Questions
- How do I export my email and contacts to a file from Outlook for Mac?
- How can I keep my personal emails after my Bowdoin account is closed?
- How do I move my Bowdoin email into another version of Outlook or another email program?
- How do I create an archive copy of my Bowdoin email?
- How do I export email from the New Outlook interface on Mac?
- Can I open exported Outlook email in Apple Mail?
Environment
This article applies to Bowdoin students, faculty, and staff who are leaving Bowdoin and want to take personal emails with them. Because Bowdoin uses Microsoft 365, email must be exported before it can be re-imported into a different email service.
Resolution
- In Outlook, first check whether the Legacy or New Outlook interface is in use. If the New Outlook interface is in use, switch it to Legacy for the export, then switch it back afterward.
- Select the Help tab on the menu bar, then select Revert to Legacy Outlook.
- Under the Tools tab, select Export.
- In the Export window, choose which items to export, then select Continue.
- In the "Save archive file as" window, select the small downward arrow icon to choose a destination folder.
- In the "Save as" box, type a descriptive name for the file, then select Save.
- Complete the process by selecting Finish.
- Switch back to the New Outlook style by selecting the "New Outlook" switch next to the search bar at the top of the window.
Important: If multiple accounts are added to the Outlook client, there is a choice of which mailbox to export. Scroll through the list carefully to confirm the correct mailbox is selected. The Bowdoin mailbox is identified by the Bowdoin email address.
The email and contacts are now exported to a file that can be migrated to another version of Outlook or another email program, or kept as an archive copy for future reference.
To open the file in Apple's Mail app for access to the messages (it will not be a live account), first open the exported file with Mozilla Thunderbird to convert the file. Mail can then import from Thunderbird.
Additional Help
If you need further assistance, you have several options:
- Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
- Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
- In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
- Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.