How to archive emails in Outlook

Archiving emails in Outlook is a great way to manage your inbox and keep it clutter-free. By archiving emails, you can move old messages to a designated archive folder, making your current mailbox easier to navigate while still keeping important emails accessible. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to archive emails in Outlook.

How to Archive Emails in Outlook Manually

1. 1. Launch Microsoft Outlook on your computer.
   2. Go to your inbox or the folder where the emails you want to archive are located.
   3. Click to highlight the emails you want to archive. You can select multiple emails by holding down the Ctrl key (Windows) or Cmd key (Mac) while clicking on each email.
   4. Right-click on the selected emails.
   5. From the context menu, select “Archive.” Alternatively, you can also use the Archive button in the ribbon at the top of the screen if it’s available.
   6. To view your archived emails, go to the “Archive” folder in your list of mail folders. This folder is typically located under your primary mailbox folders.

Automatic Archiving (AutoArchive)

1. 1. Click on File in the top-left corner of Outlook.
   2. Select Options from the left-hand menu.
   3. In the Outlook Options window, click on Advanced in the left-hand menu.
   4. Under the AutoArchive section, click on the AutoArchive Settings… button.
   5. In the AutoArchive settings window, you can specify how often you want AutoArchive to run (e.g., every 14 days).
   6. Choose the folder where you want archived items to be moved. Typically, this would be the default Archive folder or you can specify a different location.
   7. Set how old items need to be before they are archived. For example, you might want to archive items older than 6 months.
   8. You can also choose whether to permanently delete old items or move them to your archive folder.
   9. Click OK to apply the settings and close the AutoArchive window.
   10. Click OK again in the Outlook Options window to save all changes.

Benefits of Archiving Emails

• Archiving helps reduce inbox clutter, making it easier to find and manage current emails.
• A smaller inbox can lead to better performance of the Outlook application.
• Archived emails are still accessible and can be easily retrieved when needed.