How to Back Up Outlook Email on an External Drive
Microsoft Outlook is useful for storing and managing an email account in an organized, accessible manner. It can be so useful, in fact, many users begin to rely heavily on the information contained in their Outlook files and need to create a backup to prevent the loss of important data. Outlook features an import and export tool that can create a backup of your Outlook file, which has a .pst file extension, in case Outlook needs to be restored for any reason.
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Instructions
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Click "Start" in the bottom left corner of the screen, then choose "All Programs" and select Microsoft Outlook.
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Select "File" at the top of the screen.
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Click "Open," then choose "Import." This will open the "Import and Export Wizard" in a new window.
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Select "Export to a file" from the list in the center of the window, then click "Next."
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Click "Outlook Data File (.pst)" from the center list and click "Next."
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Select "Personal Folders" under "Select folder to export from," check the box next to "Include subfolders," then click "Next."
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Click "Browse" and select the location on your external drive for the backup copy of your Outlook email. Choose "Replace Duplicates with Items Exported," then click "Next."
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Click "Finish" to backup your Outlook email.
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Tips & Warnings
Outlook email backup should be performed as often as possible to minimize the potential for data loss. If your Outlook file is large, the process can be time-consuming, so consider starting your backup when you will be away from the computer for an extended period of time.
