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Sherlock PST Viewer Open PST Files Without Outlook

Since 2006. CISSP certified. SHA256 verified. Trusted by forensic examiners, legal professionals and IT administrators.

Also opens OST files. See our dedicated OST Viewer page.

Sherlock PST Viewer is a free Windows desktop application that opens PST and OST email archives without Microsoft Outlook. It provides full-text search, folder browsing, contact and calendar viewing and SHA256 hash verification for forensic integrity. The Pro edition at $67 USD adds email export, forensic report generation and chain of custody logging.

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Free vs Pro

FeatureFreePro ($67)
Open PST/OST filesYesYes
View emails, contacts, calendarYesYes
Search within PSTYesYes
SHA256 hash verificationYesYes
Export to EML/MSGNoYes
Batch exportNoYes
Forensic report generationNoYes
Chain of custody loggingNoYes
Priority supportNoYes
Court-ready PDF reportsNoYes
Per-message SHA-256 hashingNoYes
Sender IP attributionNoYes

Forensic Reports

Court-Ready Forensic Reports

Sherlock PST Viewer Pro generates multi-page PDF forensic reports with SHA-256 hash verification per message, sender IP attribution from RFC-822 Received headers, SPF/DKIM/DMARC authentication results and chain of custody documentation. Reports are produced from read-only analysis with reproducible results.

Why Courts Accept Sherlock Reports

Every report produced by Sherlock PST Viewer Pro is built on six pillars of forensic integrity that courts require for digital evidence admission.

SHA-256 per message
Each email in the report carries its own SHA-256 hash. This allows independent verification of individual messages without requiring access to the full PST archive.
Sender IP attribution from RFC-822 Received headers
The report extracts and documents the originating IP address and hostname from the Received header chain per RFC-822. This establishes where each message actually originated.
SPF/DKIM/DMARC per message
Authentication-Results headers are parsed and included for each message. This documents whether the sender domain's email authentication passed or failed at the time of delivery.
Chain of custody
The report documents examiner identification, tool version, session ID, timestamp and source file SHA-256. Every action from file open to report generation is logged.
Read-only analysis
Sherlock PST Viewer never writes to the source file. The original evidence file remains byte-for-byte identical before and after examination.
Reproducible results
Any qualified examiner can open the same PST file in Sherlock PST Viewer and produce identical hash values and attribution data. The results do not depend on the specific examiner or machine.

What the PDF Report Contains

Each generated report is a multi-page PDF structured for court submission.

  • Title page with case metadata including tool version, license holder, session ID, timestamp and source file SHA-256
  • Per-email evidence cards with sender attribution (name, email address, source IP and hostname from Received headers) and Authentication-Results
  • Recipient tables documenting To, Cc and Bcc fields with display names
  • Body content with HTML converted to readable text
  • SHA-256 hash computed individually for each message in the report

Mark Emails. Generate Report.

The workflow is straightforward. Browse or search the PST archive to locate relevant messages. Check the box next to each email you want included. Click Generate Report. Sherlock PST Viewer Pro produces the court-ready PDF with all forensic metadata included automatically. Marks are stored separately from the evidence file, preserving source integrity.

Pricing

One-Time Payment. Yours Forever.

Pro License

$67 USD
Single machine license. No subscription. One-time payment. Yours forever.
  • All free features included
  • Export to EML/MSG formats
  • Batch export entire PST archives
  • Forensic report generation
  • Chain of custody logging
  • Priority email support
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

5+ machines? Contact us for volume pricing.

Checkout - PST Viewer Pro

$67.00 USD. One-time payment. License key delivered to your email.

Secure checkout via Stripe 30-day money back No subscription

Use Cases

Who Uses Sherlock PST Viewer

Legal and eDiscovery

Law firms and litigation support teams use Sherlock PST Viewer to review email archives during discovery. SHA256 hashing preserves evidentiary integrity. The Pro edition generates forensic reports suitable for court filing. Pairs with our expert witness services for testimony support.

IT Administrators

Recover and review emails from departed employees without reactivating Exchange or Microsoft 365 licenses. Search archived PST files for specific communications during internal audits. No Outlook installation required on review workstations.

Forensic Examiners

Purpose-built for forensic workflows. SHA256 hash verification on every message establishes chain of custody. Export individual messages or entire folders for inclusion in forensic investigation reports. Used alongside our full forensic tool suite.

HR and Compliance

Review archived employee email for policy violations, harassment investigations or regulatory compliance. Search across entire PST archives by keyword, date range or sender without involving IT. Chain of custody logging in Pro maintains investigation integrity.

Personal Use

Access old email backups without an active Outlook license. Search years of archived correspondence. View contacts and calendar entries stored in PST format. The free edition handles all personal use scenarios with no restrictions or expiry.

Guide

How to Open a PST File Without Outlook

  1. Download Sherlock PST ViewerDownload the free installer from this page. Under 5 MB. SHA256 verified for integrity.
  2. Install and LaunchRun the installer on Windows 10 or 11. No admin privileges required. Launch from the Start menu.
  3. Open Your PST or OST FileClick Open File and browse to your .pst or .ost file. The viewer loads the folder structure and message list automatically.
  4. Search and BrowseUse the search bar to find emails by sender, subject or keyword. Browse Inbox, Sent Items, Contacts and Calendar folders.
  5. Verify and ExportView SHA256 hashes to confirm data integrity. Pro users can export to EML/MSG, generate forensic reports and log chain of custody.

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Why Sherlock PST Viewer

Forensic Pedigree at a Fraction of the Cost

SysTools PST Viewer Pro costs $299 USD. Kernel PST Viewer charges $79 USD. Sherlock PST Viewer Pro is $67 USD (approximately $49 USD) with capabilities neither competitor offers: SHA256 hash verification per message, forensic report generation and chain of custody logging built by CISSP, ISSAP and ISSMP certified examiners with 20 years of courtroom experience.

Most PST viewers are built by software companies. Sherlock PST Viewer is built by forensic investigators who use it in active casework. The difference shows in the details: hash verification, evidence integrity and documentation that courts accept.

Questions

PST Viewer FAQ

Is Sherlock PST Viewer really free?
Yes. The free edition lets you open PST and OST files, browse all emails, contacts and calendar items, search across the entire archive and verify SHA256 hashes. No trial period and no feature expiry. The Pro edition at $67 USD adds export, forensic reporting and chain of custody logging.
Do I need Microsoft Outlook to open a PST file?
No. Sherlock PST Viewer opens PST and OST files without Outlook installed. It reads the PST format directly using its own parser. No Microsoft Office license required.
What is the difference between PST and OST files?
PST (Personal Storage Table) files are offline copies of mailbox data that can be moved between machines. OST (Offline Storage Table) files are local cached copies tied to an Exchange or Microsoft 365 account. Sherlock PST Viewer opens both formats.
Can I use this for forensic investigations?
Yes. The tool computes SHA256 hashes for every message, which establishes data integrity for legal proceedings. The Pro edition adds forensic report generation and chain of custody logging suitable for court submission.
What operating systems are supported?
Windows 10 and Windows 11 (64-bit). macOS and Linux are not currently supported.
How large of a PST file can it handle?
Sherlock PST Viewer handles PST files up to 50 GB. Files over 20 GB may take longer to index on initial load. Performance depends on available system memory.
Is the $67 price a subscription?
No. The $67 USD Pro license is a one-time payment. No subscriptions, no recurring charges. You own the license permanently with free updates included.
How do I verify the download is safe?
Every download displays a SHA256 hash on the download page. After downloading, compute the SHA256 of the file and compare it to the published hash. If the values match, the file has not been tampered with. Use our Sherlock Hash tool or any SHA256 calculator.
Can I export emails from a PST file?
The Pro edition ($67 USD) supports exporting individual emails or batch exports to EML and MSG formats. The free edition is view-only with search and hash verification.
Do you offer volume licensing?
Yes. For 5 or more machines, contact Sherlock Forensics at 604.229.1994 or info@sherlockforensics.com for volume pricing.
Are Sherlock PST Viewer reports admissible in court?
Sherlock PST Viewer Pro generates forensic PDF reports with SHA-256 hashing per message, sender IP attribution extracted from Received headers, chain of custody documentation and read-only analysis verification. The tool is built by CISSP, ISSAP, ISSMP certified examiners with 20 years of courtroom experience. Admissibility depends on jurisdiction and proper evidence handling, but the reports document everything courts typically require for digital evidence admission.
How does per-message SHA-256 hashing work?
Each email in the PST archive is individually hashed using SHA-256 when included in a forensic report. This creates a unique cryptographic fingerprint for every message. Any modification to a single email would produce a completely different hash value, allowing independent verification of each message without needing to re-examine the entire archive.
Can I use Sherlock PST Viewer reports in civil litigation?
Admissibility depends on your jurisdiction and how evidence was handled throughout the investigation. Sherlock PST Viewer Pro reports document SHA-256 per-message hashes, sender IP attribution from RFC-822 Received headers, SPF/DKIM/DMARC authentication results, chain of custody and examiner identification. These are the elements courts typically require when evaluating digital evidence in civil proceedings.

Get Started

Download Sherlock PST Viewer Today

Free for viewing, searching and hash verification. Pro at $67 USD for export, forensic reports and chain of custody logging. Built by the same team that delivers expert witness testimony and forensic investigations in Canadian courts.

Since 2006CISSP, ISSAP, ISSMP certified604.229.1994

Sherlock PST Viewer is provided for lawful use. Terms of Service

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