Introduction:
Your Microsoft Outlook mailbox grows as you create and receive items. To manage the space in your mailbox or on the mail server you are using, you can move old items that are important, but rarely used, to an archive location.
This storage process occurs automatically with Auto Archive, but you can customize most of the default settings.
Auto Archive settings:
Auto Archive moves items from their original location in Outlook to an archive file folder when they expire, that is, when they pass their aging period. You can also set options for items to be deleted when they expire.
Items are stored in their archived locations unless you change one or more Auto Archive settings, or choose to have the items automatically deleted when they expire.
If the setting is to Delete expired items, those items are not archived but are deleted permanently. Items can be automatically deleted only before they are moved to their archive location. Items that are already archived can only be deleted manually.
Steps to follow to took a Outlook archive.
Step#1 Click the File tab.
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Step#2 Click Options.
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Step#3 Click Advanced
Step# 4 Under Auto Archive, click Auto Archive Settings
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Use the following options that you need wisely
- Run Auto Archive every n days
Choose how often Auto Archive runs. Archiving many items at the same time might slow your computer’s performance.
- Prompt before Auto Archive runs:
Choose whether you want a reminder message to appear before Auto Archive processes your Outlook items.
- Delete expired items (e-mail folders only):
This option is off by default. Select this check box to delete messages after their aging period has passed.
- Archive or delete old items:
Choose this option if you want to set or change the settings that follow. If this check box is cleared, Auto Archive runs using default settings.
- Clean out items older than:
Specify the age at which you want items to be archived, in days, weeks, or months. You can configure a period of one day up to a maximum of 60 months.
- Move old items to:
Select this check box to archive old items instead of automatically delete them. The default folder appears in the box.
- Permanently delete items:
This option deletes any expired items. They are not moved and no archive copy is kept.
- Apply these settings to all folders now:
This option applies the Auto Archive settings, including your changes, to all folders.