How to Backup Outlook Express without backup software?

This guide helps you backup accounts, address book and mail folders in Outlook Express.

Software: Outlook Express.

To back up your mail and news accounts settings:

1. Click Accounts on the Tools menu.
2. Select an e-mail or news account and click the Export button.
3. Select a location for Outlook Express to save the exported file. Its three-letter extension should be IAF.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for every e-mail and news account.

To restore your accounts:

1. Click Accounts on the Tools menu.
2. Click the Import button and Browse to the previously saved IAF file.

To back up your address book:

1. On the File menu, click Export, and then click Address Book.
2. Select Text File (Comma Separated Values) and then click the Export button.
3. Browse to your desired location and type a name for the exported file. The file extension should remain CSV.

To restore your address book:

1. On the File menu, click Import, and then click Other Address Book.
2. Select Text File (Comma Separated Values) and then click the Import button.
3. Browse to locate the previously saved CSV file.

To back up your mail folders:

1. Click Options on the Tools menu.
2. On the Maintenance tab, click the Store Folder button.
3. Press the TAB key to highlight the store folder path, then press CTRL+C to copy it to the clipboard.
4. Close Outlook Express.
5. Click Run on the Start menu.
6. Press CTRL+V to paste the store folder path, and then click OK.
7. Copy all mail folder DBX files as well as the Folders.DBX file to your backup media. It is not necessary to copy newsgroup DBX files as these cannot normally be imported. It is essential that you include Folders.DBX in your backup.

To restore your mail folders:

1. Copy the backup copies of your DBX files to a new empty folder on your hard disk.
2. In Outlook Express click Import on the File menu, then click Messages.
3. Select Microsoft Outlook Express 6 and click Next.
4. Select Import mail from an OE6 store directory and click OK.
5. Browse to the folder with your backup DBX files and click Next.