How to Copy Outlook Express Email to My Documents

Email has developed into an important form of communication. Protecting your email has become important as well. It is a good idea to save your emails to local storage so you will have them in case something happens to Outlook Express or your computer. You can easily copy Outlook Express email files to My Documents folders on your computer and to external media.

Instructions

1. Clean up your emails by scrolling through them and deleting any you do not need or do not want to save. This will minimize the number of saved emails which will make it easier to find the ones you need at a later date.

2. Open My Documents on your computer. On the menu bar at the top click file, new, folder. When the new folder appears type a name for the folder in the highlighted box. You also may want to put a beginning and end date in the name of the folder to sequence your saved emails. Over time as you save more emails having the dates will make it easy for you to find the folder you need.

3. Open Outlook Express on your computer. From the tools menu click options, maintenance, store folder. Then click change to open the drop down menu. Double click on My Documents, then find your new folder, open it and click ok twice. Close and then reopen Outlook Express. When Outlook Express reopens it will move all of your email files to the new My Documents folder. Check the new My Documents folder to make sure the email files are there.

4. Save the My Documents email folder to external media (a CD, thumb drive or portable hard drive) to safeguard your email. Put a CD in the CD burner or plug the portable device into your computer. Open My Documents and select the email folder, then select file, save as and in the drop down menu select the external media that you are using then click save. Now you have the email file saved as a My Documents folder on external media as well as the C/Drive of your computer. If anything should happen to outlook or your computer you will have a copy of your emails. It is a good idea to continuously back up your emails in this manner on a periodic basis.

References

• Workers' Edge: Move your e-mail out of Outlook and into the folders of your choice
• brianhooker.com: Backing up Outlook Express (OE) Emails