Export Email Account Data from Outlook on Macintosh


You can export your email account's messages, attachments, folders, contacts, calendar and appointments, tasks, and notes in Outlook as a ".olm" file as a way to save everything if the account is being disabled, or you simply want to "archive" or store the data on a computer's hard drive instead of in the account space on the mail server.
NOTE: "New" Outlook does not yet allow for exporting or importing, please see this FAQ for help reverting to legacy Outlook if needed. You may also export your contacts to a CSV using the online client (outlook.com).

Outlook on Mac will either export everything - all account/folder headings in your Outlook list, including any existing On My Computer folders - or items flagged with a Category. If you are exporting to save an account that is being disabled (vs. everything in your Outlook/other email profiles used in Outlook), you will want to label the account items with a Category first.

Selecting Items to Export

  1. Categorize ButtonClick the Categorize button in the top middle toolbar, then:
    • Outlook (current versions) - select Edit Categories, then the + (plus) sign near the bottom center
    • Outlook 2011 - select Add New from the drop-down menu that appears
  2. Type in a unique name to describe the export, such as "Archive CUIMC". You will only want to use this for the mail, contacts, etc. that you'd like to export, and can remove the category when no longer needed.
  3. Mark the items you want to export with the category just created:
    • To export everything under an account/folder heading you will need to go into each folder and select all items in it:
      1. While in the folder click Edit from the top menu in Outlook, then Select All from the drop-down menu (or command and a keys on your keyboard at the same time). Everything in the folder will be highlighted/selected.
      2. Click the Categorize button and the category name to apply to all of the items.
        Adding a Category Label
    • For a smaller range of messages, you can press the control key on your keyboard while selecting two messages; everything between the two will be highlighted. To add non-adjacent messages you can press the command key while clicking.
    • If there are contacts, tasks, or other account items you want to include in the export, you will have to label these with the category as well.

Categorized items will be marked with the color of the category label and are ready for export.

Exporting

  1. Select File in the upper left of the Outlook, the Export from the drop down menu.
    File Export from Outlook's top menu
  2. Choose your Export options:
    • Outlook (current versions)
      • If you applied categories to items for export, check the Items that are in the category option and use the drop down menu to select the category.
      • To export everything in Outlook (all account/folder headings in your Outlook list, including any existing On My Computer folders) you can choose Items of these types: and check which types of items (Mail, Calendar, Contacts etc.) to include.
        Outlook Export options Click Continue when ready and move to step 3 below.
    • Outlook 2011 - check the Outlook for Mac (olm) data file option, then:
      • If you applied categories to items for export, check the Items that are in the category option and use the drop-down menu to select the category.
      • To export everything in Outlook (all account/folder headings in your Outlook list, including any existing On My Computer folders) you can choose Items of the following types: and check which types of items (Mail, Contacts, Calendar, etc.) to include.
        Export Items in Category Options Click the right arrow at the bottom of the window to continue.
      • Select your desired option in the Delete After Exporting? window and click the right arrow at the bottom.
  3. Outlook will prompt to choose a location to save the export file; be sure to keep it in a location you will remember. You can also rename the file using the Save As field.
  4. Outlook will begin exporting. It may take a while if a lot of items were selected.
  5. An Export Complete message will appear, click Finish or Done to exit.

The .olm (export) file will be in the location selected in step 3. The messages, contacts, etc. in it can only be viewed again after importing into Outlook.