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An Outlook Data Management Plan

Remember the old saying that goes, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket?" That may be a fine strategy for some things, but when it comes to my crucial Outlook data, I don't like it.

By default, Outlook stores data in obscure locations that vary depending on the versions of Windows and Outlook involved, as well as whether Outlook is connected to a Microsoft Exchange server.

All these baskets make it hard to manage your data. When it comes to Outlook data, I think the saying should be, "Put your data in one basket, then back up the basket!" May I suggest you check out the strategy I use to manage my Outlook data? At the highest level, it goes like this:

Create a My Outlook folder in the My Documents folder to hold copies of your data.

Use Personal Folders Backup to store backups in My Outlook.

Use AutoArchive to store old items in My Outlook.

Backup My Outlook regularly.

With this strategy, you will always be able to recover from an Outlook data disaster with the minimum of heartache.

NOTE: This strategy and the procedures that follow are designed for Outlook 2003 on a computer running Windows XP and not using Microsoft Exchange. If you aren't using Windows XP or Outlook 2003, you will need to adapt what you read here for your own setup. If you are connected to Microsoft Exchange, your corporate IT department should be handling the backup of your Outlook data and you don't need to deal with this.

If you don't have a comprehensive backup plan in place for all your computer data, I urge you to go one step further, and store copies of your Outlook data in another physical location, as well as on your computer. For suggestions on this, go to the Off-Computer Backup page after you complete the preceeding steps.

Create a My Outlook Folder

Windows XP is set up to store most of your stuff in the "My Documents" folder, using folders with names like "My Music" and "My Pictures." If you follow this system when you store things on your computer, you know basically where to find everything. It makes life a lot easier and faster when it comes time to back up your data.

So lets extend the analogy by creating a "My Outlook" folder in "My Documents" and store your Outlook data there.

NOTE: Feel free to skip the instructions if you already know how to create this folder.

Creating a My Outlook Folder

Follow these steps to create a My Outlook folder in My Documents:

Open the My Documents folder. There is usually an icon for My Documents on the Windows desktop.
Click File, then New. On the menu that appears, select Folder. This creates a new folder in My Documents.
Rename the new folder as My Outlook.

All my data in one basket.

Return to the high level procedure

Store Backups in My Outlook

Now that you have a My Outlook folder to store things in, you can tell the Personal Folders Backup add-in to store backup files there.

NOTE: If you haven't installed the free Personal Folders Backup add-in, the following link will help you do that. When you are done, ignore the links at the bottom of the How to Backup Microsoft Outlook page and close the window to return here. Install Personal Folders Backup now.

Once you have the Personal Folders Backup add-in installed, you are ready to configure it to store backups in the My Outlook folder.

Storing Backups in My Outlook

Follow these steps to have Personal Folders Backup store backups in My Outlook:

In the Outlook main menu, click File, then Backup. This opens the Outlook Personal Folders Backup dialog box.
Click Options to open the Backup Options dialog box.

Set the location for each backup here.
Select a file from the Backup files list (do not select any Archive files) then click Browse to see an Open dialog box.
Navigate to, and open the My Outlook folder.
Click the Open button to set this as the location for the backup file.
Repeat the preceeding three steps until you have set the location for all the non-archive backup files in the list.
Click OK in the Backup Options dialog box to return to the Outlook Personal Folders Backup dialog box.
Click Save Backup. Outlook displays a message telling you that it needs to exit before it can backup your files.
Set the Please do not show me this dialog again checkbox if you wish, then click OK. Outlook will backup your files when you exit.

NOTE: If the beta version of SNARF (see the Free Stuff page for more on SNARF) is running, Personal Folders Backup cannot backup files properly. If you are running SNARF, please exit the program before continuing.
Exit Outlook. Personal Folders Backup will backup your Outlook files to the My Outlook folder.
Restart Outlook.

If you look in the My Outlook folder now, you should see coopies of the backup files you set up in this procedure.

Return to the high level procedure

Archive Old Stuff in My Outlook

This part of the plan assumes the following:

You want to use AutoArchive (it is on by default)
You have AutoArchive set to archive the folders you want archived on the schedule you want.

Once you have that taken care of, it is easy to tell AutoArchive to archive stuff in My Outlook.

Archiving Stuff in My Outlook

Follow these steps to have AutoArchive store data in the My Outlook folder:

In the Outlook main menu, click File, then Archive. This opens the Archive dialog box.
Select your Personal Folders file in the list then click Browse to set the default location for the archive file.
Navigate to, and open the My Outlook folder.
Click the OK button to set this as the location for the AutoArchive files.
Click OK in the Archive dialog box to return to the main Outlook window. Future AutoArchives will store their files in My Outlook.

Return to the high level procedure

Backup My Outlook Regularly

Once you have Outlook data files being stored in the My Outlook folder, you have a basic backup strategy in place. That's already more than most home computer users ever do. But what happens to your data if something ugly (like a fire, flood, or even a kid with a big magnet) kills the hard drive in your computer? In such a situation, the backup copies in My Outlook will be wiped out along with the original Outlook data.

To protect against that kind of problem, you should have in place a backup plan that stores copies of your Outlook data someplace other than on the hard drive in your computer. Ideally you will include the My Outlook folder in whatever backup strategy you already have in place and that will take care of it.

If you don't already have a backup strategy in place, coming up with one that protect ALL your important data, including the files in My Outlook, should be your top priority. As I mentioned on the How to Backup Microsoft Outlook page, designing a comprehensive backup plan is out of the scope of this site. Check your favorite computer magazine, or ask someone from the IT department at work how to set up a plan for your specific circumstances.

If you really don't want to mess with a full-computer backup strategy, and just want to backup Outlook data, the Outlook Backups Off Your Computer page will get you going.

From here you can:

Return to the high level procedure
Return to the beginning of this Outlook Data Management Plan page.
Go to the Off-Computer Backup page.