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Summary: Office 365 users seek ways to save emails to their desktops for data security and accessibility. Manual methods involve configuring accounts and are suitable for a few emails, but are time-consuming and may require technical expertise. Automated solutions like Kernel Export Office 365 to PST offer efficient, bulk-saving capabilities, making the process smoother and hassle-free.

Office 365 provides diverse applications for both professional and personal needs, offering a cloud-based platform that facilitates work flexibility and connectivity from anywhere. However, safeguarding data from threats is paramount. Many professionals seek to backup their data locally, prompting the question, “How can Office 365 emails be saved to desktop drives?” Despite initial complexity, this task becomes straightforward with the right methods.

Benefits of saving emails to a desktop drive

Before discussing the methods, it is important for you to know the benefits it offers-

  • Security of data
    Cloud-based platforms continually face the risk of hacking and other security threats, putting your data in jeopardy. Consequently, organizations and professionals prioritize data backup to ensure the safety of their valuable information.
  • Recovery of data
    In case of deletion of data, or to find old emails in Office 365, you can easily restore it from your system, provided you have backed it up safely. It provides the required files during situations of crisis.
  • Easy and cost-efficient backup
    A hard drive serves as a cost-effective and capacious storage solution, making it budget-friendly while offering ample storage capacity.
  • Offline access-
    You can back up the entire mailbox, granting you access even in low internet connectivity scenarios. This data remains accessible offline, ensuring constant availability.

Saving emails to the desktop can be achieved by using the manual as well as automated methods.

Using manual technique

Before beginning any of these methods, you have to configure a Microsoft 365 account in Outlook. In addition, you must have the Outlook desktop application on your system. These techniques can save emails in the PST, HTML, or PDF format and are suitable when you have only a few emails to save.

Save emails in PST format-
  1. Launch Outlook and click on File.click on file
  2. Click on Open & Export from the left panel to select Import/Export.select Import/Export
  3. The Import and Export Wizard will open. Now, select Export to a file; click on Next.click on next
  4. Select Outlook Data file (.pst). To proceed, click on Next.select Outlook Data file
  5. Choose the mailbox which you need to save. Again, select Next.select next
  6. Click on Browse to choose an appropriate location to save the mailbox items. Click on Finish once done.Click on Finish
Save emails in HTML format
  1. Sign in to the Office 365 account and select the necessary message. Click on File.Click on File
  2. Click on Save as; a new saving window will be presented.Click on save as
  3. Choose the destination to store the email message. Enter the file name. From the Save as type dropdown menu, click on HTML.click on HTML
  4. Click on Save to complete the process.
Save emails in PDF format

Some users prefer to keep their data in a PDF document since it is an easy document. But this method is not a direct one.

  1. Follow the above-mentioned process to save the email data in HTML format.
  2. Now, open Microsoft Word and click on File. Select Open and then browse to open that HTML file with Word.click on file
  3. Save this file. From the Save menu, select PDF.select PDF
Limitations of manual methods

All the above-mentioned methods are not convenient for non-technical users and have their share of shortcomings:

  • Lengthy process
    First, configure your Office 365 account to Outlook and then export emails in the file format. This is a tedious process and requires time and energy from the user’s end.
  • Not suitable for a considerable volume of data
    You need to perform these steps repeatedly if you need to save multiple emails. Only a single mailbox can be saved in PST format at a time.
  • Technical expertise required
    Some methods are workarounds that require users to have a proper understanding of the platform. A beginner might get confused and commit a mistake that can have serious repercussions later.
  • There are many free methods to Office 365 Backup but none of them gives the accuracy of a professional tool.

Save Office 365 emails using an automated technique

An automated solution stands out as a valuable asset for users grappling with this predicament. Such a utility streamlines the process, allowing for bulk email savings and saving users precious time.

Kernel Export Office 365 to PST software ensures a seamless experience. It’s a professional tool equipped with robust algorithms that can efficiently preserve various mailbox types in different file formats.

A few additional features of the tool include-

  • It can take backup of primary/archive/shared mailboxes and public folders.
  • Multiple backup tasks can be conducted at the same time without affecting each other.
  • Emails, attachments, contacts, the structure of the mailbox, and calendar entries can be saved.
  • Flexibility to save emails in various file formats, including PST, PDF, EML, HTML, MSG, DOC, and DOCX.
  • Some filters can be applied like Folder, Item Type, Date, etc., to save the data selectively.
  • The backing up process is simple and can be carried out in four simple steps.
    Export Office 365 to PST

Conclusion

Many Office 365 users opt to save their emails to their desktops for backup purposes, primarily due to data security concerns. This method also facilitates offline data access. Email backup can be achieved through manual or automated methods. Manual methods involve saving emails in formats like PST, HTML, or PDF but have inherent limitations. To address these limitations, such as message tracing in Exchange Online, it’s advisable for users to consider professional tools for a comprehensive solution.