Transferring emails from one computer to another??

[golfgal]

I want to transfer my old emails from our desktop to our new laptop. How do I do this? Can I just connect a USB from the laptop to desktop and move them over?? I know that there is the import/export option but I can't seem to get that to work (I haven't used a USB yet, just an Ethernet cord because that is what I have ). Our desktop is getting old and slow and emails just take forever there. I have Outlook set up on the laptop, I now want to transfer over the saved emails I have on the other computer.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I'm not sure how Outlook stores e-mail, but I do it all the time with Eudora as my e-mail client.

In my directory are files with .mbx (mailbox) and .toc (table of contents). For some where there are sub-boxes I have subdirectories with names.

I will just copy all the .mbx, .toc, and sub-boxes to a memory stick and then copy them from the stick to the other computer.

I always do this when I go on a trip. You might want to see if there are similar files in your Outlook Directory.

 

[mrodgers]

Here, let me google that for you...

 

[Carly_Roach]

Here, let me google that for you...

OMG! That was classic! Thanks, mrodgers!

 

[jlmarr]

That's great! A new twist on "Google is your friend"!

 

[chell]

Do you have your emails saved in folders are are they all in your Inbox?

 

[golfgal]

Do you have your emails saved in folders are are they all in your Inbox?

Both. I tried copying them to a flash drive but I must be missing something. They keep saving in an excel doc and I know that isn't right. I googled directions but I can't come up with the right steps. They mostly come up with steps to go from one version of outlook to another. I might have found one program on my laptop that hopefully will work but the import/export option did not work.

 

[chell]

Go to Outlook and click on File, New, then all the way at the bottom of the list is an option for a Personal Folders File (.pst). You will be given the option of the location of where to save the file & what to name it & the folder. Put all the messages you want to save in this folder. Then once all of the messages are moved to this folder save that file to whatever device you have that is compatible with your new computer. You can even save this file to your desktop to make it easy to find. Save it where you want on your new computer. Outlook shouldn't have trouble finding it.

To find the folder click on File, Open, Personal Folder File, then select the location you just saved the file in. This is how I always do it and I've never had any problems. I've done it this way for years and within many versions of Outlook.

Let me know if you have any questions or problems.

 

[3boymthr]

Well, there is another way to do it but it is more time consuming. I e-mailed everything I wanted to save to a temporary e-mail account that I created and had DH e-mail everything he wanted to save to that account (only about 100 e-mails total) and then e-mailed them back to the correct e-mail accounts when I was done and closed the temporary account.

 

[chell]

My dad uses Thunderbird for his email so it is all saved on the internet somewhere. That way he can access it anywhere, anytime.

But I don't know enough about it. But if my dad trusts it then it is worth using or at least looking into. He is an IT guy and knows his stuff.

 

[golfgal]

Go to Outlook and click on File, New, then all the way at the bottom of the list is an option for a Personal Folders File (.pst). You will be given the option of the location of where to save the file & what to name it & the folder. Put all the messages you want to save in this folder. Then once all of the messages are moved to this folder save that file to whatever device you have that is compatible with your new computer. You can even save this file to your desktop to make it easy to find. Save it where you want on your new computer. Outlook shouldn't have trouble finding it.

To find the folder click on File, Open, Personal Folder File, then select the location you just saved the file in. This is how I always do it and I've never had any problems. I've done it this way for years and within many versions of Outlook.

Let me know if you have any questions or problems.

Thanks-this worked. Everything on google just wasn't right-it was all about file transfers and changing this and that and none of it worked. This did though!

 

[chell]

Great! So glad you were able to do it. And even more glad I made sense. You are welcome.

Half the crap you find online never makes sense. That's why I usually ask a friend or ask on here when I need help with anything.

Ask online "How do I open a box?" You'll get 579 steps and be so confused by the end of it.

 

[golfgal]

Great! So glad you were able to do it. And even more glad I made sense. You are welcome.

Half the crap you find online never makes sense. That's why I usually ask a friend or ask on here when I need help with anything.

Ask online "How do I open a box?" You'll get 579 steps and be so confused by the end of it.

That is so true. I tried to copy the files yesterday and didn't save them in the right format so when I saw the .pst I knew what you were talking about. I just didn't know what it was for yesterday .

 

[chell]

Glad you know now. Another thing you can do if you have important emails you want to make sure you don't loose is to back up that file to a disk or USB everyone once in a while.