Currently they still offer the User State Migration Tool but that is targeted toward large scale corporate migrations. In addition to that it also has the following issues and limitations; Show
Is there still a need to backup Outlook settings?In most cases, the need to backup Outlook’s settings is to reuse them on another computer.However, there are already many settings which are kept within your mailbox or pst-file so these will transfer over automatically when your reconfigure your Exchange or Outlook.com mailbox, or reconfigure your pst-file. Additional options can be saved in the Cloud when you use Outlook as part of a Microsoft 365 subscription. Store my Outlook settings in the CloudWhen you use Outlook as part of a Microsoft 365 subscription, then many settings can be stored in the cloud so that they will roam across all your Outlook installations or when your reinstall Outlook.
It will roam the settings of the following sections in the Options dialog;
For more info about this feature see; Outlook roaming options. Main locations for files and settingsIf you still want to go the manual route of backup up and restoring your settings, you can find the main ones stored in the following locations;
For a full overview see; Files and Settings guide for Outlook. Recreating the Mail Profile is still recommendedAs the locations of all the files that make up your Mail Profile are not necessarily the same on your new computer, I always recommend to manually backup and transfer your pst-file and then manually recreate your mail profile.This however can be a very time consuming and labor intensive process. Outlook can detect and configure your accounts settings in most cases automatically based on your email address. In case it does not, this process requires you to have your account configurations provided by your ISP at hand. Microsoft recommends a 3rd party productFor per computer migrations, Microsoft used to offer the Windows Easy Transfer tool but has decided not to develop that any further for use with Windows 10.Instead, Microsoft now recommends to use PCMover Express. This is a 3rd party commercial product that can also transfer settings. One of the most essential things that some admins do not know is how to backup Outlook account settings. Meanwhile, these contain important information essential for your inbox to operate properly. Restoring this data in case of loss might take much time especially when you have multiple accounts. This article describes several ways to backup Outlook account settings in great detail. You will also gain answers to popular questions like:
Overview of the Ways to Back up Outlook Account SettingsThe legend has it that early versions of Outlook contained special functionality that enabled you to backup your account settings. Starting from Outlook 2007, there’s no such option anymore. Probably, the developers considered it redundant. However, users don’t seem to support this opinion. Neither do we. Why you need a backup of Outlook account settings:
Some might find this particular backup process excessive. There’s nothing hard in simply setting up your account again on a new PC. It’s true for people who have only one or two Outlook accounts. However, things are different for large organizations such as enterprises, governmental institutions, or educational facilities. These have dozens or even hundreds of outlook accounts. Restoring their unique configurations might cause significant downtime. Imagine a single cyberattack that damages an enterprise with over 1,000 employees. Getting back to normal can take months and require additional expenditures. And it’s no fictional story. Several corporations became Spin clients after undergoing a cyberattack and a longterm costly recovery. They came to the understanding that a good backup tool is a reasonable investment. Nevertheless, even if you don’t have many accounts spending several minutes on making a backup of your settings can be beneficial. Before proceeding with a detailed step-by-step guide, here are several things you should know:
Earlier versions of Windows had special programs that enabled you to create a backup file of your account settings. Windows 10 doesn’t have this feature anymore. Instead, you can either manually recreate accounts or copy your entire profile in a registry. Let’s take a look at each method. 1. Fully manual recreation of an Outlook account and its settingsIf you have a single Outlook account and you don’t want to waste your time on a backup, you can simply recreate your account on a new PC or newly installed Outlook. This way is also viable if you forgot to make a backup or won’t install special tools. How to manually recreate Outlook account settings. This process is similar to creating your account.
You can also tune your account directly in Outlook by clicking on File > Account Information and selecting one of the sections in the dropdown menu. Pros:
Cons:
Best for the following instances:
Windows Registry for Outlook Account setting backupWindows Registry contains user settings for the OS and its apps, including Outlook.
The paths will be different for various Outlook versions: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook\Profiles
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Profiles
How to retrieve backup: Open the respective file and press ‘Yes.’ Pros:
Cons:
Best for the following instances: How to backup Account settings for old versions of OutlookSome people are still using older versions of Windows and Outlook. They can use special inbuilt tools to back up their settings. For example owners of Windows 7 can use WET. Windows Easy Transfer Note: this method works only for versions that precede Windows 10. Windows Easy transfer was a default tool in Windows 7 and Windows Vista. It was used to store critical user data including account settings. If you still have one of the elder versions, you should do the following to back up your Outlook Account:
The program will do the check on what can be transferred.
You can protect your information with a password Once the transfer is complete, click on Next: How to retrieve the backup:
Office Save My Settings Wizard This was the default application in Office XP and Office 2003. The program copied the registry in a single file with ‘.ops’ extension. To access the program you need to press Start, then All Programs. Open Microsoft Office Tools and find Save My Settings Wizard to make a backup of your account settings. Pros for Windows Easy Transfer and Office Save My Settings Wizard:
Cons:
Best for the following instances:
Automatic Backup and Restoration of Outlook Account SettingsAll the above-listed methods of manual and semiautomatic backup have several major drawbacks that in the opinion of many users make them inefficient and inconvenient.
Luckily the market offers a variety of solutions that can fix those problems. Spin is one of such applications. It offers reliable backup for the entire Office 365 and in addition to that, it provides an extra security layer against social engineering cyber attacks. The key features that make Spin super efficient for Outlook account settings backup:
SummaryThere are several ways to backup your Outlook Account settings. Older versions of Windows had special tools for this task. However, in Windows 10 you can backup your account only by recreating it or using the Registry. Unfortunately, this way is time-consuming and complex, especially for large organizations with hundreds of Outlook accounts. That’s why we suggest using automatic tools like Spin that back up your critical Outlook data automatically on a daily basis. They can immediately restore it without losing a single bit of information. Finally, they enable admins to manage multiple accounts at once. How do I Export my Outlook account settings and passwords?How to Export Outlook Account Settings and Passwords. Press the Windows key + R to bring up the Run box. ... . In left-side pane, navigate to your Outlook profile path in the registry. ... . Right-click on the Profiles folder and then select Export from the drop-down menu.. How do I Export Outlook 365 settings?Outlook 2016 / 2019 / Office 365:. Once you've reached the necessary folder right-click it and select the 'Export' option in a dropdown menu.. Select the place where you want to store your backup file.. Can I Export Outlook settings to new computer?When you want to migrate Outlook messages, contacts, calendar items, tasks, and notes from one computer to another or restore a backup of your Outlook data, the Import and Export Wizard is the easiest way to complete the task. Click the File tab. Click Open & Export. Click Import/Export.
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