July 9, 2009


Regularly when you open your Outlook a dialog box called AutoArchive appears. Most of the people don’t know what’s behind this function. They deal with the dialog box as an annoying pop-up window and confirmed it. Later they wonder that most of their data from the personal folder seemingly disappeared.

The AutoArchive feature in Outlook is enabled by default. Basically, it means nothing more than to move elements around a given expiration date into an archive folder.


Where are the files moving?
The Archive folder is a pst file. To change the path of the pst file go to Tools - Options - Other tab - Auto Archive.



How can I use AutoArchive?
AutoArchive keeps your personal folder small and keeps track of the flood of data in your Outlook. At regular intervals, you can move Outlook elements automatically or even delete them.
There are three ways to use AutoArchive.

1. Manual AutoArchive
Go to File – Archive and you can set the folder you want do archived. Also you can define the expiration date and the path of the archive folder.



2. General AutoArchive
In order to avoid clicking, you can also automate the whole thing. To do so, go the already well-known way: Tools - Options - Other tab - Auto Archiving.



Here you can define:
- At what time interval should be archived. (Run AutoArchive every xx days)
- In which file should be archived. (Move old items to)
- click browse to use a self-created pst file as the archive file.
- Whether the archived data is moved or be removed. (Permanently delete old items)
- The expiration date. (Clean out items older than)

3. Individual AutoArchive
Maybe you want to archive a certain Outlook item (Contacts, Calendar, Inbox) by individual criteria. Click the right mouse button on the corresponding element (e.g. Inbox) – Properties – tab AutoArchive.

Select the option Archive this folder using these settings.
Also you can check the same settings as the other AutoArchive methods, like the expiration date and the archive folder. Unlike the other methods the criteria are defined for a particular Outlook item.



How do I disable the AutoArchive function?
Go to Tools - Options - Other tab - Auto Archive.
Remove the hook at Run AutoArchive every xx days.