The first thing you need to do in Outlook is to open the Import / Export Wizard.

• To do this, go to “File” / “Open and Export”.
• Then on “Import-Export”.
• And here you select the item “Export to file”.

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Since we want to create a backup that we can later integrate again into Outlook, we select here the item “Outlook data file (pst)”.

By the way:
The abbreviation “pst” stands for “Personal Store”

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In the next step, we are asked to select the folders to be backed up, such as Inbox, Outbox, Contacts, and so on.

We recommend to include all folders

As a result, you have created a complete backup of all emails and contacts as a traceable snapshot.

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Next, you need to specify a location for your backup file, and also assign a file name (which always ends with “.pst”!).

By default, these backups are always under “Documents / Outlook Files”

We also recommend assigning a filename that you can track after a longer period of time, so that you will not have to identify the file later in the explorer simply based on the creation date

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Depending on the size of your e-mail inbox and the speed of your hard drive, the backup process can now take a few seconds to a few minutes.

You will then receive no further message about the successful backup, but see this only because the “hourglass” icon (instead of mouse pointer) disappears again.

Your saved file can now be found at:

C: / User / YOUR USERNAME / Documents / Outlook files

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Ideally, we will never need the backup, but just in case they have it ready.

And now we want to reinsert them after “for example reinstalling Outlook”.

To do this, open the Import / Export Wizard again in Outlook and select:

“Import from other programs or files”.

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In the following dialog boxes, select the desired file for the backup import.

Again, this process may take some time depending on the file size.

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Note:
After the backup was created, you have restored all e-mail and contacts, but not your own e-mail accounts, and Outlook settings. We will discuss this topic at a later date.