Knowledge Base

Email - Importing and Exporting Email in Outlook KB0031267

If a user needs to get emails out of an account before they lose access to it, they can export those emails to an Outlook data file in the Outlook desktop client as described below. 

For PC

Exporting Email to a File Using Outlook on PC

  1. Click File > Open & Export > Import/Export. 

  1. Choose Export to a file and click Next.

  2. Choose Outlook Data File (.pst) and click Next.

  3. Click on the folder you’d like to export. If you’d like to export everything in your mailbox click your email address. Ensure that Include Subfolders is checked. This will ensure everything in and under the folder you select is exported. Choose Next once you’ve picked a folder.

  4. On the next screen, it will ask you where you want to save the file. Click Browse, choose a location and name for the file, and click Finish.

  5. Outlook will prompt for a password for the PST. If you don’t want a password, just click Ok. Otherwise, enter the password you would like for the PST file.

  6. The export may take a long time if a large number of emails are being exported. Please note that the status bar may appear and disappear several times before the export is finished. 

Importing the same file
 

  1. If you are doing the import on the same file, continue to step two. If you want to import on a different computer, make sure that you copy the file from the other computer first. 

  2. Open Outlook and then choose File > Account Settings > Account Settings. 

   
                     

      3. Click the Data Files tab and then click Add. 
     

                  

    4. Browse to the PST file, select it and then press Ok. Then press Close. 

    5. The PST will show in the navigation pane on the left. 


                

For Mac

Exporting email from Mac for Outlook 

Mac for Outlook will export email to a .olm file. These files can only be read by Outlook on Mac and cannot be opened on Outlook for Windows.

  1. Choose File > Export from within Outlook. 

  1. Next, Outlook will prompt you to choose what types of items you want to export. Unfortunately, Outlook for Mac does not allow you to select a folder to export to and will export all the mail in your mailbox. Click Continue once you’ve selected the items you’d like to export.         

  1. Name the file and save it to the location you want. Click save 


                   
 

  1. Outlook will let you know when it is finished. 
     

Importing an OLM file to Outlook for Mac 

  1. Inside of Outlook, choose File > Import. 

  1. Select Outlook for Mac archive files (.olm) and click Continue. 

  1. Find the OLM, click on it, and then click the Import button. 


                
 

  1. Outlook will let you know when it is finished. Click Finish  

  1. The data is now under “On My Computer”. 
                  

 

Importing a PST file to Mac on Outlook 

  1. Choose File > Import inside of Outlook. 

  1. Choose Outlook for Windows archive file (.pst).

  1. Find the PST you’d like to import, click on it, select Continue, and then click the Import button. 

  1. The data will import to the On My Computer folder in Navigation.