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Export AOL Email to PST Easily Using Top 2 Methods

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Looking for a solution to export AOL email to PST, but don’t know how to do that? Exporting AOL to PST is possible, with use of two simple ways, one manual & one automatic. This task becomes important when users plan to switch to Outlook, need backup of important emails, or want to access AOL data without staying online. To save AOL to PST an expert-suggested automated desktop-based solution.

Saving emails in PST file format makes it easy to open them in Outlook, keeping AOL emails safe on device, & removes any worry about losing data due to account issues is best way to stay away from future data loss. In this article, you will learn both methods with their detailed steps, so you can choose the one that suits best & complete export with ease.

User Need to Backup AOL Email in PST Format

There can be many reasons to export AOL emails to PST files such as:

  • Saving AOL mailbox to PST files for creating backup before migrating or leaving email service or simply to safeguard emails against server outages or accidental deletion – as PST is a reliable format for future restoration while keeping all email attachments, folder structure and metadata preserved.
  • To access AOL emails in Outlook offline without internet connection.
  • Migrating from AOL emails service to Office 365, Outlook.com or other PST supporting destinations.

How to Export AOL Email to PST? Manually Using Outlook

In the guide below, we are using MS Outlook to export AOL email to PST file. We assumed that you have working AOL email account & installed MS Outlook application. Remember, you should follow each step carefully to save AOL to PST manually.

Free Way to Save AOL Messages to PST

  1. Open installed Outlook application on computer PC.
  2. Go to File option & click on Add Account button.
  3. Enter AOL email Login ID > click Continue > enter App Password.
  4. Now, wait for few seconds to finish configuring your account with MS Outlook.
  5. After that, click File > choose Open & Export > pick Import/Export option.
    choose import/export
  6. Select Export to a file option > click Next.
    choose export to a file option
  7. Now, choose Outlook Data File (.pst) & hit Next button.
    choose outlook data file option
  8. Select mailbox & folder that you want to export > click Next.
    choose required folder
  9. Browse to location where you want to save PST file, enter file name of PST file.
    browse location to save
  10. Finally, click Finish > Set password for PST file & click OK.
    set password and click ok
  11. Wait to complete export process. Your PST file will be created in selected location.

Limitations of Manual Method to Download AOL Email to PST

  • Manual method may fail to export AOL emails to PST files because it can be difficult to configure AOL email account in Outlook due to app passwords & connection issues which leads to partial sync with larger mailboxes.
  • Requires desktop version of Microsoft Outlook installed on computer.
  • An active AOL account along with its valid App Password to configure account.
  • Using manual method to download AOL email to PST becomes time-consuming, especially when exporting AOL email to PST of large mailboxes.
  • Interruption during export AOL email to PST, such as system shutdown, Outlook crash, & network issues, results in incomplete PST files.
  • MS Outlook must be synced successfully before save AOL to PST, otherwise some emails will be missed.
  • To use this manual method, users must have technical knowledge of MS Outlook to configure AOL account without corruption.
  • This method exports mailbox data only & does not provide advanced options such as selective export by date range, email attributes, & automated scheduling.

These were the drawbacks of using manual workaround, which you must know before using this free method.

BitRecover Automated Tool to  Save AOL to PST without Outlook

According to above-described method, using free manual approach is fine, but only at certain cases. However, you can also do this without facing any technical troubles of manual method, by using SHA-secured AOL Backup Software by BitRecover on Windows & Mac. This desktop-based solution can export AOL email to PST in batches while maintaining data integrity, folder hierarchy, & data privacy intact during entire export process.

Backup AOL Mail to PST in 5 Steps with BitRecover AOL to PST Wizard

  1. Open suggested application on your machine.
    open the tool
  2. Enter AOL ID & App Password > click on Login.
    enter login id and password
  3. Select folders from listed folder tree in side panel.
    choose folder from side panel
  4. Then, choose PST as saving option > set file destination to save.
    set pst as a saving option
  5. Finally, click on Backup button to start download AOL to PST.
    click on backup button

Benefits of Automated Solution

  • This tool not only saves AOL to PST but it also allows users to export AOL email to Thunderbird, Gmail, & more other formats, such as PDF, MBOX, EML, etc.
  • Its advanced filter options help users to download only specific emails based on date range, sender, recipient, subject, & other criteria.
  • This tool preserves folder hierarchy & email metadata during downloading AOL to PST, while keeping email attachments intact.
  • Using this tool, users will save AOL email to PST in batches from multiple AOL accounts at once without freezing computer.
  • This tool supports both Windows & Mac operating systems, & its user-friendly interface makes this so easy to use for all types of users, whether you are professional, technical, IT expert, non-technical, or newbie.

These were the benefits of using this automated solution to export AOL to PST.

Final Thoughts

At the end of this article on topic, “Export AOL email to PST.” We have shared two most effective & practically tested techniques to save AOL to PST. First, we used free manual method, Microsoft Outlook. Found that using MS Outlook to download AOL to PST is quite tricky, not helpful for selective export, & time-consuming in case of bulk or large-sized data. Secondly, while using manual approach via Outlook, our computer system freezes. Before proceeding with manual steps, make sure your system specification are fine. This is because we don’t recommend manual workaround to export AOL to PST.

On the other hand, using an automatic solution is fair option for the users who need quick, hassle-free way to save AOL to PST. Now, it’s totally up to you which techniques you are going to choose to save your time & efforts.

If you face any kind of issue related to suggested application, then you can contact to our technical experts through live chat 24×7.

FAQs: AOL to PST Files Export

Q1: Does AOL webmail have a direct option to export mailboxes as PST?

No there is no in-built option to export AOL mailboxes to PST via webmail. But you can create an export using Outlook Classic or New on Windows with active Microsoft subscription or use external software like BitRecover AOL to PST export tool in case you have larger mailboxes.

Q2: Do I need an app password to export AOL emails to PST?

Yes, to save AOL emails in PST format for both manual approaches using Outlook or using the BitRecover solution, enabling 2FA and further generating an app password is required, as they are third-party applications of AOL.

Q3: Can I export AOL contacts & calendars to PST?

No, this is because both external softwares like BitRecover and Outlook “Import/Export Tool” to archive AOL emails in PST rely on IMAP connection which syncs email messages with attachment only and not contacts & calendars.

Q4: Is there a limit to how many AOL emails I can export to PST files manually?

Yes, by default using MS Outlook to export AOL emails to PST has a limit of 50 GB. You can backup multiple large AOL accounts to PST and even split them if needed in one go using BitRecover AOL to PST Converter.

About the Author

Mark Regan

Mark Regan

Technical Content Writer at BitRecover · 804 articles

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