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I'm in need of backuping my emails in Outlook Web App but I can't find an export/import function in OWA. My question is:

Can you export emails from OWA and how?

jjepsuomi
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6 Answers6

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Here is the enhancement request. You can drag and drop emails to add them as attachments as a workaround (see this answer). You can download an email like this:

  1. Start a new message
  2. Click to edit the message in a new window.
  3. Select all emails you would like to download.
  4. Drag the emails to the new message. This will add them as attachments.
  5. Click the down arrow on the attachment and download the email message, or send the message to yourself and then download all attachments.
Hans Vonn
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    +1 This workaround has saved me! Currently I do have a limitation of only being able to save 40 at a time, but it'll take that over not being able to at all... – g19fanatic Aug 23 '19 at 12:01
  • How are you supposed to read the downladed file again? I'ts a text format but attachments are in binary – tiagosilva Jul 20 '20 at 20:13
  • This worked best, also included attachment! Only downside is it requires outlook or e-mail program to open attachment as @tiagosilva noticed – FreeSoftwareServers Jan 21 '21 at 22:00
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    +1 I hate using the client version and was often forced to use it whenever I wanted to include an external email to a new email. This frees me from it :) – asprin Mar 30 '21 at 04:05
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    I am using Ubuntu and have no issue opening the email after using this workaround. The `.eml` file opens in GEdit perfectly fine (with all the email headers and body). – JustCarty Apr 26 '21 at 09:49
  • My file downloaded as "eml" with no file extension. I changed it to "AnyName.eml" and it opened automatically in MS Outlook (the regular app, not the web app). – ChrisB Jul 29 '21 at 18:26
  • For me, I can add at most 30 MB of emails. If the draft keeps opening in edit view with all the attachments laid out, you can pop out the draft to see the compressed version with the download option back in the web app. Also when I download multiple, it just names it as "file" with no extension. After renaming it to something with ".zip", I can unzip all the emails. – Tony Mathew Dec 24 '22 at 10:23
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No you cannot. Outlook Web App is purely meant to send and receive email, but does not have a backup function.

If you want to backup email to an external medium, you will need a client such as Microsoft Outlook that supports this.

So, in order to make a proper backup, configure your account in a mailclient that supports making a backup. Just because OWA does not support it, doesn't mean its not possible. In modern mail clients such as MS Outlook and Thunderbird, just entering your email address and password automatically configures the client using autodiscovery. Not going for a mail client to make a backup and strictly limiting ones self to OWA is not necessary.

LPChip
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  • don't want to put as answer, because can not test, but you can try: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/archive-emails-outlook-access-52752.html – Drako May 31 '17 at 13:06
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    @Drako archiving an email is not the same as exporting. Archiving means, a flag is set and the email is marked as archived. It is moved from the inbox to the archive but remains on the server and has to be accessed differently. This makes it possible to keep the inbox speedy. AKA: not what OP wants. – LPChip May 31 '17 at 14:59
  • I told I could not test, but archive can be local, if it's not in this case - then it's not. – Drako Jun 01 '17 at 06:53
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    I would have hoped for this https://superuser.com/a/1305796/30809 to have been the accepted answer. a workaround, but working nonetheless. – Ace Mark Sep 20 '19 at 00:01
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Bulk export (save all emails)

Based on Hans workaround:

  1. open a folder with the emails you want to export

  2. scroll down to the earlier emails in that folder to load them all

  3. use the check near the folder name to select them all

    check all emails

  4. create a New Message

  5. drag all emails to its body to make them as attachments

    drag emails and drop as attachments

  6. scroll down and make sure that emails at the end are loaded (all should have their size displayed)

    attachment size

  7. go to the Drafts folder and open the saved email

  8. click on the Download all link:

    download all attachments in a zip

Armfoot
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    Thanks worked like a charm, though I had to email it back to myself to see the Download all. later on I noticed connecting to the local outlook on my windows 10 would make it all easier, – Hossein Mar 07 '22 at 21:43
  • Looks like there's a limit to this workaround, as for 600+ attachments, clicking download all gives this: `{"Body":{"ErrorCode":500,"ExceptionName":"ErrorInvalidIdTooManyAttachmentLevelsException","FaultMessage":"Too many attachment levels.","IsTransient":false,"ResponseCode":"ErrorInternalServerError"}}` – aksh1618 Jun 29 '22 at 15:29
  • This doesn't work if there are too many emails –  Dec 23 '22 at 04:42
  • As of 2023, you may need to email the draft to yourself before having the ability to download all. – klewis Mar 27 '23 at 15:48
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There is a commercial solution available from DragDrop that allows you to Drag emails and attachments and drop them anywhere (desktop, disk or any upload control) https://www.dragdrop.com/dragdrop-online/

This way, no workaround is needed anymore.

Jasper
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  • Note: this is a *paid* app (€19 for single license), but offers a 7-day free trial. – Prid Aug 01 '21 at 20:40
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When viewing an email you want to download; Select the down arrow which is located on the top-right-hand corner of the email. Select "Print" and confirm "print" again. When your browser's print page window opens up, click "change destination" and select "save to PDF" from the list of printers. Click "Save". Now you have a PDF version of that email.

you're welcome
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As there is no Import / Export option in Outlook Web Access to export emails, the only best way is to use a third-party application to save Outlook Web Access emails.

I would recommend you to try SysTools Office 365 Export Tool (for Office 365 Account) or SysTools Outlook.com Backup Tool (for Outlook.com account). Both these tools will get your job done with ease.

Jaspreet Singh
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