Let AutoArchive Manage Old Items for You

AutoArchive is a feature of Outlook that either deletes old items completely or stores them in a separate archive .PST file. Data stored in a separate .PST file is still available from Outlook if you need it, but is out of the way of your day-to-day activities. Moving old data to an archive file can also speed up Outlook because there are fewer files to deal with in your main .PST file.

Both my Outlook books go into more depth on the whys and wherefores of AutoArchive (including mysteries such as why it doesn't touch your Contacts). Now I want to talk about how to configure Outlook so your old items get automatically archived and you can be ready to implement the Outlook Data Management plan we talk about here.

There are two pieces to the AutoArchive puzzle. The first is to configure global settings. These apply to the folders containing all Outlook items (other than Contacts). Local settings override the global settings for specific folders.

First we'll talk about the global settings, then the local ones.

Note: The steps that follow are exactly the same for both Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007.

Configure Global AutoArchive Settings

1. From the main Outlook window, click Tools, then Options to open the Options dialog box.


2. In the Options dialog box, click the Other tab, then the AutoArchive button. This opens the AutoArchive dialog box.




The Outlook 2007 Options dialog box.


3. Make sure the Run AutoArchive every X days option is set. The 14 day default is fine in most cases. If you get a lot of e-mail, you might want to shorten this.


4. If you want Outlook to check with you before AutoArchiving, set the Prompt before AutoArchive runs option.


5. Set the Delete expired items (e-mail folders only) option if you want Outlook to delete things like notices of meetings that have already passed.


6. Set the Archive or delete old items option.


7. If you want easy access to items that are archived (trust me, you do), set the Show archive folder in folder list option.


8. Leave the settings in the default values for archiving box as they are.


9. Click Apply these settings to all folders now to ensure that all folders that are being AutoArchived are archived using the new settings.


10. Click OK twice to return to the main Outlook window.

Configure Local AutoArchive Settings

To configure local settings for a particular folder, follow these steps:

1. In the Navigation pane, right-click the name of the folder you want to work on.


2. In the shortcut menu that appears, click Properties. This opens the Properties dialog box for that folder.


3. Click the AutoArchive tab to see the AutoArchive page.





The AutoArchive Properties page in Outlook 2003.


4. Select one of the three options: Do not archive items in this folder, Archive items in this folder using the default settings, or Archive this folder using these settings.


5. Click OK to return to the main Outlook window.

The key thing to remember here is that any changes you make this way apply only to this folder.

• Return to the top of this AutoArchive page.


• Go to the Outlook Data Management page.


• Go to the General Outlook Tips page.