How to Back Up Your Emails with Microsoft Outlook
While you might have automatic backups set up on your computer or laptop anyway, it’s really important that you know how to back up your work emails with Outlook. This is particularly important if you are moving your website to a new server. If you don’t do this – you’ll lose all your emails!
A little bit about IMAP
If you are using Outlook email for work, you are most likely using an IMAP account (and you should be – IMAP is better than POP!)
IMAP servers automatically archive your email so that you can access it anytime or anywhere!
Let’s start the Back Up!
If you want to back up the message folders locally, you can export the items to a .pst file that you can restore later as needed and use by importing.
So how do we do that!?
- First, open Outlook on your computer and go to: File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
- Select Export to a file, and then select Next.
- Select Outlook Data File (.pst), and select Next.
- Select the mail folder you want to back up and select Next.
Make sure the “Include Subfolders” box is ticked.
- Choose a location on your computer and name for your backup file, and then select Finish. Make a note of the location (that means the folder – e.g/ you could save the file on the Desktop)
- If you want to ensure no one else who uses your computer will have access to your files, enter and confirm a password, and then select OK. However be careful if you do that – if you forget the password you are in big trouble!!
- Finally, let’s err on the side of caution and find the file that you backed up. Go to the location where you saved it, and make sure the .pst file is there! To be extra sure, you can check the file size. The file size can be anything – but for example if it’s 0kb (i.e., empty) then you know that the file does not contain your emails and you should go back through the steps above again.