How to Save Office 365 Emails to Desktop? Complete Solution

Why Businesses Save Emails from Office 365 to Desktop?

Microsoft 365 is a cloud suite that offers numerous productivity and collaborative tools and services for simplified and streamlined communications and storage. It easily integrates with OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, Outlook, and much more without hassle. Recently, we have received a query from one of our clients:

This is from one of the IT leaders at a Fintech firm in the US. There are many more similar IT administrators and others who need the save for the following reasons:

• Legal teams require email communications for eDiscovery and audits
• Security teams need a maintained backup of Office 365 to meet retention policies 
• M&A teams often want to preserve the crucial email data before restructuring the Office 365 tenants
• Consultants and other users have to handle migrations with limited Windows access
• Also, saving emails on the desktop provides users with protection from any threat or attack

Multiple Methods to Save Office 365 Emails to Desktop

As O365 is a cloud suite, we don’t have any direct options to secure emails locally. We can only try to create a backup or export data on-premises in multiple formats. We can save the entire Office 365 mailbox data in common formats like:

• Outlook Data File (PST)
• Individual Message Format (MSG/EML)
• Review and Documentation (HTML/PDF)

Moving ahead, let’s browse through all the available methods for saving Office 365 emails on a desktop. 

Method 1: Natively Export Email from Office 365 to Desktop 

The first method involves using the desktop MS Outlook application for email export. Here, initially configure the Office 365 account in Outlook and then complete the export. Steps are:

1. Start Control Panel, go to Mail, and choose Set up Email Accounts. 
2. Then, click New Account and opt for Manual configuration or other server types. 
3. Click Next and select Office 365. Enter your credentials and tap Next. 
4. Once the account is verified, you will find an Autodiscover.xml window. 
5. Further, open it and re-enter your Office 365 login information. Click Next.
6. Finally, when everything is completed successfully, you will receive a congratulations message. Tap Finish.

Way 1: Save Office 365 Emails to Desktop as PST

Here, we will use the popular Outlook Import/Export feature for saving O365 emails. The steps are:

1. Launch the MS Outlook desktop application and tap File. 
2. Then, choose Open & Export and Import/Export to open the wizard.
3. Further, select Export to a File and Next to choose PST and again Next. 
4. After that, select the M365 emails that you want to save and click Next. 
5. Furthermore, choose the folder to secure and select a destination to save. 
6. At last, tap Finish to save your emails securely. 

Way 2: Save Microsoft 365 Emails to Desktop as MSG

In this method, we will use another well-known Outlook option, “Save As,” to secure Office 365 emails as individual MSG files. Follow these steps:

1. Open Outlook and from the configured Office 365 inbox, select the email. 
2. Next, choose it and click File and then Save As. 
3. A dialog box opens up. Here, select a location to save the file and give a name. 
4. Afterward, in Save as type, select Outlook Message Format-Unicode(*.msg).
5. Finally, click Save to complete the process of exporting emails. 

Loopholes of the Methods 

• You must have updated and installed Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and 2007 versions. 
• You can only save emails in either PST or MSG formats accurately. 
• Not suitable for storing Office 365 emails on the PC in bulk.
• You must have technical knowledge to appropriately configure Office 365. 
• No assurance for data security and risks of corruption or loss. 
• Unsuitable for shared mailboxes or admin-only access emails of Office 365.

Method 2: Free Save Office 365 Emails to Desktop

The second method involves using the web Outlook 365 to secure emails on the desktop. It will help you download data in PDF and EML file formats directly from the browser. It also has two different ways discussed as follows:

Way 1: Save Emails from Office 365 to Desktop as EML

1. Start Office 365 on the browser and log in to your account. 
2. Then, go to Outlook 365 and access all the emails in the mailbox. 
3. Further, choose the email you wish to download and click the 3-dot icon. 
4. From the options, select Download, and the emails are saved in EML format on the PC. 

Way 2: Save Microsoft 365 Emails to Desktop as PDF

1. First, sign in to your Office 365 account with your user and admin credentials. 
2. Then, in Outlook 365 (Outlook Web App), select the email from the inbox. 
3. After that, click the three-dot icon and choose Print from the listed options. 
4. Later, select Save As PDF and apply the settings as desired. Click Print. 
5. A dialog box will open, choose your destination to save, and at last, click Save. 

Loopholes of the Method 

• The critical information downloaded from the web can be missed or lost. 
• You need stable in ternet connectivity during the download. 
• It is not possible to bulk save multiple emails from Office 365 to a desktop. 
• These methods are lengthy and time-consuming and require repetition. 
• No support for attachments, as you need to save them separately.

We have finally come to the end of these manual methods. By now, many of you must be wondering:

For this, we have a reliable and quick alternative for you. 

Method 3: Professionally Save Office 365 Emails to Desktop

The ideal way to manage 50+ shared and other Office 365 mailboxes with tight compliance deadlines is to use the SysInfo Office 365 Backup Tool. This software enables users to bulk save M365 emails directly on the desktop in numerous formats. Whether you want emails in PST, PDF, CSV, EML, MBOX, or any other format, it does it all at once with 100% accuracy and precision. Moreover, the software has many advanced capabilities that make it a preferred choice for all beginners and novice users. 

06 Easy Steps to Export Email from Office 365 to Desktop

1. Install and start the Office 365 Backup and Restore Tool. Tap Backup.
2. Then, input the Office 365 credentials and click Sign in to enter the account.
3. After that, select your user ID and mailboxes from which to save data. Click Next.
4. Furthermore, pick the folders from the tree hierarchy and click Next to proceed. 
5. Now, select the desired file format in which you want to save the emails. 
6. Finally, apply the respective filters, select a destination, and click Next >> Backup to convert. 

Key Capabilities of the Office 365 Backup Software

• Export single or multiple user mailboxes in one go with accuracy. 
• Save the email data in numerous formats securely on Windows/Mac.
• Use the filters like Duplicate Removal, Date filter, Free Server space, etc. for unique customization. 
• Authenticate your Office 365 account via secure OAuth modern authentication. 
• Preserve folder hierarchy, metadata, and attachments without any hassle. 
• Use the Demo Version for a pilot test and to save upto 50 emails at zero cost.

Conclusion 

The decision to save Office 365 emails to desktop is useful for all users to maintain a comprehensive backup of their mailbox. It is useful for recovery and archival purposes and more. Using the manual methods, you can save only a few emails, but it is not suitable for large businesses and organizations. To deal with major data volumes and keep up with operational efficiency, compliance, and data security, you must get the smart Microsoft 365 Backup Tool. 

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About The Author:

Simran Bhatia

Simran Bhatia is a technical content writer engaged in writing clear, concise, and SEO-optimized content. With a background in computer science and a passion for writing, I thrive to deliver complex technical content in simple layman terms.