How do I download all existing email on an Exchange Server to Outlook?

I am running out of space on my hosted exchange server. I usually use Outlook Web Access to access my email. I have configured Outlook to read my email, but it leaves all the email on the server. How can I instruct it to pull all email down and remove it from the server?

5 Answers

The best way to pull down your email would be to export the mailbox contents to a PST. This will download all of your email to a single blob that you can move to another computer, or even upload to another Exchange mailbox.

Here's a quick how to.

I haven't used Outlook for a while but if memory serves there are two ways to go about this:

• Create a local pst file.
• Connect to the server as a normal exchange client.
• Highlight all the emails you want to keep
• Cut and past them to your pst file.

OR

• Create a local pst file.
• Connect to your server as a pop3 client

By default, Outlook deletes messages from the server after it retreives them when configured as a pop3 client.

Coincidentally, I've done the exact opposite of what you're try to do. I had been downloading all my email to a pst file when I found out my computer was going to be replaced. I wound up moving all my emails to the server for safe keeping.

If you are simply trying to reduce the space used on Hosted exchange you can also just create an archive in outlook, set a date to archive up until, this will create a new PST file that is stored on your local computer and it will remove the messages from the live exchange account. At least this way you have the mail should you ever need to refer back to it.

Click on FILE, then click on account settings, then account settings under that. You will then double click on your account name to bring up Internet E-mail Settings. Click the Advanced tab. The next pop up window has a check box on the bottom that says Leave a copy of messages on the server. Un-check that box and the messages will be downloaded to Outlook and not left on the server.

Its not always sensible to delete old emails for various reasons, but it is an easy way to save space. Espicially ones that have large attatchments, download the attachments then you can delete the email.