, VCF (vCard) is the standard. If you are migrating data to a new email profile or archiving, converting or exporting to PST ensures full compatibility with Outlook.
Convert.Guru analyzes your OAB file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted PST, OST, PRF and CSV files.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our OAB converter.