Archive Emails in Office 365 Account: Admin & User Guide

What Does “Archiving” Mean in Office 365?

When you archive an email in Office 365, it moves to a separate mailbox called the In-Place Archive (sometimes shown as “Online Archive” in Outlook). This archive mailbox lives alongside your regular one, but it doesn’t count against your primary mailbox storage limit. Your archived emails still show up in search results. You can still open, reply to, and forward them. Most people don’t realize this, but deleting and archiving are two completely different things.

• A deleted email is gone for good unless you catch it within the recovery window.
• An archived email just moves to a separate mailbox; you can still search for it, open it, and use it anytime.

Why Should You Archive Emails from Microsoft 365?

For businesses, archiving is not just about space; it is also about data management and compliance.

• It helps to free up mailbox storage space.
• To improve mailbox performance.
• Keep important emails safe for future use.
• Maintain compliance and legal records.
• Additionally, organize emails in a better way.

Different Ways to Archive Emails in Office 365

There are multiple methods available depending on your needs. Let’s go through them one by one.

Method 01: Archive Emails Using the Archive Button

This is the simplest method and works directly from Outlook. Here is how you can perform it:

1. Firstly, open Outlook (Desktop or Web).
2. Select the email you want to archive.
3. After that, click on the Archive button.
4. The email moves to the Archive folder.

Method 02: Use Auto Archive (Retention Policies)

If you don’t want to archive emails manually, you can automate the process. Steps to follow:

1. Go to File → Options → Advanced.
2. Then, click on AutoArchive Settings.
3. Choose how often you want archiving to run.
4. Further, set the email age to archive.
5. In the end, apply the settings.

Method 03: Enable Archive Mailboxes for Microsoft 365 (Office 365 Feature)

Office 365 provides an Online Archive mailbox for additional storage. Step-by-Step process:

1. First, log in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
2. Now, go to Users and choose Active Users.
3. Afterwards, select the user.
4. Further, enable Archive Mailbox.
5. Lastly, access it from Outlook.

Method 04: Bulk Archive Emails in Microsoft 365 Using Rules

You can create rules to move emails automatically. Here is how you can perform it:

1. Go to Settings in Outlook.
2. Next, click on Rules.
3. Create a new rule.
4. Set conditions (like sender, date, subject).
5. Choose action → Move to Archive.

Method 05: Export Emails for External Archive

You can also export emails to a PST file and store them locally. Steps:

1. Open Outlook on your PC.
2. Now, go to File → Open & Export.
3. Click Import/Export.
4. Select Export to a file.
5. At the end, choose the PST format and save it to your system.

Professional Method to Archive Emails in Office 365

Using a professional tool is one of the most reliable ways to archive Office 365 emails without any complexity. It allows you to create a secure backup of your mailbox data into multiple file formats or even migrate it to other email platforms.

A trusted solution like the DRS Office 365 Backup Tool enables users to archive emails in formats. The software is designed to work smoothly across all Windows versions. Offers a simple interface that both technical and non-technical users can handle with ease. You can easily convert Office 365 Emails to PDF and other formats. In addition, it includes advanced features that ensure complete data safety, accuracy, and a secure archiving process without any risk of data loss.

Simple Steps to Backup your Office 365 Emails:

1. Download and install the DRS Office 365 Backup Software.
2. Enter your Office 365 email and password to sign in.
3. Preview and select the Office 365 emails. Click Next.
4. Choose the Saving format from the drop-down list.
5. Lastly, apply features as per your needs. Press Convert.

Conclusion

In this technical blog post, we explained several methods to archive emails in Office 365. Manual techniques like using the Archive button, rules, or retention policies are helpful for basic needs and smaller mailboxes. If you want to backup your Office 365 emails, use the professional tool. It simplifies the process, saves time, and ensures that all emails are archived properly without any risk of data loss. A free version is available if you want to test it on your own data before purchasing.

Frequently Asked Questions