How to Manually Back Up Your Outlook Email

revised October 16 2003, Peter Mosinskis, Coordinator for Web Services

Summary

This document provides step-by-step instructions on how to back up your Outlook email to the hard drive on your local computer, so that you may keep a backup copy of old emails and browse your email offline.

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Open Microsoft Outlook.
2. Click File, then select Import and Export?
3. 
4. Select ?Export to a file? and click Next.
5. 
6. Select ?Personal Folders File .pst? and click Next. If you don?t see this option, scroll the option window down.
7. 
8. Then, select the folders you wish to backup. If you want to back up everything you have in Outlook, select your ?Mailbox ? Your Name? as in the example below and check the ?Include subfolders? box. Check ?Include subfolders? if you have subfolders in any of your Mailbox areas that you wish to be included in your backup. When you?re done, click Next.
9. 
10. Click the ?Browse? button, and pick a location to save your file. Give your file a handy name, like ?Outlook Backup 1-3-2003?. Click OK. Leave the Options as-is. Click Finish.
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12. Finally, type a handy name for your backup file in the Name: box. Also, select ?No Encryption?. Click OK.
13. 
14. You have now created a backup of your Outlook. You can now save it on a recordable CD or Zip disk. NOTE: the archives can be fairly large.

To Open Your Backed-Up File in Outlook:

1. Click File, Open, Personal Folders File .pst?
2. 
3. Browse through your Hard Drive to find your backup file that you previously saved.
4. Click OK.
5. The folder will open up in the Folder List window of Outlook (see picture below). In this case, the archive was named ?Peter?s Outlook Backup 1-6-2003? in step #12 of the backup process as listed above. You can now browse your backed-up archives, print, etc.
6. 

To Delete Your Existing Files

Your old Inbox and Sent Items files should be deleted when necessary in order to free up space in your email Inbox. Be sure and follow the procedure listed above to back up your data before you delete any files.

NOTE: While server backups are kept, you should treat your files as though once they are deleted, they will probably not be recoverable.

1. Select the files in your Inbox or Sent Items folder (see picture below)
   1. Press and hold Shift and left click with your mouse to select multiple adjacent files.
   2. Press and hold Ctrl and left click with your mouse to select multiple non-adjacent files.
2. 
3. Next, press the Delete key on your keyboard. This will move the highlighted files to the ?Deleted Items? folder in the Folder List at left. If you make a mistake, click Edit, Undo? to undo your last action.
4. NOTE: this next step will remove your files from the network and may make them unrecoverable.
5. Finally, right-click with your mouse on the ?Deleted Items? folder in the Folder List at left and select ?Empty Deleted Items Folder? from the popup menu.
6. 
7. Your files have now been deleted from the email server and you will have additional space to receive more email messages.