Backup and Restore Emails using Outlook 2013, 2016 and 2019

Manisha Rawat

Published On - November 5, 2020

Outlook contains very crucial data, and people tend to take extra care to keep that data safe. Following healthy practices to store your data can save you from many uncertainties. Such a healthy practice is creating a backup file. You never know when that backup may come in handy and save you from losing important data forever. In this blog, we are going to see how to create a backup file and how to restore it.

Why do you need to backup and restore?

There are many scenarios where a backup file may be the only resort to regain your data. A backup file may help you when you have accidentally deleted the data in case of data loss due to corruption, data loss due to system crash, etc.

Similarly, restoring helps you bring all your data back into your device and let you work as nothing has happened. You may also need to backup and restore data when planning to switch between two devices or two accounts.

How to create a Backup?

When we talk about backup, we mean to have a copy of a file saved somewhere to store data so that it can be used later to retrieve it. Outlook provides import and export features with which one can create a backup. To backup Outlook emails using Outlook 2013, 2016, and 2019 follow the below-mentioned steps:

1. Run Outlook on your system and click on the File option.
2. Now, from the categories listed on the left side panel, select Open & Export.
3. In the Open & Export category, select the Import/Export (Import or export files and settings) option



4. In the Import and Export Wizard dialogue box, select the option Export to a file. Once selected, click on the Next button.



5. Now, in the next step, select Outlook Data File (.pst) option mentioned in the “Export to a File” dialogue box. Click on Next once done.



6. As you proceed, you will see a new dialogue box, “Export Outlook Data File;” there select the Inbox option, as shown in the image below. Once done, click on the Next button to proceed.


Note: If you want to include the sub-folders in your new backup file, check the box right next to the Include subfolders option.

7. Finally, below the Save exported File as: option, click on the Browse button to provide a location to your newly created backup File. For this, browse to the exact drive, folder or space you are willing to save your backup file to. Provide a unique name to the File so that you can find it easily at the time of need. Once done, click on the Finish button.


Note: In this step, you will see that there are some other options available to customize your backup File. So, select the one that suits your requirement. We have selected Replace duplicates with items exported.

Once you complete all of the above-mentioned steps successfully, you can go and check the newly created backup File at the very same location you have saved it.

How to Restore a Backup file?

Well, we made a backup file so that we can restore it at the time of requirement. If you do not know how to restore a file even after having a proper backup won’t help you. Don’t worry, restoring a backup file is as simple as creating it. The process is almost identical, it’s just that we import files in this process, rather than exporting them. So, follow the below-mentioned steps to restore a backup file:

1. Run Outlook and click on the File option.
2. From the File’s menu, select the Open & Export option listed on the left.
3. Now select the Import/Export (Import or export files and settings) option just like we did above.



4. A new dialogue box will pop up on your screen, there you will have to select Import from another program or File. Click on the Next button to proceed.



5. In this next step, you will be taken to the “Import a File” window. There you need to select Outlook Data File (.pst) from the Select file type to Import from menu. Click on the Next button to proceed.



6. As you proceed to the “Import Outlook Data File” window, add the File to import from. For this, click on the Browse button to add the backup File that you want to restore. Go to the file location in your system, select it, and add it. Finally, click on the Next button to proceed.


Note: Once you add the desired backup file to restore from, you will have to select from three options to customize the import process. You can select it as per your requirements like we have selected Replace duplicates with items imported.
Then you can select the saving folder preference and proceed like it is shown in the screenshot added below:

Wait for the import to finish completely. Once finished, all your emails will be restored to your account.

What if you don’t have a backup file to restore from?

Considering every scenario that a person may face while working on Outlook, we cannot rule out this one. Our data is always vulnerable to loss, and you should always be prepared for such unfortunate events. What if you have lost all your data and you do not even have a backup file to restore from. In such cases, you can take help from a third-party application. Recoveryfix for Outlook PST Repair is the answer to this question. With this tool, you can recover even deleted emails from a PST file. Not just emails, this tool recovers attachments with those emails too. Download the free trial version now to try it out.

Conclusion:
In this blog, we discussed how one could create a backup and restore a backup file within Outlook. We were focused on creating a backup and restoring it with the newer versions of Outlook. The process shown above can help with Outlook 2013, 2016, and 2019. In case of PST file corruption, we recommended using Recoveryfix for Outlook PST Repair. Hope this blog helped you backup and restore emails in Outlook.