You can use Microsoft Outlook™ to archive data into .pst files automatically. If you plan to use this feature, make sure that you consider archive data files when planning backup strategies.
Your Outlook mailbox grows when items are created in the same way that papers pile up on your desk. In the paper-based world, you can occasionally shuffle through all your documents and archive important but not frequently used files. Documents that are less important, such as newspapers and magazines, you can discard.
When working in Outlook, you can transfer old items to a storage file manually by choosing Archive from the File menu, or you can transfer or delete old items automatically by using the AutoArchive feature. Items are considered old when they reach the age you specify.
Note Outlook can archive only files that are stored in a mail folder, such as an attached Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or Microsoft Word document. A file that is not stored in a mail folder cannot be archived.
To start AutoArchive
Running AutoArchive is a simple two-step process.
In Microsoft Outlook, from the Tools menu, choose Options.
Select AutoArchive.
You must set the AutoArchive properties for each folder you want archived. You can also choose when to archive these folders. Individual folders, groups of folders, or all Outlook folders can be archived automatically. The process runs automatically whenever you start Outlook. AutoArchive checks the date of the items you specify and moves old items to your archive file. Items in the Deleted Items folder are not moved to another folder. They are deleted.
Several Outlook folders are created after you select AutoArchive. These folders and their default aging periods (the default time by which an item is considered old) are as follows:
Note that AutoArchive does not archive the Inbox, Notes, and Contacts folders automatically.
There is a difference between exporting and archiving. When you archive, the original items are copied to the archive file and then removed from the current folder. When you export, the original items are copied to the export file but are not removed from the current folder. In addition, you can only archive to one file type, a personal folder file, but you can export to many file types such as text.
When you archive, your existing folder structure is maintained in your new archive file. If there is a parent folder above the folder you choose to archive, the parent folder is created in the archive file, but items within the parent folder are not archived in the archive file. In this way, an identical folder structure exists between the archive file and your mailbox. Folders are left in place after being archived, even if they are empty.