Microsoft Outlook 2016 allows users to archive conversations locally so that they can be accessed without an internet connection. These conversations are stored as files under the On My Computer tab within the program. This article contains steps to find this tab if it is hidden and a list of frequent tasks that you can perform to organize your offline emails.
View On My Computer Folders
Outlook automatically creates a set of default folders labeled On Your Computer. Follow these instructions if you do not see them in the folder list to the left of the Outlook mail window.
- With Outlook open, click on Outlook located in the app's main menu.
- Select Preferences.
- Select the General icon under the Personal Settings heading.
- Remove the checkmarks connected to the Group similar folders and Hide On My Computer folders options.
- You will now see the On My Computer heading in the left Mail folder pane of Outlook. You may need to scroll down to find them, and click on the triangle to the left of the heading to expand and view subfolders.
Create Folders
Perform the following steps if you would like to create folders other than the default ones listed under On My Computer.
- Right-click on the Inbox under the UChicago mailbox heading, then choose New Folder.
- An untitled folder, New Folder, will appear under the Inbox.
- Enter a name for the new folder.
Manually Move Messages
At any time you can move messages from folders on the mail server to On My Computer folders.
- In Outlook, click on a message or range of messages from a folder on the mail server to highlight and select.
- Click and hold on a selected message, then drag it to the desired folder under the On My Computer heading in the folder list on the left.
Tip: By default, dragging messages will copy instead of moving them so you may still need to delete the messages from the original folder. To skip this step you right-click on a message, select Move and indicate the desired folder on your computer.
You can also right-click on an email or folder, choose Move from the menu, then move the message to a listed folder. You may also select either the Choose Folder or Copy to Folder options. A search window will come up, then you can search for the location where you want to Move or Copy the folder.
Archive Messages with Rules
To learn how to archive messages with Rules in Outlook 2016, please refer to Archive Email on Outlook for Mac.