How to Make a Backup of Outlook or Office
As your Microsoft Outlook mailbox becomes full, it is important to manage space and back up data in Microsoft Office Outlook. The Outlook data is stored as a .pst (personal storage folders) file on your hard drive or in a mailbox that is located on a server if you use Microsoft Exchange Server. You can back up Outlook files through two different methods, Outlook AutoArchive and the Microsoft Outlook Personal Folders Backup Tool. The old Outlook files will be automatically archived to a folder while the other files are created as a backup .pst file that you can save to an external hard drive.
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Things You'll Need
- Outlook AutoArchive
- Microsoft Outlook Personal Folders Backup Tool plug-in
Instructions
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Outlook AutoArchive
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1
Open Microsoft Office Outlook and log into the email account. Click the "Tools" menu and scroll to "Options" to open the Outlook Options window. Select the "Other" tab and click on the "AutoArchive" button in the "AutoArchive" secondary section.
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2
Check the "Run AutoArchive every x days" box and specify number of days to run AutoArchive in the box. Check "Prompt before AutoArchive runs" to receive a warning before the AutoArchive runs. Check "Delete expired items," "Archive or delete old items" and "Show archive folder in folder list" boxes below "During AutoArchive."
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3
Specify the number of months to keep the data prior to cleaning. Select the "Move items to" radio button and specify the preset directory to move your old data. Click on the "Apply these settings to all folders now" button to auto archive all the Outlook data. You can also auto archive a specific folder by right-clicking on the folder and selecting "Properties." Fill out the options in the "AutoArchive" menu tab.
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4
Click on the "OK" button to close the AutoArchive window.
Microsoft Outlook Personal Folders Backup Tool
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5
Close your Microsoft Office Outlook program. Specify the language to use the plug-in and download the free plug-in Microsoft Outlook Personal Folders Backup Tool from the Microsoft Downloads Center website (see Resources). Double-click the Pfbackup.exe file and follow the installation instructions. Open Outlook again and log in your account.
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Click on the "File" menu and select "Backup," which is a new submenu item. Click on the "Options" button at the far right hand side of the pop-up Outlook Personal Folders Backup window. Check the "Remind me to backup every x days" box and specify how often you want to back up the Outlook files. Type the number of days only between one and 999. Check the boxes of the specific personal folders you want to back up in the "Backup files" section.
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7
Specify the preset location of the backup file by clicking on the "Browse" button. You can go to the directory and copy the .pst files to an external hard drive or CD afterward. Click on the "OK" button to complete the back up options. Close Outlook for the changes to take effect.
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