Access Archived Emails in Outlook – Step by step

Updated On - October 24, 2023 by Deepika Singh | Reading Time: 3 minutes

Suppose your Outlook mailbox is getting too large, archiving old messages you want to avoid is a good solution. There are several methods for retrieving archived emails in Outlook, just as there are several methods for archiving emails. Figure out how to access archived emails in Outlook in the manner that best suits your needs, depending on how you originally filed them away.

Where to Access Archived emails in Outlook?

Even if you’ve never used it before, an Archive folder exists in your Microsoft 365, Exchange, Exchange Online, or Outlook.com account. You can find the folder in Outlook’s list of folders.

1. Launch Outlook.
2. Go to the View menu.
3. In the Layout section, choose Folder Pane, and then from the drop-down menu, choose Normal.
4. Add the Archive folder to the list of existing folders. To retrieve an old communication, open the corresponding archive folder.

Cannot find Outlook Archive Folder? Update Outlook

To access the Archive folder in Outlook 365, Outlook 2019, or Outlook 2016, you must first update Outlook.

• In Outlook, go to the File menu.
• Go to the Office Account sub-menu on the left.
• Click the Update Now button under Update Options.
• Microsoft will then apply any updates that are found. After the upgrades are finished, the Archive folder will be available in Outlook.

When you use Outlook for work, the number of messages you get grows exponentially. Outlook’s mailbox size increases proportionally to the number of accounts that may access it. When dealing with a large inbox, search queries take longer, and you may need help locating a certain email.

You can prevent further disruption when this happens by moving the messages from your regular Inbox to an Archive folder. There will be fewer emails to manage, and you won’t have to delete the old ones. With Outlook, making a new Archive folder that saves emails to a separate PST file is much simpler. To make it, do as shown below:

• Select New Items in Outlook. Choose Outlook Data File from the additional items menu.
• Create a new PST file and label it Archive.
• Change is the addition of a new Archive folder.

Set-up Archive folder rule

After setting up an Archive mailbox, is to begin storing messages there. The emails can be archived automatically if you set up a rule. To do this:

• Navigate to the File menu, then click the Cleanup Tool drop-down. Select the Archive tab next.
• To save the Archive, you can use the options the Archive wizard provides. You can choose to archive everything in a folder with AutoArchive enabled or chose individual folders and subfolders to Archive. If you go with the second choice, you can select the folder whose messages you wish to keep for posterity. Afterward, select the option to archive everything older than the specified date. Include items that have “Do not AutoArchive” selected using the checkbox. To select a PST file for archiving your emails, click the Browse option.
• Select the Archive mailbox you just made and hit OK.
• Select OK.

The next step after storing emails in an archive mailbox is to retrieve them at a later date. The emails can be accessed in isolation in several ways.

Access Archived Emails in Microsoft Outlook from the Sidebar Menu

If your Outlook accounts are shown in the sidebar, you can access the Archive mailbox to see what’s in the folder. Viewing the emails stored in any of your folders is possible by selecting the folder in question.

When the Archive folder is not visible on the sidebar

You will need to import the PST file from their location if the Archive mailbox does not appear in the navigation pane.

• Select Outlook Data File in the Open & Export Wizard.
• When prompted, select the Archive PST file and click OK to import it into Outlook.

Restore the Archive PST file

If the archive mailbox is no longer in Outlook, but you still need to restore it, you can do so in a more streamlined fashion. The PST file is important, and you can use its functions to manage its contents.

• Select Import/Export from the Open & Export wizard’s menu.
• Select an external file or program and click the Import from that location button.
• Select “Outlook Data File (PST)” from the drop-down menu, then “Next.”
• Then, choose the archived file by clicking the Browse option.
• Navigate to the file you want to archive, and then click Open.
• Pick the third option to cease importing the duplicates. Select the Next button when ready.

In conclusion

The Archive inbox improves the whole program’s safety, speed, and responsiveness. You can make additional room for new messages after you’ve archived the old ones. Emails in the Sent folder, Deleted Items folder, and other user-created folders can be archived alongside those in the Inbox.

After creating the PST file, you’ll want to store it somewhere convenient and protect it with a password to prevent unauthorized access to the emails therein. Unfortunately, just like any other file on the system, this one is vulnerable to corruption. The Scanpst tool (Inbox Repair Tool) or specialized Outlook PST repair tool made specifically for the Outlook PST file can retrieve lost data. In order to restore all of the files in the Archive, you need to invest in software that can detect and eliminate corruption.

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