CREATE .OST FILE

TWITCH 0 Reputation points
2026-09-15T05:08:48.9466667+00:00

I WANT TO DELTE A BIGPOND EMAIL ADDRESS. HOW DO I CREATE AN .OST FILE FIRST?

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For home
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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-15T05:09:00.91+00:00

    An .ost file is not a backup file. For Outlook.com, Exchange, IMAP, and Microsoft 365 accounts, Outlook uses an .ost as a local offline copy of mailbox data. When the account is added, Outlook creates the .ost automatically.

    For a BigPond email account, creating an .ost first is not the right backup method. If the goal is to keep mail before deleting the account, save the data to an Outlook Data File (.pst) instead.

    To create a .pst file in Outlook:

    1. From the Inbox, select New Items > More Items > Outlook Data File.
    2. Enter a File name.
    3. If needed, select Add Optional Password.
    4. Select OK.

    Also note:

    • .ost files do not need to be backed up because they are copies of items stored on the mail server.
    • If the account is recreated later, Outlook creates a new .ost automatically.
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  2. Vikki-T 10,375 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-09-15T09:34:24.36+00:00

    Hi TWITCH,

    I understand that you want to protect your emails before removing the BigPond account.

    You do not need to create an .ost file first. In new Outlook for Windows, the safer option is to export the emails you want to keep to a .pst file. Go to Settings > Files > Export, select the BigPond mailbox or the required folders, and follow the export wizard. Before removing the account, please verify that the exported file contains the emails you need.

    Could you also clarify whether you only want to remove the BigPond account from Outlook or permanently close the email address with Telstra? Removing it from Outlook will not close the email service itself.

    For more information, see Export emails, contacts, and calendar items using a .pst file. Thank you so much for your understanding.   

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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