How to Backup Office 365 Emails Locally – Learn the Best Way In Few Clicks!

In today's digital world, safeguarding your Office 365 emails is essential. Backing them up locally ensures you have access to important communications, even during outages. This guide outlines the simple steps to backup Office 365 data effortlessly!

Office 365 is the most powerful business productivity suite offered by Microsoft – however, a backup service for your Office 365 data is not a part of it. It has been estimated that over 81% of data loss in Office 365 occurs due to simple errors from the user end. Due to this organizations/users are required to back up their data manually and protect them – from user error to major data breaches.

That’s why in this article, we will demonstrate the best ways to get Office 365 backup with and without the use of an admin account.

Here’re the Different Ways to Backup Office 365 Mailbox!

There are several ways through which a user can save emails from Outlook Web App to Computer. Here are some of the possible solutions. Follow the step by step:

Solution #1: Office 365 Backup via eDiscovery Tool

Outlook uses a personal storage file or PST to save all its mailbox data on the user’s local machine. One can archive all their mailbox data and keep it in a ‘.pst’ file format.

An eDiscovery PST Export Tool is an inbuilt application provided by Microsoft. It helps to export Office 365 mailbox to PST file via eDiscovery. This creates Office 365 Exchange backup by downloading email files, contacts, and calendars to an Outlook PST format. It is considered to be the best way to backup Office 365 emails as it is free to implement.

You need to have special privileges to access the tool. Only the global admin or Office 365 admins can access eDiscovery. Follow the steps below to acquire the permissions needed to access the tool.

Steps to Backup Email from Office 365 Admin Portal

Step 1. Firstly, log in to your Office Account online with Administrator credentials.

Step 2. Next, Go to Admin>>Exchange like the image shown below.

Step 3. Now, click Permissions from the left pane. Then, go to Admin Roles>>eDiscovery Management.

Step 4. From eDiscovery Management, click the ‘+’ sign to add Roles. Click on Mailbox Import Export below roles. Then, under Members, click the ‘+’ sign again and click once on the name of the user. After that, click Save to backup Office 365.

Step 5. This will grant access to the eDiscovery Export tool. The member with the username mentioned above has been assigned the privilege to start the download process. Here is the step-by-step method to archive and export the Office 365 mailbox to PST file format.

• Firstly, go to the Exchange Admin Center (EAC).
• Then, click Compliance Management from the left section.
• Next, click In-Place eDiscovery & Hold.
• Now, from the list view select the mailbox items that you want to export as a result of using In-Place eDiscovery.
• Then, click the download icon to start Exporting to a local PST file.
• Perform the following steps in the eDiscovery PST Export Tool and create a backup Office 365.
  • First, click Browse to set the folder path where you want to save the resultant PST file.
  • Next, tick the Enable deduplication check box to remove any duplicate emails. If the same message is in more than one folder, then only one instance is saved in the PST file.
  • Now, users can also check the box next to Include unsearchable items. This will add mailbox items that can not be reached by Exchange Search. Such items include email files with attachments that cannot be indexed during a search. Such email files are saved in a separate PST file.
  • Finally, click Export to start the migration process. A process box will appear indicating the progress rate of the conversion process.

#Solution 2. Using Outlook to Backup Office 365 Emails

• Launch Microsoft Outlook on your computer.
• Click on File in the top-left corner.
• Choose Open & Export, then click on Import/Export.
• Select Export to a file and click Next.
• Choose Outlook Data File (.pst) and click Next.
• Select the mailbox or specific folders you want to back up and click Next.
• Select where you want to save the PST file and give it a name.
• Click Finish and, if desired, set a password for the PST file.

#Solution 3. Print to PDF

• Launch Outlook on your computer.
• Open the email you want to back up.
• Click on File, then select Print.
• Select Microsoft Print to PDF as your printer.
• Click Print, then choose a location to save the PDF file.

#Solution 4. Backup Office 365 Via Manual Copy and Paste

• Launch Microsoft Outlook.
• Open the email you wish to back up.
• Select all the content (text, images) in the email and copy it (Ctrl+C).
• Open a word processor (like Microsoft Word) and paste the copied content (Ctrl+V).
• Save the document in your preferred format and location.

#Solution 5. Create a Forwarding Rule

• Access your Office 365 account via the Outlook Web App.
• Click on the gear icon in the top-right corner and select View all Outlook settings.
• Go to Mail > Rules and click Add new rule
• Set a condition (e.g., all emails) and choose the action to forward them to another email address that you can access locally.
• Save the rule to begin forwarding emails for backup.

#Solution 6. Use Microsoft OneNote to Backup Office 365 Data

• Launch Microsoft Outlook.
• Open the email you want to back up.
• Click on Home, then select Send to OneNote. Choose the section where you want to save it.
• Open OneNote to view and organize your saved emails.

#Solution 7. Sync with a Local Email Client

• Use a local email client like Thunderbird or Windows Mail.
• Add your Office 365 account to the email client using IMAP settings
• Once synchronized, emails will be downloaded to the local client, allowing you to back them up as needed.

Limitations of Manual Process to Backup Office 365 Emails Locally –

There are pros and cons to performing any technical process to download PST from Office 365 online. Here are some of the drawbacks of using manual procedures:

• The exported PST file may not have the exact email header or formatting as was saved in the Office 365 mailbox. At any time data integrity could be compromised to fasten the process.
• You must have administrative credentials to grant privileges. You must be aware of administrator accounts, handling roles, and granting permission. Any misstep can lead to dire results.
• These approaches are lengthy & time-consuming. Many users look for a workaround to perform the manual process and save time. At times, this process can become irrelevant considering alternative options.
• The backup Office 365 data process can be limited by the size of the mailbox or the number of items that can be exported at one time.
• The export process can take a significant amount of time, especially for large mailboxes or slow network connections.
• Exporting data from Office 365 to PST can raise security concerns, as the exported data may not be as secure as it is in the cloud-based Office 365 environment.
• In some cases, data may be lost during the export process, particularly if the PST file is corrupted or if the export process is interrupted.
• Data may not be exported in a compliant way with the regulations.
• Item types, such as calendar events and tasks, may not be exported.

Wrapping It Up

Throughout this article, we have listed the best way to backup Office 365 emails using highly recommended solutions. The process of Office 365 backup locally isn’t an easy task, especially when doing it with a free native tool such as the eDiscovery tool. It requires high technical skills and good working experience with the Admin Center. Moreover, you need to perform the same steps whenever there is a need for backup. But we don’t have any other option other than these manual solutions. So, opt for any of them, which suits you best!

FAQs Regarding Backup Office 365 Emails Locally

Q1. How to back up a shared mailbox using this tool in Office 365?

In the above-mentioned step 5, you need to directly select the email address of the respective shared mailbox in the software.  The software will back up its data locally with a separate PST file.

Q2. Does this tool delete the data in the source after backing up them locally? 

No, the software is designed in this way, it does not alter the source data, it simply downloads them in a local file format. To delete the source data you need to manually log in to the respective account and delete them by yourself.

Q3. Do I need to backup Office 365 emails? Doesn’t Microsoft backup my mailbox data?

No, Microsoft does not backup your data, however, they ensure the safety of their data centers. But in the clear answer, they do not provide comprehensive backup for your data. Hence, you need to back up your data personally.

Q4. How do I back up my Office 365 emails without Outlook?

If you are looking for a free method then, you can use the eDiscovery method to backup your emails from your Office 365 account. However, the eDiscovery method is quite complex and time-consuming, additionally, it requires technical knowledge.