Ever wondered why hard drives have become one of the most popular computer accessories? It’s because users are increasingly recognizing the importance of data backup, including saving Outlook emails to a hard drive. Data is invaluable, and Outlook data is no exception.
To create a backup of your Outlook mailbox, you can save emails from Outlook to a hard drive or any folder on your desktop. This can be achieved through various methods discussed in this article. Follow the methods below to save Outlook emails to a hard drive automatically or manually.
These methods will help you save all Outlook emails and email folders like Inbox, Sent Items, Drafts, etc., on your computer or internal/external hard drive. You can also save your emails to the cloud if desired.
You can choose to save Outlook emails on your hard drive in various file formats such as MSG, PDF, Word, and HTML. Select the format that suits you best and proceed manually as outlined below.
Save Outlook Emails on Hard Drive as MSG
In Outlook, simply click on any email you wish to save on your hard drive, then drag and drop it into a folder on your hard drive or computer.
These emails will be saved in MSG format. This file format is widely supported, and you can open or import MSG email files into any Outlook account.
Save Outlook Emails on Hard Drive as HTML
In addition to MSG, you can save emails from Outlook as HTML. This format is ideal for web viewing and can be accessed on any device, including smartphones. Follow these steps:
1. Open Outlook and double-click on any email you want to save.
2. This will open a new email window. Click on File > Save As.
3. From the dropdown menu, select the HTML format and click Save.
4. Repeat these steps for other emails you wish to save.
Save Outlook Emails on Hard Drive as PDF
To save Outlook emails as PDFs, first save them as HTML using the steps above, then:
1. Open the HTML email in any web browser on your PC, such as Google Chrome.
2. Press CTRL + P and select Save as PDF from the Destination menu.
3. Click Save and choose the hard drive or folder on your computer where you want to save the Outlook email as a PDF.
4. Click Save.
Save Outlook Emails on Hard Drive as Word Files
To save Outlook emails on your hard drive in Word format, first save the emails as HTML as described above, then follow these steps:
1. Open Word and go to File > Open.
2. Browse to the saved HTML email file and open it in MS Word.
3. Then click on File > Save or press CTRL + S and save the file as a Word document.
Note: Avoid dragging and dropping multiple emails at once, as this may cause your system to freeze and Outlook to crash. Additionally, you can only save one email at a time as HTML, PDF, or a Word document.
Method 2: Manually Copy Outlook PST to Hard Drive
If you’ve configured a POP3 account on MS Outlook, this account will create and store all emails in a PST file by default. Therefore, you only need to browse to the location of the Outlook PST on your PC and copy the PST file to your hard drive for backup.
In this case, you must locate the PST file. Follow these steps:
1. Log in to MS Outlook and click on File > Account Settings.
2. Click on Data Files and then check the exact location of the Outlook PST file on your system.
3. Click on the Outlook PST file and select the Open File Location option.
Copy the Outlook PST to an internal or external hard drive to perform the backup. The PST file acts as a backup since it saves Outlook emails to the hard drive. Additionally, the PST file format is widely supported and can be imported into any Outlook or Office 365 account to access emails and other mailbox items.
Method 3: Export and Backup Outlook OST Emails to PST File
This is the easiest, simplest, and most straightforward way to back up and save Outlook emails on a hard drive. Using the Outlook Import/Export Wizard provided by Microsoft, you can save emails in Outlook OST to a PST file format.
This not only helps back up all emails but also allows you to save other Outlook mailbox items like Contacts, Notes, Calendar, Tasks, Journal, etc., in the PST file. Follow these steps:
1. Open MS Outlook. Go to File and click on Open & Export, then select Import/Export.
2. In the Import and Export Wizard window, click Export to a File and then click Next.
3. Select Outlook Data File (.pst) and click Next.
Note:
- If you need to save Outlook emails on an external hard drive, connect the hard drive to your computer. Then, click the Browse button to select the save location and enter a file name for Outlook. Click OK to complete the process.
- Your Outlook emails will be saved in the PST file on the hard drive. This PST file can be imported into any Outlook or Office 365 account to access emails and other mailbox items.
- This method only works if Outlook can access and connect to the Exchange server. If Outlook cannot access the server and you cannot export and save Outlook emails to the hard drive via the Import/Export Wizard, proceed to the next method.
Method 4: The Most Direct and Easiest Way to Save Outlook Emails on Hard Drive
If you’re using Outlook to access an IMAP, Exchange, or Office 365 account, Outlook will create an encrypted OST file. To back up emails and save them on a hard drive in PST or other file formats, you can use software like the OST to PST Converter Tool, especially when you cannot export PST via Outlook.
This is an automated, time-saving, and direct method to save all Outlook emails to a hard drive in multiple formats. The software converts all Outlook emails stored in the OST file to PST, EML, MSG, HTML, PDF, or RTF formats at once and saves them to the selected hard drive. Unlike manual methods, you don’t need to repeat steps to save each Outlook email in different formats.
Furthermore, with the help of this software, you can also convert inaccessible OST files to PST and save all Outlook emails, as well as other mailbox items, to your hard drive or computer.
Download OST to PST Converter Tool
Conclusion
Data backup provides peace of mind for users. You can choose any of the methods shared in this article to save Outlook emails to a hard drive.
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