Extract text from PAB files
To convert your PAB file to another format, you need Microsoft Outlook or other Database software.
To convert other file formats to the "Address Book Database" file type, you need software like Microsoft Outlook or a similar tool.
The .PAB (Personal Address Book) file is a relic of legacy email communication, primarily generated by older versions of Microsoft Outlook (versions 97 through 2003). These files serve as local databases for storing personal contacts and distribution lists separately from the main mailbox data. The fundamental problem with .PAB files today is obsolescence: Microsoft deprecated write support for this format starting with Outlook 2010, meaning modern email clients - including Outlook 365 - cannot natively open, edit, or import them without complex workarounds or legacy intermediary software. This proprietary lock-in leaves valuable contact data stranded in an inaccessible binary container that standard text editors cannot read.
For users needing to migrate this data to modern systems, the most practical solution is converting the .PAB file into a universally compatible format. For importing into Gmail, Apple Mail, or Excel, converting to CSV (Comma Separated Values) is the industry standard. For migration to a modern Outlook environment, converting to a PST (Personal Storage Table) is ideal. For mobile devices, VCF (vCard) is the preferred target. A secondary, less common use of the .pab extension is for PowerArchiver Backup Scripts. These are typically text-based instructions for automated backups; if you encounter one of these, converting or renaming it to TXT allows you to view the script logic in any text editor.
Convert.Guru analyzes your PAB file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted TXT, PUB, XLSX, SAV, ZIP, EMF, THMX and EMZ files.
If you want to convert PAB file to CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT, DB or SQL, you can use Microsoft Outlook or similar software from the "Legacy Contact Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to PAB, try Microsoft Outlook or another comparable tool in the "Legacy Contact Storage" category.
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 PAB converter.