We all perform backups of our files but many do not know how to backup Windows Live Mail emails on their system. We rely on email heavily nowadays and everything is sent via email it seems. You should always include emails as part of your backup routine and if you backup manually you may not know where your Windows Live Mail emails are stored.
Luckily it is not difficult to backup windows live mail in vista and windows 7 and we will show you how to do this in this quick illustrated tutorial.
There are different ways to backup your emails but I have always found this way the easiest and most effective in making sure you get everything.
We are basically going to copy the folder where the emails and settings are stored (Along with your calendar) to an external source. By copying this folder we essentiall backup all our windows live mail emails and settings including the folder structure you have in place.
There are many reasons to want to know how to backup windows live mail emails:
- As part of a good backup routine
- Transfer to another computer
- Backup for a reinstall
- Old email account that you want to backup should you need the emails in future
Backup Windows Live Mail Folder
The files we need to get to are hidden so firstly we need to be able to view these hidden files. Click your start/Windows button in the bottom left corner and select computer.
Once in computer double click your main drive (Likely to be C). You should see all your files and folders. On the top menu select tools and then folder options (see below image)
In the new window that pops up select the view tab. Change the hidden files and folders to show hidden files and folders as below and then press apply and then ok.
You should now see a number of files that are faded. These were the hidden folders. To backup windows live mail folders do the following.
- Double click the users folder to open
- Double click the folder with your name (If your name is not shown it may be administrator or owner)
- Double click the faded folder called AppData
- Double click Local
- Double click Microsoft
In the Microsoft folder you will find a folder named windows live mail. This is the folder we want to copy if we want to backup windows live mail. You may also see another folder in there called windows mail. This was the predecessor to windows live mail. If you are unsure which to copy backup both. All you need to do now is copy those folders to an external device of online service.
Restoring Windows Live Mail Backup
Although restoring a windows live mail backup is just a case of reversing what we did to backup you do need to launch windows live mail on a new install to create the files initially. It is then a case of copying your backup windows live mail folder to the Microsoft directory.
Notes
You may notice issues if you try to copy a windows live mail backup into a windows mail folder in that it won’t accept the files. Ensure that you are restoring to the right program you backed up from.You may also need to re-enter your password for your email accounts when restoring your windows live mail backup.
