How to Backup Outlook Emails on Mac

Edited 4 weeks ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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Backing up email is an important task that many people overlook, especially when changing to new hardware or software. If you're using Microsoft Outlook on a Mac, knowing how to back up your email can save you a lot of hassle if something goes wrong with your system or you need to migrate your messages to a new platform. In this guide, we'll walk through the steps on how to back up your Outlook email on a Mac, ensuring that your important correspondence is safe and recoverable.

Understanding the importance of email backups

Email often contains important information that can be both personally and professionally important. Whether it's financial information, personal relationships, legal correspondence or work-related exchanges, these electronic messages need to be kept secure. Backing up your email ensures that you won't lose access to this information if something unexpected happens to your Outlook application, computer or accounts.

Preparation

Before you start backing up email, make sure you have a good understanding of the limitations and requirements of your current setup:

• Check your storage space: Make sure you have enough storage space on your Mac for email backups. Email files can be quite large if you receive a lot of attachments.
• Update Outlook: Make sure your Outlook application is updated to the latest version. This not only helps with compatibility but also ensures that the backup process is smooth and less prone to errors.
• Identify important folders: Know which folders and emails are a priority to backup. This will save you time and storage space as you can focus only on the information that matters.

Method 1: Using the export feature of Outlook

Outlook on Mac offers a built-in feature that allows users to export email data. Here's how you can use this feature:

1. Open Outlook: Launch the Outlook application on your Mac.
2. Go to the menu: Click File in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
3. Choose Export: Choose Export from the dropdown menu to open the export settings.
4. Choose the data to export: You'll see options to export email, calendar, tasks, and other data. Choose the items you want to back up. For email, make sure you select Email.
5. Export format: Choose the format you want the backup in. Outlook for Mac usually exports files in .olm format.
6. Select folders: Choose which folders you want to export. You can select all folders or specific folders.
7. Start the export: Click Continue and choose the destination where you want to save the exported file. Choose a location where you can easily find the file.
8. Complete the export: The export process will begin, and upon completion, you will get the backup file (.olm) in your specified location.

The .olm file format is an archive file format used exclusively by Outlook for Mac. This method provides a comprehensive backup of your emails, calendars, contacts, and other data in one go.

Method 2: Copy email messages manually

If you don't want to use Outlook's built-in export tool, you can manually copy your emails to a safe location. Here's how you can do that:

1. Select emails: Open Outlook and navigate to the folder that contains the emails you want to back up.
2. Copy emails: Press and hold the Command key and select the emails you want to copy by clicking each email. You can also use Command+A to select all emails in a specific folder.
3. Drag and drop: Drag the selected emails to your desktop or to a folder in Finder. They will be saved as .eml files.
4. Store with care: Once your email files are on your desktop or in a folder, you can move them to an external hard drive or upload them to a cloud storage service for safekeeping.

This method is more tedious and may not be suitable for a very large number of emails. However, it allows access to individual email files without using Outlook for restoration.

Method 3: Using Time Machine

If you regularly use Time Machine to back up your Mac, you may have already backed up your Outlook emails as part of these regular snapshots. Here's how you can make sure your emails are part of a Time Machine backup:

1. Open System Preferences: Click the Apple icon in the upper-left corner, then choose System Preferences.
2. Select Time Machine: In the System Preferences window, locate the Time Machine icon and click on it.
3. Configure Time Machine: Make sure your Time Machine backup is turned on and that it's configured to include your main hard drive, where Outlook data is stored.
4. Ensure data inclusion: Make sure no filters prevent your emails or Outlook files from being backed up.
5. Backups start automatically: Once set up, Time Machine automatically backs up your entire system on a schedule. Your Outlook emails are included in the process, with no additional steps required on your part.

Time Machine provides a simple and efficient way to ensure all your data, including your emails, is backed up with minimal manual intervention. However, keep in mind that if Outlook files are corrupted, those corrupted files may also be in your Time Machine backup.

Using a third-party tool

If you don't want to use the built-in methods or are looking for additional features, many third-party tools and applications can help you back up your Outlook emails. These applications often offer more flexibility, such as scheduling backup operations and automatically storing emails in different formats or locations. Some tools include Mail Backup X, EaseUS Todo Backup, and others. When selecting third-party software, make sure it is reputable and maintain your data security by reading user reviews and verifying the authenticity of the developer.

Restoring backup email

Knowing how to backup is important, but you also need to know how to restore your backed up emails. Here is a brief guide to restore OLM files in Outlook on Mac:

1. Open Outlook. Start the Outlook application on your Mac.
2. Accessing the Import feature: Click File in the menu bar, then choose Import.
3. Select the file type: In the Import window, select Outlook for Mac Archive file (.olm) and click Continue.
4. Locate the OLM file: Go to the location of your backup (.olm) file and select it.
5. Import data: Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the import process. Outlook will then restore emails and other data from the backup file.

Make sure you have a separate backup of any new emails or data before performing the restore, as this process may overwrite existing data.

Conclusion

Backing up Outlook emails on your Mac ensures that your valuable communications and calendar details are safe. Whether you use Outlook's built-in export features, take advantage of manual processes, use Time Machine, or use third-party applications, the most important aspect is to have a consistent backup routine.

Remember to update your backup copies regularly and keep them in a safe location, such as on an external hard drive or an encrypted cloud service. Familiarize yourself with the process of restoring this data to ensure you are prepared for any situation that may require you to recover your emails.

By following these steps, you help protect your important information, and ensure that you are never caught unprepared in the event of technical problems, data corruption, accidental deletion, or changing to a new device.

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