OLEXP: How to Manually Export and Import Messages in Outlook Express

This article describes how to manually export and import messages in Outlook Express.

To manually export messages, use the following steps:

1. Create a new folder on the desktop named Exported Mail (on the Finder, click File, and then click New Folder).
2. Start Outlook Express.
3. If necessary, resize the Outlook Express window so that the desktop is visible.
4. Click the folder that contains the messages that you want to export (for example, the Inbox folder).
5. Select the messages that you want to export by holding down the SHIFT key, and then clicking each message that you want to export.
   
   NOTE: To select all messages in a folder:
   1. Click one message.
   2. On the Edit menu, click Select All.
6. Drag the selected messages from the Outlook Express window, and then put them in the Exported Messages folder that you created in step 1.
7. Quit Outlook Express.

To manually import messages, use the following steps:

1. Start the version of Outlook Express into which you want to import the messages (keep in mind that you cannot run two instances of Outlook Express concurrently).
2. If necessary, resize the window so that the desktop is visible.
3. Open the Exported Messages folder that you created in step 1 of the "manual export" instructions.
4. Select the messages that you want to import (for multiple messages, hold down the SHIFT key while clicking each message; to select all messages, click Edit, and then click Select All).
5. Drag the messages from the Exported Messages window into the appropriate folder in the Outlook Express window.
6. Close the Exported Messages window.

This article also serves as an option for backup and restoration of e-mail messages. You can simply back up the Exported Mail folder that you created in step 1 of the "manual export" instructions. You can also use the steps in this article for messages that are missed when you import them from Outlook Express 4.5 into later versions.