How to Backup Windows Live Mail Accounts, Contacts and Messages

March 15, 2008

Summary:

  • Windows Live Mail includes options to backup Accounts(Mail, Newsgroup), Contacts, and Messages(Mail and Newsgroups)

 

Recommendation: (Prior to Backing Up)

  • Create Four(4) new folders using Windows Explorer in the location of your choice(e.g. folder on the hard drive, external drive, or jump drive)
  • Folder names can be full or abbreviations — Mail, News, Contacts, Msgs (highly suggested to aid organization)
  • Note: Consider appending a date suffix to the Messages folder name (e.g. Msgs_080315) 

 

Email and News Accounts:

Tools/Accounts/<select and account>/Export

Use the Browse or Browse folders option to navigate to the Mail folder(created above)

– Export each email account account to the Mail folder, repeating the process for each email account

–  Export each newsgroup account to the News folder, repeating the process for each newsgroup account

– Each account exported will be saved using the Email or News account name with a filename extension of *.iaf

Contacts:

Tools/Contacts/File/Export/Comma Separate Values

Enter a filename e.g. Cont_080315.csv, then click Browse to navigate to the Contacts folder(created above)

–  Modify the filename if more than one Live ID is in use

– – If multiple Live ID’s are in use, it is necessary to sign-on with each Live ID  in Windows Live Mail to have access to and export that accounts contact.  If Live ID’s are not in use, all pop3 accounts use the default and common Contact list.

– Contacts will be saved as a *.csv file

Messages:

Important – a blank folder is required(created as suggested above); 

File/Export/Messages/Windows Live Mail/

Click Browse to navigate to Msgs folder, click OK, click Next

Choose one of two options(All Folders or Selected folder) – if ‘Selected’ use the Control key for multiple selections, then click next to start the Export. Do not interrupt the export process. Once through Click Finish.

– The resultant export will include all folders, subfolders and messages(news and mail)

– Do not use this folder for any other storage.

–  If the process is repeated later, the blank folder is still required

Revisions:

March 15, 2008:  Original Published Date

April 1, 2008:  Recommendation section added

May 23, 2008: Windows Live Tags added

Filed under Windows Live Mail

About Winston
Microsoft MVP

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