Summary: Backing up your Outlook Express email can be done with a few easy steps.
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How do I backup my Outlook Express email? |
Backing up is important, we all know that. And in many cases, one of the most important things to be backed up is your Outlook Express email.
Now, of course, you should be backing up your entire machine. But there are can certainly cases where all you want is to backup you email. The good news is that it's easy to do.
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Outlook Express stores your email in a set of ".dbx" files, one per folder. To locate where those files are located:
Click on the Tools menu
Select the Options... item
Click on the Maintenance tab
Click on the Store Folder button
The resulting dialog will indicate which directory contains your email folders.
Exit Outlook Express, and simply backup the entire contents of that directory.
Related:
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Ask Leo! - How do I move my Outlook Express folders to my new machine?
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Ask Leo! - How do Outlook and Outlook Express relate?
Article C2161 - August 20, 2004
I tried your directions for locating Outlook folders, but when I click on "Tools", then "Internet Options", I do not see a "Maintenance" tab. Am I in the wrong 'options' box?
Posted by: Rita at July 4, 2007 10:05 AMAre my Outlook Express emails stored on my hard
Posted by: Alan at November 5, 2007 10:27 PMdrive or in memory? I have over 8,000 unread messages.
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1
Hard drive. Anything "stored" only in memory is lost when you turn off yoru
computer.
Leo
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.7 (MingW32)
iD8DBQFHMN1UCMEe9B/8oqERAoJ1AJ4y1cL4wexppx53dtkI0GmehBtxBQCfYY3O
Posted by: Leo A. Notenboom at November 6, 2007 1:31 PMv6k+CPJ3u0F6Z+JtDUJ3pfs=
=3Jhl
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
Gave me the missing .dot information needed to find missing emails.
Posted by: C. Gillette at January 6, 2008 5:16 PMThank you.
For some strange reason I am no longer able to delete any of the messages in my "INBOX" the delete button seems to be broken and I cannot use the keyboard either, nor right click to delete. What did I do to cause this and how can I repair it?
Posted by: Penny at October 14, 2008 8:18 PMto see local settings folder, you have to view hidden folders.my documents/tools/folder options/view/show hidden folders. then click ok. then you follow as above instructed by leo and youl see the outlook expres folder containing your email files. hope that hellps .
all the best
Pat Gunn.
Posted by: pat gunn at November 14, 2008 10:06 AMI backed up outlook express and it saved the files as .tib, I cannot open them. nothing I do will work. I build my own PC's so I do know a bit about software...etc. some of those files are over 2gbs, so I am talking about alot of emails!
Posted by: hal at March 23, 2009 7:16 AMplease help. seems that MS gave up on those .tib extentions and left alot of us in the dark.
I really hate BILL!!!!
there is no maintance tab in the tools menu
Posted by: amit at April 7, 2009 11:03 PMI have been working on this issue for more than a week and close to hanging myself (not really)
1. a week ago my outlook express crashed and compacted all my folders--the folders were left but all the emails were gone
2. I found all the dbx files in tact and tried to reimport them several ways
*from creating a new identity and moving them there (after deleting folders.dbx, etc)
3. outlook reads my folders--but not my emails
4. today outlook decided to delete all my inbox emails which i also found as dbx file
5. downloaded thunderbird to say bye bye and convert dbx files into eml files (but the programs they suggest do not work)
6. downloaded some restore programs that show some of the dbx folders and all emails while others say--no emails (even though the corresponding dbx files are huge and obviously have the emails)
I am very desperate and have no idea what to do anymore. I am not a techie and just going nuts trying to figure out solution
I literally followed like 20 how tos from different forums an dnothing helps
If someone out there can be kind enough to really find a way for this to work, please let me know (including any open source or free dbx to eml converters so i can use thunderbird)
Posted by: michael shuster at May 13, 2009 9:01 PMThank you for your post.
Posted by: Andrew at June 29, 2009 1:29 AMI want to know how can i restore this file in windows mail at Windows Vista.