Data Backup Digest

Outlook is one of the best email clients out there. It’s packed full of great features and is capable of handling multiple email accounts at once. However, if those emails are only stored on your local system, rather than being backed up on a server, you need to consider how you backup data in Outlook.

Not only is it useful when preventing data loss, but it’s also necessary when you want to transfer your Outlook account and associated data to a new system. We’re going to show you how to back up your Outlook 2016 data – and don’t worry, it’s easy.

First, open up Outlook 2016 on your desktop (rather than the web client, if you also use that). Click the File tab in the top left corner of your screen, then select Open & Export from the left-hand navigation. From here, click the Import/Export button and this will launch the Import and Export wizard.

When asked to choose an action to perform, select Export to a file and then click Next. You will then be asked which file type you want to use for your backup, so click Outlook Data File (.pst) and then click Next.

The next screen is for you to select what data you want to backup. You can backup specific folders from Outlook, like your Contacts, Calendar or Notes. However, note that you cannot select multiple folders for inclusion in a single backup. You’ll need to create three separate backups for those examples. Select the folder from the list and then be sure to tick Include subfolders if you want to capture all of the data within.

If you want to back up everything in one go, and that’s the more advisable choice, click the name of your account from the top of the list. Again, ensure you have Include subfolders ticked.

To be more specific in what you’re backing up, click the Filter button to get a greater list of options. For example, you can backup messages from specific people or messages containing certain words.

When you’re good to go, click Next and then input a name for your backup. Click the Browse button to select where you want to store your backup – remember, the best location for a backup is a drive other than the one your source data comes from, otherwise your backup isn’t covered by redundancy.

Once done, you’ll then see a screen that lets you decide what to do with duplicate items if they’ve already been backed up in the past. If you want to conserve space, select Do not export duplicate items.

Finally, click Finish and you’ll be given the option to add an optional password. This is recommended, especially since your Outlook account will often contain sensitive information, like your contact list and important emails from banks, shops and so on. However, you can leave the field blank if you really don’t want a password.

Now click OK and your backup will be processed, which can take some time depending on how much data there is to account for.