How to export emails from Outlook, whichever version

Outlook is four different programs sharing one name, and each one exports mail in a different place. Most failed exports come from following the right steps for the wrong version, or from a default setting that leaves out everything older than a year.

How do you export emails from Outlook?

In classic Outlook for Windows, choose File, then Open & Export, then Import/Export, pick Export to a file, and select Outlook Data File (.pst). In new Outlook, go to Settings, then Files, then Export. Outlook.com in a browser exports through the desktop app, and Outlook for Mac saves an .olm file from Tools, then Export.

Which Outlook do you have?

Find your row first. Every path below is taken from Microsoft's help pages as they read in October 2026.

A .pst file is Microsoft's own mailbox format. It is one file that holds a whole account, and it is the format to pick when you want to move mail somewhere else.

Export from classic Outlook for Windows

These are the steps on Microsoft's export to a .pst file page.

1. At the top of the ribbon, choose File.
2. Choose Open & Export, then Import/Export.
3. Choose Export to a file, then Next.
4. Click Outlook Data File (.pst), then Next.
5. Select the name of the email account at the top of the folder list. Microsoft notes that only one account can be exported at a time.
6. Make sure Include subfolders is checked, then choose Next.
7. Click Browse, pick a location and a file name, and choose OK.
8. Choose Finish. A password prompt appears for a new file. The password is optional.

Two details from the same page are easy to miss. Do not save the file to a OneDrive folder, because OneDrive blocks automatic syncing of .pst files. And if you have exported before, Outlook suggests the old file name, so type a new one or you will add to the old file.

Export from new Outlook for Windows

New Outlook gained a .pst export, and it is shorter:

1. Go to Settings, then Files, then Export.
2. Select Get started.
3. Follow the wizard to select the whole mailbox or specific folders.

The limit is what goes into the file. Microsoft's page says calendar and contact items saved in .pst files are not available in new Outlook at this time, so this export is for mail. If you also need contacts and calendar in the file, switch the New Outlook toggle off and use the classic steps above.

Export from Outlook.com in a browser

This is where most guides go wrong. Microsoft's current article, Export your Outlook.com mailbox, gives four steps and none of them happen in the browser:

1. Get a desktop version of Outlook. If you do not have one, Microsoft suggests signing up for a free 30-day trial of Microsoft 365.
2. Add your Outlook.com account to the desktop app.
3. Export the mailbox with the .pst steps above.
4. Optionally, open the .pst file in Outlook to look at it.

Many older guides describe an Export mailbox button under Settings, General, Privacy and data. Microsoft's article no longer mentions it. If you see that button in your own settings you can use it. If you do not, the desktop route is the documented one.

If you take the trial only for the export, set a reminder to cancel it before the 30 days end.

Export from Outlook for Mac

On a Mac the export file is an .olm archive, and Microsoft's .olm export page is written for legacy Outlook for Mac:

1. On the Tools tab, choose Export. If it is missing, look under the File menu.
2. In the Export to Archive File (.olm) box, check the items you want, and choose Continue.
3. Choose where to save the file, and select Save.
4. When the notification appears, choose Finish.

Microsoft states that .olm is the only export option there, and the same page carries a notice that support for legacy Outlook for Mac ends in October 2026. An .olm file is made for Outlook for Mac. If the goal is to move to another mail service, Apple Mail is the easier tool on a Mac: add the account to Mail, select the mailbox, and choose Mailbox, then Export Mailbox. Apple's Mail guide confirms that Mail exports mailboxes in mbox format, which most mail services read.

Why does my Outlook export only go back one year?

Because of two defaults, both documented by Microsoft and both silent. The export finishes without an error and the file simply stops 12 months back.

The sync slider. Microsoft's page says classic Outlook is set by default to download email for the past 1 year. To export everything, open Account settings, then Account Name and Sync Settings, and move the slider to All. Then wait. Outlook has to download the older mail before it can export it, and on a large mailbox that takes hours.

Cached Exchange Mode. For work, school and Microsoft 365 accounts, the page warns that Outlook only exports the items in your current cache, and that the cache holds the past 12 months by default. To export more, turn off Cached Exchange Mode first.

Fix these before you export. An export can only contain mail that has reached your computer.

How to check the export is complete

Do this before you delete anything or close any account. It takes two minutes.

1. In Outlook on the web, open your oldest folder, sort by date, and note the date of the oldest message. Note roughly how many messages your two or three largest folders hold.
2. In classic Outlook, choose File, then Open & Export, then Open Outlook Data File, and select your .pst. In new Outlook the path is Settings, then Files, then Outlook Data Files, then Add file, and Microsoft notes that classic Outlook must also be installed for this to work.
3. The file appears at the bottom of the folder list. Open the same folders and compare the oldest date and the rough counts.
4. Open three messages with attachments from different years and check that the attachments open.

If the oldest message in the file is about a year old and your mailbox goes back further, you hit one of the two defaults above.

What an Outlook export leaves out

Microsoft lists what does not travel: folder properties such as views, permissions and AutoArchive settings, message rules, and blocked senders lists. If you rely on rules to sort mail, write them down or screenshot them before you leave.

The export is also a copy. Microsoft's wording is that nothing leaves Outlook, so your mail stays in the account until you delete it yourself.

Moving the file to another email service

A .pst is portable. Classic Outlook can import it into another account, and several mail services read it directly. Secria is one of them: it imports .pst, MBOX and EML files on every plan, including the free one, so an Outlook export can go straight into a new inbox with the original dates intact.

Treat the file with care in between. A .pst holds every message and attachment in readable form, so set the optional password during export and delete spare copies from Downloads and USB sticks once the import is checked. If you are still deciding whether to stay, our look at whether Outlook is encrypted covers what Microsoft can and cannot see in a stored mailbox, and the Gmail and Outlook privacy comparison sets the two side by side.

Frequently asked questions

Can I export Outlook emails on my phone? No. Microsoft's export instructions cover desktop Outlook only, and the Outlook apps for iPhone and Android have no export. Sign in on a Windows PC or a Mac to make the file.

Does exporting remove emails from Outlook? No. Microsoft describes the export as a copy and says nothing leaves Outlook. Your mail, contacts and calendar stay in the account.

How long does an Outlook export take? It depends on the size of the mailbox, and the export is rarely the slow part. The wait comes first: after you move the sync slider to All, Outlook has to download older mail, which can take hours on a large mailbox.

Can I export more than one account into one file? Not in one pass. Microsoft says only one account can be exported at a time. Run the export once per account and give each file its own name.

What is the difference between .pst and .ost? A .pst is a file you create and can move. An .ost is Outlook's offline cache for an account and is tied to that computer. For moving or backing up mail, export a .pst.

Once the file passes the check, you hold your own mail in your own hands, which is the point of the exercise. If you want it to land somewhere it is sealed with your own keys, a free Secria mailbox will take the .pst as it is.