Archiving mail in outlook

Archiving mail in Outlook is a great way to keep your inbox organized and free up space on your computer. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to archive mail in Outlook:

Method 1: Archiving a single message

1. Open Outlook and select the message you want to archive.
2. Right-click on the message and select "Move to Folder" or use the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl+Shift+V".
3. In the "Move to Folder" dialog box, select the "Archive" folder or a custom folder you've created.
4. Click "OK" to move the message to the archive folder.

Method 2: Archiving multiple messages

1. Select multiple messages in your inbox by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking on each message.
2. Right-click on one of the selected messages and select "Move to Folder" or use the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl+Shift+V".
3. In the "Move to Folder" dialog box, select the "Archive" folder or a custom folder you've created.
4. Click "OK" to move the selected messages to the archive folder.

Method 3: Archiving all messages in a folder

1. Select the folder you want to archive (e.g., Inbox, Sent Items, etc.).
2. Right-click on the folder and select "Archive Folder" or use the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl+Shift+A".
3. In the "Archive Folder" dialog box, select the "Archive" folder or a custom folder you've created.
4. Click "OK" to archive all messages in the selected folder.

Tips and Variations

• You can also use the "Quick Steps" feature in Outlook to create a custom archive action. To do this, go to "Home" > "Quick Steps" > "Create New" and select "Move to Folder" > "Archive".
• If you want to archive messages older than a certain date, you can use the "Clean Up Folders" feature. To do this, go to "Home" > "Clean Up Folders" > "Clean Up Folder" and select the folder you want to archive.
• You can also use third-party add-ins, such as SaneBlackHole or Archive Mail, to automate the archiving process.
• If you're using Outlook 2010 or later, you can use the "Archive" button in the "Home" tab to quickly archive a message or folder.

Where do archived messages go?

Archived messages are moved to a special folder called the "Archive" folder, which is usually located in the "Local Folders" section of your Outlook profile. You can access the Archive folder by going to "File" > "Open & Export" > "Open Outlook Data File" and selecting the "Archive" folder.