How to Open OLM Files on Mac Without Outlook?

Summary: This article helps you understand the OLM file and whether or how you can open the OLM file on a Mac computer without Outlook. You will also learn about an OLM to PST converter tool that helps you open OLM files without Outlook but requires a Windows PC.

Outlook for Mac or OLM files are primarily associated with Microsoft Outlook for Mac. It is a popular email client for Mac users after Apple Mail and is mostly used for business or professional communications.

The OLM files contain all your mail items, such as emails, contacts, attachments, calendars, and other data. The file is created when you export the mail items from your Outlook for Mac client as a backup.

However, to access the OLM file contents, you need Outlook for Mac app on your Mac computer. But what if you need to access the contents of an OLM file on a Mac computer without using Outlook for Mac?

In this article, you will learn different methods to open OLM files on a Mac without Outlook and learn how you can use Stellar Converter for OLM to simplify the process.

Table of Content:

Reasons to Open OLM Files Without Outlook

• Step 1: Use an OLM Converter Tool
• Step 2: Open and Access the Mail Items from the Converted OLM File on Mac Without Outlook

Reasons to Open OLM Files Without Outlook

There are several scenarios in which you might need to open OLM files without Outlook.

These include but are not limited to:

1. You don’t have Outlook and don’t Intend to use Outlook as your email client on Mac computers.
2. You want to transition or migrate to a different email client such as Apple Mail and thus, need to open and export all the mail items from the OLM file to that email client.
3. You may want to access or read important emails or attachments.
4. The opening of the OLM file is required for any investigation or email forensics.
5. If you want to share the contents in an OLM file with others but don’t have Outlook on their system or use a Windows or Linux computer.

Also Read: Outlook for Mac Keeps Crashing at Startup?

Step 1: Use an OLM Converter Tool

OLM files can open in Outlook for Mac. You cannot open an OLM file in any other email client. Thus, if you don’t have Outlook for Mac to open the OLM file, you must convert the OLM file to a supported version that you can open in Outlook for Mac apps, such as Apple Mail, Safari, etc.

For this, you will need OLM converter software, such as Stellar Converter for OLM. The OLM converter tool can not only open your OLM file without Outlook but also convert OLM files to PST, EML, MSG, RTF, PDF, and HTML formats. These are common file formats that you can open using a web browser, text editor, or any other email client.

The steps are as follows:

• Download and install Stellar Converter for OLM on a Windows PC.

• Transfer the OLM file to the Windows PC.
• Launch Stellar Converter for OLM software and click Browse to choose the OLM file. 
• Click Convert. Wait for the conversion to finish.
• After the conversion, select all the mail items and click Save Converted Mailbox.

Also Read: Method to Save Converted Mailbox in Stellar Converter for OLM

• From the save options, choose the Other formats (EML/MSG) and then select the desired file format. Click Next.
• EML format can be opened in a few free email clients, such as Thunderbird which is available for Mac.
• Once all emails are saved in EML files, you can open these files in Thunderbird on Mac without Outlook.

You can also use the Technician version of Stellar Converter for OLM to export the mail items from the OLM file to Microsoft 365 mailbox directly. 

You need to provide a username and password for the Microsoft 365 account to export the OLM mail items. The software uses Microsoft Secure Authentication to securely export all the mail items to Microsoft 365. 

Step 2: Open and Access the Mail Items from the Converted OLM File on Mac Without Outlook

Once all mail items from the OLM file are exported to EML format, you can open them in a few free email clients, such as Thunderbird, which is available for Mac. This way, you can access and open the OLM file contents on Mac without Outlook.

If you have exported the OLM file to the Microsoft 365 mailbox, you can sign in to Apple Mail or any other email client using the Microsoft 365 email account credentials and then open and access all mail items that were in the OLM file in your email client without Outlook.

Conclusion

To open OLM files on a Mac without Outlook, you need an OLM viewer for Mac. Unfortunately, these OLM viewers are not free.

However, you can download and install an OLM converter such as Stellar Converter for OLM to open and view the OLM file without Outlook.

However, the software is available for Windows version. It helps you convert OLM file to other formats, such as EML that you can open in Mac without Outlook.

You may also export the OLM file to Microsoft 365 account and then you can access the Microsoft 365 account in Apple Mail or any other free email client, such  as Thunderbird, to access all the mail items that were in the OLM file.

Also Read: Outlook PST vs OST vs OLM – What’s the Difference?