How to Backup MS Outlook

Microsoft Outlook email application

Backing up your Microsoft Outlook data is important so you have the information in a secure place in the event that Outlook becomes corrupted and data is lost. You can also use this data to sync your Outlook applications at home and work. Outlook saves the backup data as a .pst (Personal File Folders) file that is only used with other versions of Outlook. You can also choose to create backup files in formats that can be accessed by Excel, Access or other programs. It is quite easy to back up your Outlook data.

Instructions

1. Click on "File > Import and Export" from inside Microsoft Outlook. The "Import and Export" wizard will start.

2. Click on "Export to a file" in the first step of the Import and Export wizard. Click "Next."

3. Choose "Personal Folder File (.pst)" if you just want to back up your Outlook data to be used in the Outlook application. Choose one of the other formats if you want the backup file to be opened in another application. Click "Next."

4. Click "Outlook Data File" at the top of the list for what you want to export. Select the checkbox that says "Include subfolders." Click "Next."

5. Choose a location to save the backup file to. The default location is where Outlook will generally look when looking for a backup file. Leave it there if you want it to simply pull the backup into Outlook when needed. Click "Finish."

References

• Microsoft Office Online: Back up Outlook e-mail messages