An easy way to reduce the size of your Inbox is to export — manually archive to an
Outlook for Mac Data FileA file exported by Outlook for Mac
that contains a user's e-mail messages, contacts, calendar events, and other information. An Outlook for Mac
Data File can be used as an archive or to transfer data between computers.
(.olm) on your Mac
— your e-mail messages, contacts, and other
itemsUnits of information in Outlook, such as e-mail messages, calendar events, contacts, tasks, and notes.. You can still access this data at any time, and you can even transfer individual items, or the entire Data File, to Outlook for Mac
on another computer. For information on how to access the data in an Outlook for Mac
Data File (.olm), see
Import information into Outlook
 | Note In Outlook for Windows, older Outlook items are archived automatically on a regular interval, also known as AutoArchive. This is not available in Outlook for Mac, but you can archive data automatically by setting up Time Machine. |
Do any of the following:
 | Export to an Outlook for Mac Data File |
When you export to an Outlook for Mac
Data File, you can choose to filter information by category or by item type. For example, if you want to transfer networking information from your work computer to your home computer, you could export only items that you've assigned to the Networking category. Similarly, you might want to export all your contacts on your home computer and then import them on your work computer. During the export process, you can choose to keep the exported items in Outlook, or to delete them after they are exported.
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On the File menu, click Export.
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Click Outlook for Mac Data File.
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Select an option to filter by category or item type.
To export all items in Outlook, click Items of the following types, and then select all the check boxes.
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Click the right arrow to continue, and then follow the instructions.
The Outlook for Mac
Data File uses the .olm extension.
| Notes |
| |
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If you have a
Microsoft Exchange accountAn account managed by Microsoft Exchange Server. Microsoft Exchange
accounts are used by organizations with many users. They make it possible to synchronize e‑mail, calendars, and contacts between multiple computers.
or
directory servicesAlso referred to as Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), these services are used to find e-mail addresses that are not in a local Outlook
address book. You can use a directory service to search directories on other servers to find contact information that can then be viewed in Outlook.
account, contacts from the directory are not exported. Similarly, items that are stored in
public foldersA feature of Microsoft Exchange Server
that provides a way to collect, organize, and share information with others in an organization. Public folders are often used by project teams or user groups to share information about a common area of interest. You can use public folders in Outlook, to view and post messages, events, and contacts.
The Exchange
server that stores public folders is also usually used to store users' free/busy scheduling information.
are not exported.
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An Outlook for Mac
Data File does not contain account settings or your Outlook
preferences.
|
| Export contacts in a tab-delimited text file |
To transfer a set of contacts to another computer or application, you can export contacts as a tab-delimited text file, which can be opened by many other mail, spreadsheet, and database applications.
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On the File menu, click Export.
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In the Export Assistant, click Contacts to a list, and then follow the instructions.
Tab-delimited files are saved with a .txt extension.
| Notes |
| |
-
If you have a
Microsoft Exchange accountAn account managed by Microsoft Exchange Server. Microsoft Exchange
accounts are used by organizations with many users. They make it possible to synchronize e‑mail, calendars, and contacts between multiple computers.
or
directory servicesAlso referred to as Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), these services are used to find e-mail addresses that are not in a local Outlook
address book. You can use a directory service to search directories on other servers to find contact information that can then be viewed in Outlook.
account, contacts from the directory are not exported.
-
When you export a contact, all the information in Outlook
that is related to that contact — such as mailing addresses, birthday, and notes — is included. However, some mail applications might be unable to display the contents of certain fields such as "Spouse/Partner" and "Interests."
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Encryption certificates aren't exported.
|
| Export individual items |
You can also export single items as individual files, either to have as a backup or to use in other applications.
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In the
item listIn the main Outlook
window, the list of messages, contacts, tasks, or other items. By default, the item list is displayed vertically between the navigation pane and the reading pane., select the item that you want to export.
To select multiple items, hold down
⌘
as you click the items.
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Drag the selection to the desktop or a folder in the Finder.
| Notes |
| |
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E-mail messages are exported as .eml files.
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Contacts are exported as vCard (.vcf) files.
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Calendar events and tasks are exported as .ics files.
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Notes are exported as .html files.
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