How to Archive Emails in Office 365: A Step-by-Step Guide

Office 365 email archiving, also known as In-place Archiving, offers a practical solution for managing your mailbox storage. This feature provides users with additional space for their email data, allowing you to store older emails without cluttering your primary mailbox. Once archiving is enabled, you can easily access and manage your archived emails via Microsoft Outlook or the Outlook web app. Plus, moving messages between your primary mailbox and archive mailbox is a breeze.

How Do I Enable Archive Mail in Outlook 365?

Enabling the archive feature in Office 365 is straightforward. Just follow these steps:

1. Open your browser and navigate to https://protection.office.com/. Log in using your Office 365 credentials.
2. Select Data Governance from the Security & Compliance Center, then click on Archive.
3. You’ll see linked mailboxes in your O365 account, indicating whether the archive mailbox is enabled.
4. Choose the mailbox you want to activate for archiving.
5. A warning popup will appear—click Yes to enable the archive mailbox.

Wait a few moments for the process to complete. Once done, you’ll have access to your archive mailbox.

Manual Process for Archiving Emails in Office 365

Once you’ve enabled the archive mailbox, you can begin archiving your emails. Here’s how:

1. Log in to MS Outlook using your O365 account.
2. Open the folder containing the emails you want to archive. Alternatively, select the specific emails you wish to archive, then click the Archive tab at the top of your O365 account.
3. Right-click on the emails you want to archive and select the Archive option to move them to the archive mailbox.

Outlook 2016 Archiving

If you’re using Outlook 2016, you can easily archive old emails. Just remember, these messages will be archived locally in your Outlook archive folder.

1. Open Outlook on your computer.
2. Select the emails you want to archive from your Inbox or another folder.
3. Right-click on the selected emails and choose the Archive option.

How to Archive an Outlook Folder

You can also archive an entire folder by following these steps:

1. Navigate to the File tab and select Tools.
2. Click on Clean up Old Items from the dropdown.
3. Choose the folder you want to archive. You can also set a reference date to help with your archiving.
4. Browse to find the desired location and click OK.

Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013 Archiving

The archiving process in Outlook 2010 and 2013 is similar to that of Outlook 2016. Here’s what to do:

1. Open Outlook and click on the File tab.
2. Go to Cleaning Tools and select the Archive option.
3. Choose the folder you want to archive and set a reference date if desired.
4. Browse to determine where to save the archive file.

Use Professional Office 365 Email Backup tool

For a more streamlined approach, consider using a professional backup tool. The SoftMagnat Office 365 backup software makes it easy to export your Office 365 mailbox to various formats, including PST, MBOX, TXT, and HTML. It works with all Windows versions and offers a range of impressive features.

Salient Features

• Back up Office 365 emails in multiple formats, including Outlook PST, MBOX, MSG, TXT, and HTML.
• Save all attachments, including calendars and contacts, directly to your hard drive.
• Enjoy a user-friendly interface that simplifies the backup process.
• Maintain data hierarchy after the backup.
• Compatible with all Windows OS versions.
• Try the free version, which allows you to save 25 emails.

Final Thoughts

In this blog, we’ve walked through the steps to archive emails in Office 365. Whether you choose to use the manual methods or a professional backup solution, keeping your emails organized and accessible is vital. By following this guide, you can ensure your important messages are securely archived without hassle.

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FAQs

1. How do I know if my archive mailbox is enabled?
You can check your archive mailbox status by logging into the Security & Compliance Center and looking under Data Governance.

2. Can I access archived emails in Outlook mobile?
Yes, you can access your archived emails using the Outlook mobile app, just like you do on the desktop version.

3. What happens to emails once they are archived?
Archived emails are moved to a separate mailbox, helping to declutter your primary inbox while still remaining accessible when needed.

4. Is there a limit to how many emails I can archive?
The archiving process provides additional storage space, so you can archive as many emails as your storage allows.

5. Can I retrieve archived emails later?
Absolutely! You can easily access and retrieve your archived emails whenever you need them.