Easy Backup from Windows Live Mail to External Hard Drive

Microsoft stopped the official support for Windows live mail on January 10, 2017. Still, many users have been using it as their email client. As we all know, it is not safe to use an email client without any support as you can lose all your data anytime. In the last few years, Outlook has gained immense popularity in the email niche. Many Windows Live mail users are planning to migrate towards Outlook as there is no point in keeping Windows Live Mail in addition to Outlook. Many WLM users also prefer to backup Windows Live Mail into Outlook PST file format.

In this write-up, I’ll mention few methods to Export or backup Windows Live Mail 2012 and other versions.

Download a trial version of Shoviv EML Converter to know in a better way.

Table of Content

2 Free known Windows Lives Mail backup techniques

Windows Live mail contains an export functionality, by using which users can move the Windows live mail data to the Exchange Server. From there, you can easily download the files in Outlook PST format. Let me show you how:

Process to Export WLM emails using the Microsoft Exchange option

PHASE1: Backup Windows Live Mail emails into PST format

Firstly, launch the Windows Live Mail and click the File option.
Then, go to the Export email option and click the Email messages option.
Now select the Microsoft Exchange option and click Next.
Then a message pops up, click Ok. Now profile name dropdown menu will pop up, select Outlook.
Following will be the Export messages dialog. Select the folders you want to backup. After that, select the Selected folder radio button and click Ok.
Now the process gets start, wait until gets completed.

After completing all the above steps successfully, Windows Live mail emails get exported to the Exchange Server. Now you can use Outlook Import-Export utility to add these PST files in Outlook.

PHASE2: Export PST file into Outlook

Open Outlook.
Go to the File option and click Open&Export.
Then, select Import/Export.
Select Import from another program or file and make a click on the Next.
In the following wizard, select the Outlook data file option and hit the Next button.
Then, browse the PST file you want to import into Outlook and click on the Next button.
Now choose the location in Outlook where you want to import the items and hit the Finish button.

It is how you can backup Windows Live mail for free using the Exchange Server option. But users have reported that they are not able to configure Outlook profiles in Windows Live Mail.

Users also have another way to backup Windows Live Mail emails into Outlook, known as the Windows Live Mail file path.

Backup using Windows Live Path

It is another easy way to backup Windows Live Mail emails. In this method, you have to create a new folder in Outlook and then drag and drop all EML emails into it. Below is its step-by-step process.

Open Outlook and create a new folder in it.
Then, go to the following location.

C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail

Now drag all the emails into the created Outlook folder.

Both manual methods are easy to pursue, but the problem is, both have limitations. For example:

Users cannot backup large size EML files.
Some portions of the EML file may get deleted using the manual method.
Manually, users cannot transfer emails’ attachment files.
Last but not least, there is no guarantee of successful conversion.

Backup Windows Live Mail contacts

If you already backup Windows Live Mail emails, you may want to backup Windows Live Mail contacts as well.

Pursue the following process to backup contacts

Open Windows Live Mail.
Select the contacts folder from the left pane.
Now click on the Export option from the ribbon bar and click CSV.
Then choose the location to save the CSV file and click Next.
Now select the contacts fields you want to backup and click Finish.

Once your Windows Live Mail contacts get exported in CSV file format, run the Outlook and use the Import/Export utility to open the CSV file in Outlook.

The Secret to Backup Windows Live Mail is Revealed

Honestly, you can use manual methods if you have few EML files to backup in Outlook. But for desire and multiple EML files backup, I suggest using an automated EML converter tool. One preferred by many experts and organizations is the Shoviv EML converter.

It is one of those few converters that provides advanced and desire conversion of EML files into Outlook PST, Live Exchange, and Office 365 mailboxes. Shoviv EML converter exports every bit of data from EML file to PST file, including attachments.

Conclusion

Users can easily backup Windows Live Mail for free using the manual method. But due to the limitations of manual methods, organizations and professionals prefer third-party tools. Users can check the Shoviv EML converter’s skills using the free version of the Shoviv EML converter.

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Stuart

Stuart Clark is working as a technical content writer at Shoviv Software for the last 5 years. He specializes in crafting informative and engaging articles for diverse audiences. With a solid understanding of complex technologies, he explains complex concepts in a simpler manner that Leyman users can also understand easily. He has vast expertise in writing articles related to email migration and conversion niches. Apart from that, he likes to research newer technologies and gain knowledge to stay updated with the current trends.