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    Home»Email»Outlook»How to Create a PST File in Outlook

    How to Create a PST File in Outlook

    Jabin ManandharBy Jabin ManandharNovember 20, 2023 Outlook 4 Mins Read

    If you manually set up a POP account, Outlook automatically creates a PST file to store all your Outlook items like emails, calendars, contacts, and other information.

    However, since other types of accounts such as Exchange, IMAP, Office 365, or Outlook.com use OST files instead of PST, you have to manually create a PST file for them.

    No matter which account you use, you can create additional PST files. Then, you can use them to create a backup of your Outlook information or import it while migrating from one system to another.

    Use the Import/Export Option

    Outlook already comes with the built-in option to export a PST file. While exporting, you can choose specific Outlook items and Outlook creates a PST file for it.

    You can create multiple instances of such PST files and store them anywhere you want afterward.

    However, note that these files don’t include the rules and blocked senders list.

    1. Open the Outlook app.
    2. Click the File menu and select Open & Export from the left sidebar.
    3. Now, in the right pane, click Import/Export.
      Click-Import-Export-option-Outlook-desktop
    4. On the next prompt, select Export to a file and click Next.
      Select-Export-to-a-file-option
    5. Then, select the Outlook Data File (.pst) option.
      Select-PST-option
    6. Choose the folder whose contents you want to export to the PST file. If you have multiple accounts, choose the folder under the desired account.
      Select-folder-to-export-from-Outlook
    7. Enable the Include subfolder and use the Filter option to exclude specific contents like messages from a particular sender.
    8. To export everything on that particular account, just select the account name.
      Export-entire-Outlook-account-information
    9. Click Browse and save the PST file to your preferred location. You can even rename the file if you want.
      Browse-and-save-PST-file-to-different-location
    10. Under the Options section, choose the preferred option depending on whether you want to allow, reject, or replace duplicate items inside the exported file.
    11. Click Finish when done.
    12. On the next prompt, enter a password to secure the PST file. Otherwise, leave it blank and click OK.
      Add-password-to-PST-file
    Note: While exporting, only a copy of the Outlook information is saved to the PST file. If you intend to archive and move Outlook items to PST go to File > Info and use one of the Cleanup options or configure Autoarchive optionsfor automatic archiving.

    If you use the new Outlook version of the desktop app, you won’t find the File tab and Import/Export option. 

    To access it, revert to the legacy Outlook version as follows.

    1. Open the Outlook app.
    2. Toggle off the New Outlook button in the top right corner.
      Switch-to-legacy-Outlook

    Create a Blank PST 

    Depending on the Outlook version, a PST file can store items up to 50 GB. However, as its size grows over time, Outlook can become slower and have performance issues. 

    To resolve it, you can create another blank PST and store some Outlook items there. The good news is you can even export these PST files using the above-mentioned Import/Export option.

    1. Open the Outlook app.
    2. Under the Home tab, click New Items and select More Items > Outlook Data File.
      Create-blank-PST
    3. On the next prompt, select the PST option.
      Select PST option
    4. Then, enter the desired name for the file and save it to your preferred location. 
    5. Additionally, enable the Add Optional Password checkbox to secure it with a password. Don’t forget to note it down as Outlook will need it to open the PST file.
      Save-the-PST-file
    6. When done, click OK.
    7. Select the Inbox icon and you should see the new PST folder appear on the sidebar. 
      PST folder on sidebar
    8. Now, you can manually drag and drop Outlook items to move them to that folder. Alternatively, you can set up a rule to automatically move specific incoming emails there.

    Export OLM and Convert to PST (On Mac)

    Although Outlook allows you to import a PST file on a Mac system, it stores the Outlook contents in a different format called OLM. 

    While Outlook doesn’t have a built-in option/tool to convert OLM to PST, you can use several third-party apps available online.

    Before converting to PST, you can export the OLM file on Mac as follows.

    1. Launch the Outlook app.
    2. Select the Tools tab. You may not find it if you are using the new Outlook version. In that case, switch to legacy Outlook first.
      Select-Export-under-Tools-menu
    3. Now, click Export.
    4. On the next window prompt, select the Outlook items like email, calendar, and contacts that you want to export to an OLM file.
      Choose-Outlook-items-you-want-to-export-Mac
    5. When done, click Continue.
    6. Save the OLM with the desired name and file location. If you have previously exported an OLM file with the same name, provide a different file name or replace it.
      Save-OLM-file-Outlook-Mac
    7. Click Finish.
    Jabin Manandhar

      As a tech content writer, Jabin covers Excel-related articles at InsideTheWeb. His articles mainly involve helping new users to quickly familiarize themselves with the Excel interface and explaining various essential features. While he got introduced to Excel in his early school days, he developed a keen interest in it after working on a college project. He was impressed at how quickly one could accomplish several tasks with built-in functions like the filter function and user-friendly tools like the power query. Keeping beginner audiences in mind, he loves to explain even the most fundamental Excel concepts in detail and break down complex topics with a step-by-step approach. As an avid Excel user, he believes every task can be done a lot quicker if you know the right tools and techniques. When he’s not behind a keyboard, he loves to listen to interesting audiobooks and podcasts.

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      • Export OLM and Convert to PST (On Mac)
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