How to Export Your Outlook Emails to PST or CSV

Exporting Outlook emails to a PST or CSV file is worth knowing before you change jobs, migrate to a new PC, or just want a local backup that doesn’t depend on a server staying online. The catch in 2026 is that classic Outlook and new Outlook handle the export wizard very differently, and a lot of people hit a dead end because they’re in the wrong one.

Export to a PST File (Classic Outlook for Windows)

Classic Outlook for Windows is the full desktop app included with a Microsoft 365 subscription or a standalone Office license. You’ll recognize it by the ribbon across the top: File, Home, Send/Receive, Folder, View tabs. If your Outlook looks more like a web app, clean and minimal with no ribbon, skip to the New Outlook section below.

PST captures mail, contacts, calendar items, and tasks in a single portable file. You can import it straight back into Outlook later, which makes it the right format for leaving a job, switching machines, or protecting yourself before a risky migration.

Launch the Export Wizard

1. Click File in the top-left corner of the ribbon.
2. In the left pane, click Open & Export.
3. Click Import/Export to open the wizard.

4. In the Import and Export Wizard, select Export to a file and click Next.
5. Select Outlook Data File (.pst) and click Next.

Choose What to Export

6. Select the folder or account to export. For a full backup, click the top-level item, usually your email address at the very top of the list.
7. Check Include subfolders to pull in Inbox, Sent Items, Drafts, Contacts, Calendar, and any custom folders you’ve built.
8. Click Next.

Save and Protect the File

9. Click Browse and pick a save location. Name the file something descriptive, like WorkMailbox_2026.pst is clearer than the default.
10. Under Options, choose how to handle duplicates. “Replace duplicates with items exported” is the right pick for a fresh backup.
11. Click Finish.

You’ll see a prompt asking whether to password-protect the PST. Skip it unless you have a specific reason to lock the file; there’s no built-in way to recover a forgotten PST password, so it’s a real risk. Once the export finishes, copy the .pst to an external hard drive or a cloud sync folder. A full work mailbox can easily run several gigabytes; a USB flash drive works fine for smaller exports, but you’ll want something with more headroom for a complete account.

Export to a CSV File (Classic Outlook for Windows)

CSV export is most practical for contacts and for pulling message data into a spreadsheet. Message body text doesn’t always come through cleanly, and not every email field gets included. For anything you’ll want to read back later, use PST. CSV is best for reporting and analysis use cases.

The path starts identically to the PST export:

1. Go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export > Export to a file > Next.
2. Select Comma Separated Values and click Next.

3. Select the folder to export. Choose Contacts for an address book backup, or a mail folder like Inbox for message metadata.
4. Click Next.
5. Click Browse, pick a save location, and name the file clearly, like Contacts_2026.csv, for example.
6. Click Next, then Finish.

Open the file in Excel to check what came through. If dates or sender fields are blank, add those columns to the folder view inside Outlook first and re-run the export; Outlook exports what it can see in the current view.

New Outlook for Windows

New Outlook doesn’t have the File > Open & Export > Import/Export path. If you opened Outlook and that menu isn’t there, the classic export wizard simply isn’t available in that version.

Two paths forward:

• Settings → Files → Export: some Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com accounts show a server-side export option here. Look for the gear icon in the top-right corner, then Files > Export. It produces a PST, though the exact label and availability vary by account type, so it may not appear for everyone.
• Switch to classic Outlook: if you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, classic Outlook is still available as part of Microsoft 365 Apps. Open it, add the same account, and run the wizard from there. Microsoft recommends this approach for Outlook.com mailbox exports.

If export options are missing or grayed out in both places, your organization may have a policy blocking local PST creation. Talk to your IT team before assuming something is broken; they may have an approved process you don’t know about.

Export from Outlook for Mac (OLM Format)

Outlook for Mac exports to OLM (Outlook for Mac Archive File), not PST. OLM works fine for Mac-to-Mac transfers, but it won’t open in Outlook on Windows. For a PST you can use on Windows, add the same account to classic Outlook for Windows and export from there instead.

To create an OLM from Outlook for Mac:

1. Click File in the menu bar, then select Export.

2. In the export dialog, check the item types you want to include: Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, Notes.

3. Click Continue.
4. Choose a save location and click Save.

Outlook for Mac doesn’t offer date filtering or duplicate-handling at this stage; you get everything in the selected categories.

Handling Large Mailboxes and Common Issues

Export is slow or stalls

Cloud-connected accounts (Exchange Online, Outlook.com) can take a long time, especially over slower connections. Export in batches rather than pulling the entire mailbox at once. Year-by-year folders is a practical chunk size. Confirm you have enough free disk space before you start, as the export process needs room to write the file as it grows.

PST is corrupt after export

Run the Inbox Repair Toolscanpst.exe on the file. On Windows 11 with Microsoft 365 Apps installed, find it at:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\SCANPST.EXE

Open it, browse to your PST, and run a repair pass. It catches most structural corruption and is worth running on any PST before you rely on it as your only backup.

CSV fields are missing or empty

Outlook exports what’s visible in the current folder view. If dates or sender names aren’t showing up in the CSV, add those columns to the message list inside Outlook first, then re-run the export.

Duplicates appear after re-import

If you’re re-importing a PST that was already imported previously, choose Do not import duplicates during the import step. It keeps the mailbox clean and avoids the tedious cleanup afterward.

Conclusion

PST export through classic Outlook for Windows is the right call for nearly every scenario here. The wizard actually works cleanly, the file imports straight back into Outlook, and it captures the full mailbox. Copy it to an external hard drive as soon as the export finishes; skipping that step is exactly how backups fail when you need them. If the export wizard is nowhere to be found, you’re almost certainly in new Outlook; switching to classic Outlook for a one-time export takes only a few minutes and solves it completely.