Many people don’t know how to download all emails from Outlook 365. This problem is prevalent among organizations where the vast majority of users lack in-depth technical expertise.
So if all of a sudden a compliance requirement forces admins to get a copy of all m365 emails present in the cloud it can be quite a challenge.
They have to work through a lengthy trial-and-error process to determine what works and what fails. Moreover, Microsoft does not provide a native equivalent of something like Google Takeout making the process all the more complex.
Dont worry we have made this tutorial in a manner that will clear out all the doubts that users have and let them bring Outlook online mails offline.
Let us first go over the reasons that this requirement has popped up in organizations around the world.
Why Download All Emails From Outlook 365?
- Follow Regulatory Rules: Having a set of O365 emails on-premise helps to meet any legal & compliance clauses when they arise.
- Upgrade Systems: When an organization wants to move to a new system or is undertaking an Office 365 cloud data migration it is best practice to download emails.
- Convert Email Formats: Exporting emails outside of the cloud is one of the best ways to change email file format or convert to a more robust yet alternative format.
- Keep Private Backup: Users may want to keep an offline copy for backup or safety purposes.
There can be many other reasons depending on your currency scenario. Let us start by exploring how the Outlook 365 web version helps us.
Use a Web App to Download All Emails from Outlook Online
- Step 1. Login to Outlook web
- Step 2. Open the Email folder (Inbox, archive, custom folder)
- Step 3. Right-click on the email whose offline copy you want.
- Step 4. After that select the Download option from the flyout menu.
- Step 5. Use the Save as screen to select the file location and rename it if you want.
- Step 6. Finally, hit Save.
You dont have to download each email one by one as Microsoft has included a special feature in the Outlook web app available even in the free tier plans.
Use the built-in Outlook Export Option to Download Emails
- Step 1. Click on the cog icon at the top right corner.
- Step 2. Switch to General > Privacy and Data> Export mailbox.
The web portal is just one way, many people use Outlook 365 directly from the desktop itself. So naturally they would want the procedure for that.
How Does New Outlook Client Make Email Download Happen?
- Step 1. Launch the client
- Step 2. Right-click any mail in your inbox
- Step 3. Press Save As
- Step 4. Use the Save as box to decide the file location and name.
- Step 5. Click Save.
Otherwise, you can also.
- Step 1. Select Multiple emails at once.
- Step 2. Hold your cursor.
- Step 3. Drag and drop the emails to a local folder on your system.
Like in the web version, this Outlook client also has the full mailbox export check out the steps below:
- Step 1. Click on the Settings gear at the top right-hand side.
- Step 2. General > Privacy and data.
- Step 3. Select the Outlook 365 account from the drop-down menu.
- Step 4. Tap the Export mailbox icon.
How Do I Download All Emails From Outlook 365 from Classic Client?
For users of Classic Outlook, you can also download emails.
- Step 1. Click on the downward pointing arrow on the quick access toolbar at the top left corner.
- Step 2. Click on the Save as option (This does not trigger the download operation but makes the Save as icon available for use)
- Step 3. Select the emails you want to download.
- Step 4. Tap on the Save as icon.
- Step 5. Use the Save as window to set the name, and location and Save the result.
The drag-and-drop technique explained in the New Outlook client also works for the classic edition.
The Classic Outlook edition has another mechanism for getting Office 365 mail, especially useful if you want to move Outlook 2010 to Office 365 format.
- Step 1. File > Open & Export > Import/Export
- Step 2. Export to a file > Next
- Step 3. Choose one option in Create a file of type: > Next.
Depending on the file type selection other steps vary a bit. Follow the on-screen instructions for best results.
Use Mobile Outlook’s Export Option to Download the Office 365 Mail
Outlook Mobile lacks any dedicated export/download mechanism found on the web or desktop version.
However, there is an alternative way.
- Step 1. Launch the Outlook app on your mobile device.
- Step 2. Tap on the email you want.
- Step 3. You will see two sets of icons with three vertical dots (︙). Tap the Dots that have a date directly above them.
- Step 4. Pull the menu up to see more options.
- Step 5. Select “Print”:
- Step 6. Choose Save as an option and tap on the circular button.
Follow your phone’s internal download management system to set a location, rename, and SAVE this Outlook 365 mail.
Another option is to directly screenshot the email. You can find similar Print to document type save transition methods on Outlook Web/Desktop clients as well.
How Admins Can Download All Emails from Outlook Online?
Admins have access to advanced options not found at the user level. This is the Microsoft Purview Compliance Portal (eDiscovery Tools).
Note that, you can make a new content search request if and only if the admin account you are using is part of the eDiscovery Manager role group in the Microsoft Purview portal.
- Step 1. Go to the Purview portal and select eDiscovery > Content Search.
- Step 2. Click + New Search and lay out your search criteria (e.g., specific mailboxes, keywords).
- Step 3. Save and run the search.
- Step 4. Use the on-screen instructions to download Outlook 365 email search results:
- Step 5. After the search is complete select it and click Export.
- Step 6. Admins can configure export options (e.g., output format) and submit the export.
- Step 7. Finally, download the results using the eDiscovery Export Tool.
Use a Professional Tool to Download all Emails from Outlook 365
Admins can manage the download task for every Outlook 365 email account in their organization with the help of the SysTools Office 365 Export tool.
The simplistic GUI screen does away with all technical requirements and allows admission full control.
They can filter on the basis of date and user. Moreover, the facility to prioritize the output of certain user account is also available.
Here are the steps you need to use.
- Step 1. Get a copy of the tool. Select the source as Microsoft 365 and any of the suitable output formats as the destination.
- Step 2. Scroll to the Workload selection menu and add emails. Apply date filter if need be.
- Step 3. Validate M365 admin credentials.
- Step 4. Validated output file path.
- Step 5. Map the Users.
- Step 6. Preview, Select, Prioritize, Validate, and Start Export.
Conclusion
Now readers know exactly how to download all emails from Outlook 365. We have given a long list of steps that work to bring cloud mail offline. From web portals to desktop clients and even the mobile app variant.
However, in professional scenarios, admins can’t expect to delegate this task to users. That’s why we also introduced a tool that acts as a counterpoint to download all email messages.