How to Back Up or Copy Mail Files in Outlook Express

Updated August 19, 2016

You can never have enough backup copies of your important mail files. Outlook Express lacks a backup feature, but backing up your mail data is still easy.

In addition to the manual procedure described below, you can also automate the backup process.

To back up or copy your Outlook Express mail:

Select Edit | Select All from the menu in this folder.
- Or press Ctrl-A.
- Make sure all files (including Folders.dbx in particular) are highlighted.
Select Edit | Copy from the menu to copy the files.
- Alternatively, press Ctrl-C.
Open the folder where you want to keep the backup copies (on another hard disk, a DVD or a network drive, for example) in Windows Explorer.
Select Edit | Paste from the menu to paste the files to your backup folder.
- Alternatively, press Ctrl-V.

That's it. You have just created a backup copy of all your messages and folders in Outlook Express. Fortunately, restoring your Outlook Express data from the backup is just as easy.