How to Make Outlook a Microsoft Windows Folder

When you use Microsoft Outlook as your email system, the emails, tasks and calendar entries that come into your Inbox, or that you enter into Outlook, save directly in the Outlook program. So, if Outlook crashes on your system due to a virus or another attack, the items contained in Outlook will be lost. If you would like to back your Outlook files up to a Microsoft Windows folder, Microsoft provides a tool that allows you to do so.

• 1

  Download Microsoft's Personal Folders Backup Tool for Outlook from the Microsoft website (see Resources). Install the Personal Folders Backup Tool add-in by going to the "C:" drive and the "Downloads" folder, double-clicking the downloaded program and following the instructions on the screen.

• 2

  Launch Microsoft Outlook, and sign in with the username and password of the user whose Outlook you want to back up. Open the "File" menu, and click the "Backup" option, and then click "Options" to open the Personal Folders Backup Tool. In Microsoft 2010, access the Personal Folders Backup Tool by clicking "Add-Ins" and clicking "Options" from the toolbar.

• 3

  Put a check in the box by each of the Outlook folders that you want to back up in the window that comes up. Enter a name for the backup file in the box provided, and click "Browse" to choose the folder on your hard drive where you would like to save the backup file. If you want to save it as a Microsoft Windows folder, navigate to "C:\Windows."

• 4

  Press the "Save Backup" button, and close Microsoft Outlook. The Personal Folders Backup Tool creates a backup file with all of the information contained in Microsoft Outlook, and saves it to a folder in the "Windows" folder on your computer's local hard drive.