How to Export Emails from Outlook for Mac?

Outlook for Mac is widely used by businesses and professionals due to its advanced functionalities. These include email scheduling, message recall features, enhanced search functionality, and customizable toolbar, among others. The application, by default, stores the emails and other mail items as SQLite database. However, you can export the emails and other items to OLM file. Let’s read further and see how to export emails from different versions of Outlook for Mac.

Why Export Emails from Outlook for Mac?

There are numerous factors why you need to export emails from Outlook for Mac. Some of the key factors are mentioned below:

• To create a local copy of emails and other mail items to prevent data loss due to accidental deletion, system failure, and cyber threats
• To migrate mailbox data to a new Mac/Outlook account on another Mac
• To save mailbox data for future reference when leaving an institution/organization
• To reduce the size of the mailbox by exporting old or unrequired items, thus improving performance of Mac Outlook
• To archive mail items regularly to meet the compliance, legal, or regulatory requirements

How to Check the Version of Outlook Installed on Mac?

The steps to export emails from Outlook for Mac vary with the version of the application you have installed. Here’s how to check the version of the Outlook application installed on your Mac:

• Launch Outlook on your Mac.

• Click on “Outlook” in the menu bar and then click About Outlook.

• The About Outlook window will open.

Here, look for the information written against “License.” You’ll see the version of the installed Outlook for Mac app.

How can you Export Emails from Outlook for Mac?

You can use the built-in export option in Outlook for Mac to save a copy of your email messages in OLM file. Let’s take a look at the stepwise process.

For Outlook for Mac 2011:

• Click on File in the menu bar and select Export.

• The Export window will open. Select the Outlook for Mac Data File (.olm) option.
• Then, select the items that you want to export.
• After this, click on the right arrow at the bottom right corner to proceed.

• Next, you will see the Delete After Exporting window. Select the option as per the requirements and again click on the rightward arrow.

• The Save window will appear. Select the save location and click Save.

• Wait for the export to finish. After this, the Export Complete window will show.
• Click on Done.

For Outlook for Mac 2016, 2019, 2021, & 2024

• Launch the Outlook client on your Mac.
• Make sure that the Legacy Outlook switch (near the search bar at the top-right corner) is “On.”

• Go to File > Export.

• The Export to Archive File (.olm) window will appear.

Note: By default, all the items are selected. You may uncheck any mailbox item that you don’t want to export.

• After making the selection, click on Continue.
• Give the archive file (.olm) a new name and select the destination.
• Click Save.

• Wait for the wizard to complete exporting emails and other mailbox data (if selected).

• After it is complete, you’ll see the “Your data has been exported” message. Click Finish to end the process.

• Now, go to the destination folder to verify. Here, you’ll see the exported OLM file.

For New Outlook for Mac

The New Outlook for Mac doesn’t have the feature to export data files (.olm) at present. The option to export Mac Outlook emails appears greyed out. You’ll need to revert to the “Legacy Outlook” first. Here’s how to do this:

• Click on Help in the Menu bar.
• Click on Revert to Legacy Outlook.

• A confirmation pop-up will appear. Select Revert to proceed.

Legacy Outlook will be launched. Now, follow the steps listed above to export emails.

How to Export Emails if the Export Option is Greyed out in the New Outlook for Mac?

Here are some workarounds that you can use in case the Export option is greyed out in Outlook for Mac (New).

Workaround 1: Switch to Legacy Outlook

According to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, the Export feature is in the “In Development” phase. So, you’ll need to switch to the Legacy Outlook and then use the Export option to save a copy of your emails as OLM file/s.

As per Microsoft, the Legacy Outlook for Mac client will stop working with user mailboxes configured with Exchange Online. This is because MS will retire the Exchange Web Services (EWS) from October 2026. Hence, you’ll need to switch to the new Outlook to avoid any disruptions. In case you have Exchange On-Premise mailboxes, you can continue using the Legacy Outlook client until October 2029.

Workaround 2: Request Admin to Revert Policy Blocks

Sometimes, admins disable the migration policy via Cloud Policy for M365 to restrict users from switching from New Outlook to the Legacy Outlook. This is done to prevent compatibility issues with certain applications that require integration with the New Outlook. Thus, the users are unable to switch to the Legacy Outlook. If this is the case, you can request your admin to revert the policy block.

How to Convert OLM to PST or Other File Formats?

If you want to open the exported Outlook for Mac emails (OLM) in Windows Outlook, you won’t be able to do so directly. This is because the OLM file format is a proprietary file format used By the Mac Outlook app. On the other hand, Windows Outlook supports the PST file format.

To open OLM in Outlook for Windows, you can convert the Outlook for Mac data file to the Outlook importable PST format by using Stellar Converter for OLM. It is a specialized OLM to PST converter tool that you can install and run on your Windows PC to effortlessly convert the .olm file to .pst without altering the mailbox structure. You can also use it to preview emails and other mailbox items such as contacts, calendars, and more – in the Windows Outlook client.

In addition to PST, this tool lets you save the .olm file contents in other common file formats, such as MSG and EML. It is also capable of exporting mailbox items from OLM file directly to an existing PST file/user profile configured in Windows Outlook. You can also directly import OLM mailbox data into an Office 365 (Microsoft 365) account.

Now, let’s see how to convert OLM to PST using Stellar Converter for OLM:

Note: Make sure to transfer the OLM file from Mac to Windows PC.

• Download and install Stellar Converter for OLM on a Windows PC. Launch it.
• You’ll see the Select OLM Mailbox option.

• Click on Browse to select the OLM file.

• Now, click on Convert.

• Let the software scan the selected Outlook for Mac (OLM) data file.

• After the scan is complete, the software will display all its contents. Select any item to preview and verify it.

• Select the mailbox items you want to import into Windows Outlook and click on Save Converted Mailbox.

• You will see the Save File window. Choose the Save As PST option.

• Next, choose whether you want to save each mailbox folder as individual PST file or everything in a single PST.

Selecting the first option will create separate PST files for every configured user profile. The second option will create a unified PST file containing all the mailbox data in the same structure as in the source file.

• Then, browse for the save location.
• Select the destination and click on Save.

• The software will begin saving the OLM file data. Click OK to complete the process.

You can also use the online OLM to PST converter by Stellar to convert a single OLM file (≤100MB size) to PST format for free. It works on any web browser and OS (Windows, Mac, or Linux), and requires no software installation.

Conclusion

Exporting emails from Outlook for Mac is a simple process. However, the steps to do so differ slightly, depending upon the version of the installed Outlook for Mac app. If you need to migrate data from an OLM file to Outlook on Windows, the best way is to use a specialized OLM to PST converter tool, like Stellar Converter for OLM. It is a powerful tool that lets you convert OLM to PST or other file formats like MSG or EML with 100% precision.

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