How to Export Emails From Outlook

Save messages to your hard drive, Gmail, or even Excel

What to Know

  • For PST: Go to Account Settings > Account Settings > Data (Data Files) > Open Folder (or File) Location and copy the .pst to your drive.
  • You can export emails to a PST, OLM, or CSV file or back them up to Gmail or an external hard drive.

This article explains how to export emails to various file formats plus how to back them up to Gmail. Instructions in this article apply to Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2013, Outlook 2010, Outlook for Microsoft 365, and Outlook for Mac.

After you export Outlook emails, save the file to an external hard drive or back them up to another email application. The steps you take depend on which version of Outlook you want to export emails and what you want to do with the file when you are finished.

Export Emails to a PST File

An Outlook .pst file is a personal storage file containing items such as your emails, address book, signatures, and more. You can back up a .pst file and transfer it to Outlook on another computer, another version of Outlook, or another operating system.

  1. Open Outlook, then go to the File tab and select Info.

    The File menu in Outlook.
  2. Select Account Settings > Account Settings.

    Screenshot of Account Settings
  3. In the Account Settings dialog box, go to the Data tab or the Data Files tab, select the file name or account name, then select Open Folder Location or Open File Location.

    Screenshot of Data Files tab
  4. In Windows File Explorer, copy the .pst to any location on your computer or any removable storage media, such as a flash drive.

Export Emails to an OLM File in Outlook for Mac

In Outlook for Mac, export an email account's messages as a .olm file, which is also a storage file that contains items such as emails, contacts, and calendar items.

For Outlook 2016 for Mac

  1. Go to the Tools tab and select Export.

    Tools in Outlook for Mac.
  2. In the Export to Archive File (.olm) dialog box, select the Mail check box, then select Continue.

    Mail checkbox
  3. In the Save archive file (.olm) as dialog box, select Downloads, then select Save.

    Choosing the Downloads folder to export to.
  4. Outlook begins exporting the file.

    Files being exported from Outlook for Mac.
  5. When the Export Complete message appears, select Finish to exit.

For Outlook 2011 for Mac

  1. Go to the File menu and select Export.

  2. Select Outlook for Mac Data File.

    Screenshot of Export dialog
  3. Choose Items of the following types, then select the Mail check box.

  4. Select the right arrow to continue.

  5. Choose the location where you want to save the file. Outlook will begin exporting.

    Screenshot of Save Data File
  6. When the Export Complete message appears, select Finish or Done to exit.

Export and Backup Emails from Outlook to Gmail

You can export email messages from Outlook to your Gmail account, providing a source of backup as well as the option to access your old emails from any location. The trick is to add your Gmail account to Outlook and then copy and paste the folders.

  1. Set up your Gmail account in Outlook.

  2. Open Outlook and select the folder containing the email messages you want to export to Gmail, such as your Inbox or saved emails.

    Viewing email in an Outlook folder.
  3. Press Ctrl+A to select all the emails in the folder. Or, press and hold Ctrl while you select each individual email you want to send to Gmail.

    All emails are selected in a folder in Outlook.
  4. Right-click anywhere on the selected email messages, point to Move, then select Other Folder.

    Moving emails to another folder in Outlook.
  5. In the Move Items dialog box, select your Gmail account, then choose the folder to which you want to export your emails. Or, select New to create a new folder in your Gmail account.

    Selecting to move emails to a Gmail folder.
  6. Select OK to move the selected emails.

Export Outlook Emails to Microsoft Excel

Another way to export Outlook emails is to send them to an Excel worksheet. This creates a spreadsheet with columns such as Subject, Body, From Email, and more. While you can export your Outlook contacts to a CSV file in Outlook for Mac, this option is not available for email messages.

  1. Go to File and select Open & Export. In Outlook 2010, select File > Open.

    Selecting Open in the open and export option.
  2. Choose Import/Export.

    Screenshot of Open & Export Import/Export
  3. Choose Export to a file, then select Next.

    Screenshot of Export to a File
  4. Choose Microsoft Excel or Comma Separated Values, then select Next.

    Screenshot of Create a file of type
  5. Choose the email folder from which you want to export messages, then select Next.

    Choosing which folder to export.
  6. Browse to the folder where you want to save the exported emails.

    Choosing to browse for a location to save the export.
  7. Enter a name for the exported file and select OK.

  8. Select Next, then select Finish.

    A location to export emails in Outlook has been chosen.
  9. When the process is complete, the new Excel file is available for you to open.

FAQ
  • How do I export an Outlook email as a PDF?

    Open the Outlook message you want to export and select File > Print, then open the Printer drop-down menu and select Microsoft Print to PDF. Next, choose a location to save the PDF to and select Save.

  • How do I export email addresses from Excel into Outlook?

    Open the worksheet in Excel and select File > Save As, and choose .csv as the file type. Then open Outlook and select File > Open & Export > Import/Export > Import from another program or file > Next. When prompted, select Comma Separated Values > Next, then choose the .csv file you exported from Excel. Under Options, decide whether you want to replace, create new entries for, or not import duplicate entries, then choose a folder to save your Contacts to. After that, select Map Custom Fields and choose the settings you need to import the necessary information from the various fields in the Excel file, then select Finish.

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