Archiving in Microsoft Outlook

Anyone who uses Microsoft Outlook on a regular basis for their email messaging will understand the need for these handy tips. After a while, with hundreds of messages, organizational issues crop up and computer performance problems will start to occur. I first became aware of this issue when my computer no longer could start the Outlook program. It turned out that the message folders had grown to be so large (more than 500 megabytes) that the machine was incapable of opening it without additional memory. This tip may allow you to continue to run the program on an older machine, or one with less memory, without being frustrated by problems - the program doesn't have to deal with all those messages and file attachments going forward.

The standard Outlook archive process simply moves older messages (i.e., six months or more) into a set of archive folders; however, the program still opens those folders every time and keeps them available for viewing. What I do is different from the normal "archiving" process because I actually "break out" the messages and attachments into a completely separate file (I do mine by calendar year - for 2006, the file was 455 megabytes or approximately 3/4 of a CD). You could also use this tip to isolate messages or folders by any criteria, or for any other purpose.

Here's what I do to start the new year:

1) Create a new data file: Click on File > New > Outlook Data File.
2) If you're using Office 2003, you will get another prompt for version type and compatibility (don't worry about this unless you may be sharing with an older version).
3) Give the file a name - anything you'd like, such as "2006-Archive.pst" (always be descriptive so you know what it is in the future).
4) On the next screen you provide a title for the master folder (a name like "Work-2006" and pick whether you want it encrypted or not (be careful with password - you might forget it later).
5) When you click "OK" that master folder will appear in your left menu as "Work-2006" at the same level as "Personal Folders" and "Archive Folders".
6) What I do then is copy all of the sub-folders like "Inbox" and "Sent Items" (and any others that may have something in them) from the "Archive Folders" level to the "Work-2006" level. Once copied, empty the sub-folders under "Archive Folders". [** This is assuming that the Auto Archive function is turned on and has been saving things older than six months or so in this location].
7) Lastly, go to your "Personal Folders" section (this has everything that is current) and copy/move everything from last year over to the "Work-2006" folders. You can do ANY of the following, depending on what you want. [** "Deleted Items", "Drafts", "Inbox", "Outbox", "Sent Items" and "Search Folders" are program folders and must stay].
(a) If you have created organizational folders (i.e., project names/numbers) that you won't need in the new year, simply right-click on them and select "Move to Folder" >select the "Work-2006" folder and they will be transferred there.
(b) To move all old messages (like those in the "Inbox" folder), click on one of the email headings in the upper right window, then click Edit >Select All (if you want to select or un-select some, hold down the Ctrl key and select individual messages). Then, click Edit > "Move to Folder" and select the "Inbox" sub-folder under "Work-2006" and the messages will move there.
(c) If you want to copy old messages or folders (keeping them in both places), do the same thing as above, but click Edit > "Copy to Folder".

When you've copied or moved everything you wanted into the "Work-2006" master folder, click on its name (to highlight it), then right-click and select "Close Work-2006". It is now completely out of the picture as far as the program is concerned.

To retrieve something from it, just click File > Open > Outlook Data File and it will be accessible in the list again. Close it again when you're done so the program doesn't have to "handle" it when it starts.

If you want to burn it onto a CD for safekeeping, just search for the 2006-Archive.pst file in your computer (it's down pretty deep in the folder tree). You can also see exactly where when you do File > Open > Outlook Data File.