How do I archive emails in Outlook?
Archiving moves older emails to a separate storage location. It frees up space in your mailbox and keeps your inbox and folders organised. Archived emails are not deleted. You can still search and read them at any time.
This guide only applies if your company uses Microsoft 365. Not sure? See Does my company use Google or Microsoft?
Which archive should I use?
Outlook has two types of archive:
| Archive | What it is |
|---|---|
| Archive folder | A folder inside your mailbox. It still uses your mailbox storage. |
| Online Archive | A separate mailbox with additional storage space. |
Use the Online Archive for long-term email management. It gives you more space and is easier to maintain over time.
Is my Online Archive turned on?
Look in the folder list on the left of your mailbox. If you see a mailbox named Online Archive – [your name] or In-Place Archive, it is turned on.
If you do not see it, contact hello@deeploi.io to request it. Turning it on can take up to 24 hours.
Archive emails automatically (recommended)
- Go to outlook.office.com or open the Outlook app. Sign in with your email address if needed.
- In the left sidebar, right-click the folder you want to archive.
- Choose Assign Policy → Archive Policy.
- Select when emails should be archived, for example after 1 or 6 months, or after 1 or 5 years.
Archiving starts automatically within 24 to 48 hours.
Subfolders follow the policy of their parent folder. If you change the policy for your Inbox, all its subfolders get the same policy, unless you set a different one for them. A subfolder that follows its parent shows Use parent folder policy.
Archive emails manually
Move individual emails
- Go to outlook.office.com or open the Outlook app. Sign in with your email address if needed.
- Select one or more emails you want to archive.
- Drag them into your Online Archive mailbox. You can also right-click and choose Move → Other Folder, then select a folder inside your Online Archive.
Move entire folders
- Go to outlook.office.com or open the Outlook app. Sign in with your email address if needed.
- Right-click the folder you want to move, for example Projects 2023.
- Choose Move Folder.
- Select Online Archive as the destination and click OK.