How To: Back Up Outlook Express Email

Reader Laura writes: Does your article on backing up email just apply to Outlook or can it also be used for Outlook Express? I want to back up to an external hard drive.

The method for backing up Outlook Express messages is considerably different than backing up Outlook messages. Here's how to do it with Outlook Express (just about any recent version).

In a nutshell, Outlook Express messages are already contained in a format that can be backed up. You just have to find the files with the messages in them on your hard drive. That's the tricky part.

To find the files, launch Outlook Express and click Tools > Options. Click the Maintenance tab then Store Folder. The long folder name (which you won't even be able to read in full) is where your email is. Carefully select the entire string by putting the cursor in front of the "C:" on the left and dragging all the way to the right. It should end in "Express." Hit Ctrl-C to copy this location. Quit Outlook Express.

Now go to Windows Explorer (Start > All Programs > Accessories > Windows Explorer) and click in the Address box. Press Ctrl-V to paste the string in this location. The screen will change, showing you all your email files (which end in ".dbx" if you have file extensions turned on).

To back these up, just copy these files to the backup location of your choosing: Thumbdrive, optical disk, or external hard drive.

Unfortunately, this only backs up your email messages, not your address book. To snag your address book, do the following. Launch Outlook Express, then click File > Export > Address Book. Click Text File (Comma Separated Values) and Export. Type a file name and click Browse. Select the destination where you'd like to back up your address book (or just save to the Desktop for later processing). Click Save then Next. You can tweak the following screen as much as you'd like to change the fields you'd like to export, but I usually just add "First Name," "Last Name," and "Middle Name" and leave the rest as defaults. Click Finish, then OK and Close. You're done!

If you have any trouble with these instructions, just let me know. Microsoft also has nearly identical instructions on its website, which you might find easier to follow if you're having trouble following my steps.