Whether you’re moving to a different email solution, are going to upgrade to a new PC, need a backup of email data, or just want to ensure all the important emails are kept safely in your system, then you can always take care of Outlook export. Once you run the export, you can save the file to an external hard drive or upload the data to any solution. The steps you take are determined by the Outlook version you are using and the type of file you want to get.
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Working with PST Files
All PST files refer to personal storage data containing all email types, contact lists, signatures, and more. You can use the Outlook Export Tool to back up the PST file and transfer it to Outlook on any other PC, a different Outlook version, or operating system. The steps to be taken depend on the email version you are using. Perform the following:
- Open Outlook and go to the File tab;
- Click “Account Settings” and pick the relevant account settings that you need;
- Go to the “Data or Date Files” section, click the file/account name, and then press Open Folder;
- Copy the .pst file to any location on your pc or any removable media, such as a flash drive or a USB.
Working with OLM Files
If you are running Outlook on Mac, then you can export email pieces of information as an .olm file. It is also a storage file covering email items, such as emails, contacts, and calendar entries. Here is what you need to do in order to export data as an .olm file:
- Go to the “Tools” tab and select the “Export” option.
- Pick “Mail” in the “Export to archive” field, then press “OK” to continue.
- Select “Download” in the “Save As” field, and confirm your actions by clicking “Save.” As a result, Outlook will start exporting the data.
- By clicking “Finish,” you will see the “Complete delivery” message.
Exporting Data from Outlook to Gmail
You can also export email data from your Outlook to your Gmail account. Thus, you will get a backup source as well as the ability to access any emails from anywhere. The trick is to add your Gmail account to Outlook and then duplicate all the target folders. To make it happen, perform the below:
- Set up your Gmail account in Outlook;
- Open the folder with the emails for export; these can be your inbox/outbox/drafts or saved emails.
- Press Ctrl + A to mark all emails in the folder, or you can click on each specific email you want to transfer to Gmail;
- Right-click on any place in the selected emails, pick “Move,” and select “Other Folder;”
- Go to your Gmail account, navigate to the “Move Items” dialog, and click the folder you want to export your emails to;
- Click “OK” to move the selected letters.
As you can see, it is quite easy to export Outlook data, and it gives you an opportunity to ensure 100% email data protection and work effectively with it.
