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Backing up email from Outlook

Outlook is one of the most popular email clients used by individuals and organizations. It has a wide range of features that make it an indispensable tool for managing emails, appointments, tasks, and contacts. However, despite its many features, Outlook can still be prone to data loss due to technical glitches or accidental deletion. In certain situations, Outlook may be unable to open the data file (OST) that stores all your emails and mailbox data.

To prevent data loss, it's important to export Outlook emails to your hard drive. In this article, we'll describe various methods, how to save Outlook emails to your hard drive in a step-by-step guide.

Download Outlook emails to hard drive

Why is email backup in Outlook important?

Here are some of the most important reasons why you should regularly back up your emails to Outlook:

Protection against data loss: Email data loss can occur due to various reasons, such as technical failures, system crashes, malware attacks, accidental deletion, Exchange database failure and more. Backing up your emails to Outlook ensures that you have a copy of your data in case of data loss, which can be critical if the emails contain important information, such as business contracts, financial records, or personal correspondence.
Access to emails on different devices: If you use multiple devices, such as a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone, downloading your emails from Outlook ensures that you can access your emails from any of these devices. This is particularly useful if you need to access important emails while on the go, or if you need to save your emails to a portable or an external hard drive.
Compliance with regulations: Depending on your industry, you may be required to keep records of your emails for a certain period of time to comply with regulations, such as HIPAA, FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), or SOX. Backing up your emails to Outlook can help you meet these requirements and avoid legal penalties.
Prevents downtime: Losing your email data can result in a downtime that may impact your business operations. For instance, Outlook connection to the Exchange server can fail and cause email synchronization issues. As a result, backing up your Outlook emails ensures that you can quickly restore your email data in case of data loss and keep your business running smoothly.

How to copy emails from Outlook to the hard drive?
To save emails to your hard drive, you can export from OST to PST format from Outlook or use EdbMails to convert emails from OST to PST, HTML, MHT and EML formats. The following methods can also help you backup your Outlook emails to different formats based on your requirements.
- Method 1: Copy Outlook emails to hard drive in MSG format
  This method is useful for those who want to keep a copy of their emails in a format that can be easily opened in Outlook later.
  - Step 1: Open Microsoft Outlook
    To begin, open Microsoft Outlook on your computer.
    Make sure that you have the latest version of Outlook installed to avoid compatibility issues.
  - Step 2: Select the emails you want to save
    Next, select the emails that you want to save to your hard drive.
    You can select multiple emails by holding down the ‘Ctrl’ key and clicking on each email.
  - Step 3: Drag the emails and drop it into your hard drive folder
    Create a folder where you want to save all the emails
    Drop the selected emails from Outlook into this folder to save them in the Outlook Message Format (MSG).
- Method 2: Backup Outlook emails to hard drive in HTML format
  This method is useful for those who want to save their emails in a format that can be easily viewed using any web browser or text editor program. Here are the steps save Outlook emails to a hard drive by backing them up in HTML format:
  - Step 1: Open Microsoft Outlook
    Launch Microsoft Outlook on your computer
    Make sure that you have the latest version of Outlook installed to avoid compatibility issues.
  - Step 2: Select the email you want to backup
    Select an email from any folder in Outlook
    Click on the ‘File’ menu in the top-left corner of the Outlook window.
  - Step 3: Save the email in the HTML format
    Click ‘Save As’ and select the ‘Save as type’ as HTML format
    
    Specify the location on your hard drive to save the file and click ‘OK’
- Method 3: Save emails from Outlook 365 to hard drive in PDF format
  This method is useful for those who want to save their emails in a format that can be easily shared and viewed on any device.
  - Step 1: Open the HTML File in a Web Browser
    To begin, navigate to the folder on your hard drive where you saved the Outlook emails in HTML format.
    Double-click on any email to open it in your default web browser.
  - Step 2: Open the print dialog in the browser
    After the email is opened in your web browser, click on the ‘Print’ option or press the ‘Ctrl + P’ keys on your keyboard to open the print dialog box.
  - Step 3: Choose the save to PDF option
    In the print dialog box, choose ‘Save to PDF’ option as your printer, which allows you to save the email as a PDF file.
    Then, click on ‘Save’ to continue.
  - Step 4: Choose a location to save the PDF File
    A ‘Save As’ dialog box appears, prompting you to choose a location on your hard drive to save the PDF file.
    Name the file appropriately and select the folder where you want to save it. Click ‘Save’ to complete the process.
  - Step 5: Verify that the email is saved in PDF format
    To verify that the email has been saved successfully in PDF format, navigate to the folder where you saved the PDF file and double-click on it to open it in a PDF reader.
    You should be able to view the email as a PDF file with all the formatting intact.
- Method 4: Save emails from Outlook to hard drive in .DOC format
  This method is useful for those who want to edit or modify the content of the email before saving it, or who prefer to keep their emails in a format that is easily editable using Microsoft Word.
  - Step 1: Open Microsoft Word program
    Open Word processing program on your computer such as Microsoft Wordv
    Navigate to the folder on your hard drive where you saved the Outlook emails in HTML format.
    Open the saved HTML file in Word by going to ‘File’ > ‘Open’.
  - Step 2: Save the HTML email file in the DOC file format
    Click ‘File’ > ’Save’ to save the email file as Microsoft Word Document
    Choose a name for the document and select the folder where you want to save it.
    Click ‘Save’ to complete the process.
- Method 5: Export Outlook emails to hard drive in PST format
  One of the most effective ways to save Outlook emails to your hard drive is by exporting them to a PST (Personal Storage Table) file. PST files are data files that store all your Outlook data, including emails, contacts, calendars, and tasks. This method is useful for those who want to save their emails in a format that can be easily imported into Outlook at a later time. Follow these steps to export your Outlook emails to a PST file:
  - Step 1: Launch Microsoft Outlook and go to File
    Open Microsoft Outlook on your computer.
    Click on the ‘File’ tab in the top left corner of the window to access the Backstage View of Outlook.
  - Step 2: Click Open & Export > Import/Export
    In the Backstage View, click on ‘Open & Export’ to expand the menu.
    Click on ‘Import/Export’ to open the Import and Export Wizard dialog box.
  - Step 3: Select Export to a file and select the PST option
    In the Import and Export Wizard, select ‘Export to a file’ and click ‘Next’.
    In the ‘Export to a File’ dialog box, select ‘Outlook Data File (.pst)’ and click ‘Next’.
  - Step 4: Select the folders to save to your hard drive
    Select the folder that contains the emails you want to export and click ‘Next’.
    Choose a location on your hard drive where you want to save the PST file and give it a name.
    
    Click ‘Finish’ to begin the export process.
    If you want to protect the PST file with a password, enter the password and click ‘OK’.
  - Step 5: Start exporting emails from Outlook to PST file
    Wait for the export process to finish.
    The amount of time it takes depends on the number of emails being exported.
    Navigate to the location on your hard drive where you saved the PST file and verify that it was created successfully.
    You can double-click on the file to open it in Outlook and view the exported emails.
    Note: While exporting emails from Outlook to PST using the Import/Export wizard is a useful way to back up your emails, the following are some of the disadvantages to be aware of:
    PST files have a maximum size limit, which means that if you have a large number of emails or attachments, you may need to split the file into multiple parts to avoid exceeding the limit.
    The Outlook Import/Export wizard may not be able to export emails from corrupted data files. For instance, if Outlook is not able to read your email data from the Offline Storage Table file (OST) or if the application has crashed and you are not able to open Outlook, then it is recommended to use a third-party OST to PST converter tool such as EdbMails.
- Method 6: Save all Outlook emails to external hard drive with EdbMails
  If you are looking for a reliable and efficient way to backup your Outlook emails to your computer, using a tool like EdbMails can be a great option. EdbMails is a powerful email migration and recovery tool that allows you to convert OST files to PST format, which can then be easily backed up to your computer.
  Outlook creates an OST file if you have configured your email account with Exchange server or Office 365. If the OST file becomes corrupted or if the Exchange server crashes, you cannot use any of the preceding methods to save emails to your computer. To save your emails or open Outlook OST files on another computer, a professional tool such as EdbMails can help you export emails and ensure that your data is always safe and secure. Unlike other methods, the software tool offers a range of features that make it a superior choice for backing up your Outlook emails.
  - Step 1: Download EdbMails converter for OST
    To get started, you will need to download and install EdbMails on your computer.
    EdbMails offers a free trial version that you can use to test the software and see if it meets your needs.
    Click ‘Start Your Free Trial’ to start using the application.
  - Step 2: Select the OST recovery and conversion option
    After you have installed EdbMails, launch the software and select the ‘OST to PST’ conversion option.
    With this option, you can convert OST files to PST format, which can then be easily backed up in your computer or stored on a network device.
  - Step 3: Select the Outlook OST file to convert
    Next, you will need to select the OST file that you want to convert to PST format.
    Browse the location of the OST file on your computer and select it from the list.
  - Step 4: Configure the settings and choose the export location
    After selecting the OST file, EdbMails scans and displays all your mailbox items
    You can preview and select specific items from your mailbox and save them to HTML, EML and MHT formats.
    If you want to convert the items to PST, choose the location to save the converted file, which can be any location on your computer, such as a local folder, network location or an external hard drive.
    
    Tip: EdbMails offers a range of advanced conversion settings that allow you to customize the conversion process to meet your needs. You can choose to exclude certain folders or items from the conversion, set a date range for the conversion, and more.
  - Step 5: Start the OST to PST conversion process
    After you have configured the conversion settings, you can start the conversion process by clicking the ‘Export to PST’.
    EdbMails starts converting your OST file to PST format, and you can monitor the progress of the conversion in the software's user interface.
  - Step 6: Backup the PST file to your computer
    After you have configured the conversion settings, you can start the conversion process by clicking ‘Export to PST’.
    You can now back up this file to your computer or another storage device, such as an external hard drive or cloud storage service. With the OST to Office 365 converter tool, you can also directly import your emails to the cloud.

Benefits of EdbMails for exporting Outlook emails to your computer

Convert OST to PST: EdbMails allows you to convert OST files to PST format, which can be easily backed up to your computer. It can also convert orphaned and encrypted OST files and export your mailbox items. Other methods, such as copying emails to MSG or HTML, do not provide a single, consolidated backup file.
Advanced Conversion Options: EdbMails provides advanced conversion options that allow you to customize the conversion process to meet your needs. You can choose to exclude certain folders or mail items, set a date range for the conversion, and more.
User-Friendly Interface: EdbMails has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to open an OST file without Outlook. Whether you are backing up your emails for personal or business reasons, you don't need to be an IT expert to use EdbMails to backup your Outlook emails.
Comprehensive Backup: When you use EdbMails to backup your Outlook emails, you get a comprehensive backup that includes all of your emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, and other data. Other methods may not include all of this data in the backup.
Efficient and Fast: EdbMails is a fast and efficient tool that can quickly convert your OST files to PST format. You don't need to spend a lot of time waiting for the conversion process to complete.
Compatibility: EdbMails is compatible with all versions of Microsoft Outlook, which means that you can use it to backup emails from Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, and 2003.

Summary

In this article, we discussed various methods for downloading or copying emails from Outlook to your hard drive. You can save them as MSG, HTML, PDF, or export them to PST format from Outlook. However, these methods allow you to convert a single or a few emails from Outlook to the desired format. If you have an Exchange account and want to export bulk emails from Outlook to your computer, EdbMails OST converter tool is the best option. EdbMails can repair corrupt OST files and enables you to save all of your emails to PST format. Furthermore, you can import mail items from OST to Office 365 and Exchange, making data transfer and migration extremely simple.

In this manual

Why email backup important Copy emails from Outlook Benefits of exporting Outlook