Archiving: an archive folder on the server or a PST file

Want to tidy up your Inbox but keep your old email? Then you can archive it. With a WebOké email address, there are two ways to do this. They differ in where your email ends up.

Method 1: an archive folder on the server (recommended)

In Outlook, create a folder under your email address, for example Archive or Archive 2025, and drag old email into it. That folder is stored on our server.

• You can see the archive on every computer, on your phone and in webmail.
• It's included in the backups of your package.
• It does count towards your mailbox storage (see Folders, sent mail and a full mailbox).

Many versions of Outlook also have an Archive button. It moves a message to an archive folder. With an IMAP account, Outlook sometimes asks you first which folder to use. Choose a folder under your email address, not a folder on your computer.

Method 2: a PST file on your computer

Classic Outlook can put email in an Outlook Data File, a file ending in .pst. That file is stored on your computer, not on our server.

• This is useful if your mailbox is getting full and your old email no longer needs to be on the server.
• But: you'll only see that email on this computer. Not on your phone, not in webmail.
• If your computer breaks down or the file gets damaged, you lose that email. The PST file isn't included in our backups, so make your own backup of it (see Backup strategy: the 3-2-1 rule for your own business).

In classic Outlook, you create a PST file via File, Open & Export and then Import/Export, choosing to export to a file. There's also the AutoArchive feature, which automatically moves old email to a PST file. Only turn it on if you know where that file is stored and you have a backup of it.

PST files and the new Outlook

The new Outlook has only limited support for PST files. Among other things, Microsoft requires classic Outlook to be installed on your computer as well and a Microsoft 365 subscription. Planning to switch? Then first use classic Outlook to move the email from your PST files back into a folder on the server. You'll then see it in the new Outlook automatically.

Tip: Classic Outlook also stores an IMAP account in a file ending in .ost. That's just a copy of what's on the server. If that file gets damaged, Outlook can download everything from the server again. A .pst is different: the email in it is often stored only there.