Archive in Outlook for Windows (2024)

Note:If the steps under this New Outlook tab don't work, you may notbe using new Outlook for Windows yet. Select Classic Outlookand follow those steps instead.

1. Select the email you would like to archive.

2. Select Archive in the toolbar.

3. You'll get a pop-up notification confirming the action and giving you the option to Undo.

   

Archive items in Outlook

1. Select one or more messages in your Inbox or other folder to archive.

2. In the Delete group, selectArchive. You can also use the Backspace key to immediately archive one or more selected messages.

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   Tip:For Microsoft 365, Exchange, Exchange Online, and Outlook.com accounts, your Archive folder already exists, even if you've never used the feature before. You'll find it in your Outlook folder list.If you don't see the folder and you're using Outlook 2016 or Outlook for Microsoft 365, go to File > Office Account > Update Options > Update Now.

3. Your messageswill be moved to the Archive folder. If you archive a message by mistake, go to the Archive folder and move the message back to your Inbox.

   Note:The Archive button is visible only in Outlook 2016, Outlook 2019, and Outlook for Microsoft 365.Older versions of Outlookdo not have the Archive button on the ribbon.

Archive messages by using the keyboard

You can archive one or more selected messages by clicking the Backspace key. If you click the Delete key, the messages go to the Deleted Items folder. You cannot change the behavior of the Backspace key.

Note:If you have a message open in its own window instead of the Reading pane, the Backspace keywill not archive the message. You have to close the message and view it in the Reading pane for the Backspace keyto archive the message. When the message is open in a new window, the only way to archive the message is by using the Archive button on the ribbon.

How do I disable archiving by the Outlook for Microsoft 365 Backspace key?

To prevent the Backspace key from moving items to the Archive folder, you can add the following registry entries to disable this functionality.

Important:Follow the steps in this section carefully. Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Before you modify it, back up the registry for restoration in case problems occur.

Group Policy registry path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\policies\Microsoft\office\16.0\outlook\options
Name: DisableOneClickArchive
Type: DWORD
Value: 1

Office Customization Tool (OCT) registry path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\microsoft\office\16.0\outlook\options
Name: DisableOneClickArchive
Type: DWORD
Value: 1

Note:Thisfix doesn’t apply to perpetual versions of Outlook.

How do I find the Archive folder?

Your Archive folder is in the folder list. To display the folder list, selectView>Folder Pane >Normal.

How is this different from Online Archive?

Online Archive is a feature for Microsoft 365 enterprise customers who have uncommonly large mailboxes. These customers can use an Online Archive to avoid deleting old mail. A user’s Online Archive acts somewhat like a second account in Outlook with its own folder structure. Therefore, it isn’t included in searches performed from the Inbox.

If an Online Archive is enabled, administrators and users can set up their mailbox to automatically move old messages to the Online Archive using Archive Policies.

When should I use Archive and Online Archive?

We recommend that you use the Archive feature to keep your Inbox clear of messages that you’ve already answered or acted on. Think of the Archive like a file folder. You can store items in the Archive folder and still access them easily.You can also delete messages or move them to specific folders, if that’s more your style.

For users who have large mailboxes in aOffice 365 Enterprise organization, we recommend that administrators set an Archive Policy that moves items to an Online Archive after one year or less if users are reaching their mailbox quota faster. This ensures users don’t have to delete old mail to make room for new mail. Mail that is older than the specified time can be moved from both the Inbox folder and the local Archive folder.

Frequently asked questions about archiving

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