How to Save an Outlook Email as an MSG file?

  

Rollins Duke   
Published: December 17th, 2025 • 8 Min Read

Looking for a reliable solution to save Outlook email as MSG file in batch? If yes, then here you will read the complete step-by-step guide. This comprehensive guide discusses 3 DIY and professional ways to export Outlook email to MSG file with all email items.

Microsoft Outlook users are accustomed to having all their email messages saved in one individual place. This blog talks about how a user can save multiple Outlook emails as MSG to save messages on an external hard drive, or a pen drive, keep all emails together with other documents, share data, or move emails between computers.

Moreover, Outlook allows the export of its individual email, contact, calendar, tasks, and appointments in *.msg file extension. An MSG file can store a single object including complete associated attributes. Various users wish to save email as MSG from Outlook due to several reasons.

Use Cases to Export Outlook Emails to MSG Files

Here are some of the Use cases where certain users export Outlook email as MSG for numerous professional situations:

Preservation of Forensic and Legal Data
Such users tend to download Outlook email as msg for internal investigations, evidence preserved by legal teams, as timestamps, headers, and litigation, to save crucial and on-point emails in MSG format to generate the data in a standalone document.

Storing Business Records
Professionals such as managers often need to export Outlook email as msg for essential communication purposes like changes in contracts, signatures of the project, or client feedback to keep such information in a formatted manner outside the mailbox.

Email Transfer and Migration Process
For companies upgrading systems or employees switching roles, it requires a new Outlook save email as msg file for such users to export crucial communications as a backup during the migration process.

Archival and Backup of Personal Information
Beginners or normal users prefer MSG files to create a collection of files like receipts, tax documents, or personal correspondence in a minimal storage size without depending on the main files, which usually exceed the limitations of the file or mailbox.

Manual Methods to Save Outlook Email as MSG File

Microsoft Outlook provides 2 different ways to save Outlook email to .msg extension for exporting single and multiple files at once. Upcoming sections discuss the steps to convert Outlook to MSG file with all email items and properties.

Microsoft Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013 and 2010 users can follow the below-mentioned upcoming steps. This blog post does not provide details to save email as MSG from Outlook 2007 because MS Office 2007 is no longer supported.

Important Note: If your Outlook is installed properly, without any corruption, then you can easily use these methods.

Export Outlook Email as MSG Using “Save As”

1. Start Outlook and open an email to export.
2. Then, select File >> Save As option.
   
3. Select any available save location and provide a file name.
4. Hit on Save as Type and select Outlook Message Format – Unicode.
   
5. Tap on the Save button.
6. Go to the destination path to get a specific MSG file.
   

Save Multiple Outlook Emails as MSG with “Drag and Drop”

1. Open MS Outlook and choose an email folder to export.
2. Thereafter, press CTRL+A to select all emails from the folder.
   
3. Now, drag and drop Outlook emails to a specific folder.
4. See Outlook exported MSG files at the selected location.
   

Drawbacks of Using Manual Methods

• While Microsoft Outlook already has built-in solutions in the form of “Save As” and “drag-and-drop technique” to export email files, such methods prove to be inefficient when it comes to bulk save emails in Outlook.
• These methods are exhausting and time-consuming as they obligate users to save emails individually, making it extremely challenging when they are required to learn methods on how to save Outlook emails in bulk.
• Techniques like “Drag-and-Drop,” on the other hand, enable users to save multiple emails as msg, but fall short in ensuring the preservation of the data during the conversion, resulting in misaligned and inaccurate data files.
• Does not offer a descriptive or flexible file naming option based on date-month-year and subject, which results in disorganization and crucial information while exporting emails.
• Both “Drag and Drop” and “Save As” require a mandatory installation of Outlook on users’ operating systems, making it difficult for them to access files on a system without Outlook.
• Not suitable for beginners or non-technical users due to the involvement of complicated steps incomprehensible for such users.

How to Save Outlook Email as MSG File?

1. Firstly, download and install Outlook to MSG Converter on your computer.
   
2. Use dual modes for adding Outlook emails in software GUI.
   
3. Then, enable selective email folders from where you want to save emails.
   
4. Thereafter, choose MSG as a file saving option.
   
5. Pick any file naming option and select a destination location.
   
6. After that, click Convert to save Outlook email as MSG file.
   
7. The process to export Outlook emails to MSG files has been completed.
   
8. Lastly, it opens the destination path so you can easily get output results.
   

Advantages and Features of Software

Exporting an email in MSG file format is indeed a strategic move that modifies the process of data management and better portability for users to easily download Outlook email as MSG.

• The brilliant automated software tool ensures the safe sustainment of users’ email in Outlook, involving sender/receiver details, subject, metadata, formatting, content body, with all attachments intact.
• Due to the tool’s high portability, users can effortlessly copy or export any specific email without processing the entire PST file, which solidifies users’ export experience from Outlook to other environments like a pen drive, cloud, or external drive.
• Since Outlook uses CFBF, also known as the Compound File Binary Format, non-Outlook users, eDiscovery, and any third-party forensic can access the files’ content outside the ecosystem.
• Offers a 100% safe and secure conversion process for users without unveiling their files and mailboxes, or using their email accounts.
• Supports all versions of the Windows operating system, including 11. 10, 8, 8.1, and all the previous ones.

To Conclude

Saving Outlook as MSG files is considered to be one of the most professional and precise ways to save email files one by one. While methods offered by Outlook work well for certain scenarios, they often fail when it comes to exporting thousands of emails at once, a compliance-driven situation, and entrepreneurial purposes.

That is why, for all the users who need to know how to save Outlook emails in bulk, guarantee metadata, and easy accessibility, it is highly advisable to go with automated software solutions like the Automated PST File Converter. This software solution export Outlook email as MSG with complete precision, security, and efficiency for numerous purposes like business continuity, legal, or forensic discovery.

Read Also: Quick Methods to Move Outlook Data File to Cloud