How to backup email accounts in Microsoft Outlook 2003?
This question was bugging me like hell when I was taking backup of my outlook data today.
I took backup of all the folders, rules but I could not find any option to take backup of email accounts.
I googled for quite some time but could not find anything…
I knew there was a registry key for this but it wasn’t so easy to find….
after digging the net / google for more than 30 minutes, I finally found the way to do it…
Just locate the following key in registry (start – run – regedit):
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles\Outlook
Then right click on the key, outlook and select option, Export…save it anywhere you want…
and run it while restoring your outlook.
This will restore your old outlook profile with all email accounts and rules.
But, you will have to enter passwords for the accounts again. It does not store the user passwords.
I hope this helps people like me..who are lazy to create the email accounts again… 
3.7.2006
you think you are lazy i dont even create any accounts in Outlook i feel its better to look in the mail itself. hehe i am more lazier
3.8.2006
deepu, text is getting cut in this post eg. digging ka spelling is diggi and even the 1st line….thght i’d tell u. DONT POST THIS!
3.8.2006
I donno why its showing like that to u..spelling is also correct…i guess it time to switch to IE6 or latest version of FF
3.8.2006
im using IE 6 n y d hell didya post tht comment! Nikal usko!
3.8.2006
haha then windows 98 suck lol
3.9.2006
Dammit! I’m using windows XP Professional. Its getting cut in IE 6 and FF 1.5 n stop posting this
3.9.2006
How come windows xp?
to be frank there is nothing wrong in the layout as far as i know. It doesnt cut anything here…so may be its some other issue which is causing it…
3.9.2006
Ahhh!! Deep at last you found out the way. Your struggle for 2 hours came to a successful end
3.9.2006
mailing u the screenshot, wiseman! its getting cut, still…
3.10.2006
Outlook 2003…..Whats that?
I use Opera M2
Never worried bout any kind of Look….M2 Rocks!
3.11.2006
Ok, confusion in the posts…2 posts hve been mixed up!
5.4.2006
Did any of this make sense to you freaks? What about using the export feature in outlook to backup emails? Or saving the .pst file, guess we need to google more
5.4.2006
kiddo, do you even know what is written in the post? do you know that you CANNOT export emil account settings, rules in outlook? Get your facts straight and then reply with your childish comments…
,pst file will take backup of the mail data not email accounts…
7.17.2006
I want to take a email backup of my emails?
How do I do this?
8.7.2006
use the import/export feature of outlook
8.21.2006
[...] Who is Deep – Google Search Eolsoft – Google Search MSN.org – Google Search [...]
9.19.2006
Apparently, there’s a feature in Microsoft Office 2003 to import/export settings like accounts.
“Microsoft Office 2003 Save My Settings Wizard” in the “Microsoft Office Tools”.
This will save all the mail accounts as well as other settings in Office.
But if you want to use this feature to transfer your settings and accounts to a new computer, I think it will do the trick.
Unfortunately, I didn’t test it yet (will do soon).
Hope it helps.
10.27.2006
Thnax this is very usefull info
11.7.2006
Please add 1 and 1??? Anyway, thanks for postion this assistance. We’re swapping one computer to another and this worked very well. BTW Add the part that the final reg were about 17 lines down that contained the email accounts (what I was looking for) thanks!!
12.1.2006
Both the options – exporting / importing the registry key “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles\Outlook” and the “Microsoft Office 2003 Save My Settings Wizardâ€Â? in the “Microsoft Office Toolsâ€Â? exports the account settings but without the passwords. You will have to type them again
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2.3.2007
This also works for Outlook 2007, thanks a lot
6.30.2007
Hi,
Thanks – This was just what I needed … Since XP and Office often craches and need a re-install!! (Bye bye weekend)…
I found this JUST the thing i need to restore all my emails!!
Thanks!!
Peter
7.20.2007
Hey,
Googl’n has taken me to your site. I was looking for same solution for Outlook 2007.
The registry file is the same but the path is different in Windows Vista.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem
Hope this helps someone..
Chrs.
8.11.2007
Do NOT use the Microsoft Office Tool to save Outlook 2003 Email Account settings from Office XP to move to Outlook 2003 on Vista. Somehow Microsoft screwed this one up big time. Now Outlook 2003 on my new Vista machine won’t start and displays an error message “Can’t find Outlook1.pst”. I did use a PST file to move over the email addresses and mail, but the names of both PST files was NOT Outlook1.pst. Wow can you imagine the richest business in the world can’t even figure out how move email address setting between on f’n version to another. Man Microsoft really, really sucks. But, that is why we have laws against monopolies. I just wish it would be imposed to break up this nightmare of a blood sucking corporation.
8.25.2007
[...] Who is Deep – Google Search Eolsoft – Google Search MSN.org – Google Search [...]
9.19.2007
I have no idea why they have removed the option to back up mail account settings in Outlook 2003 but it is a pain in the back side.
Thanks for you tutorial.
It did exactly what I wanted.
9.21.2007
Wow Thanks a lot for the info.!!
10.2.2007
Thanks! As a fellow lazy IT man, I was scratching my head at this one. I guess I could have searched the registry for one of the profiles, and that would have lead me there quicker………but why do that when google will do it for you!
10.5.2007
super duper…great stuff
10.5.2007
Great job
Thanks a loooot !!!
10.22.2007
thanks, thanks and thanks
10.27.2007
Thanks a lot, this is exactly what I was looking for.
12.29.2007
Thanks, a lot.
There must be a way to store the passwords, too.
I found something on the net.
Start > All Programs > Microsoft Office > Microsoft Office Tools > Microsoft Office 2003 Save My Settings
(or something like this, I found it in Turkish)
Now, we can backup and restore the settings…
(I don’t try it, yet)
2.15.2008
Very good..thanx
4.15.2008
Hi ,
Ur hints is very useful for me …..Thanks A Lot
Thanks once again
Farhat Ullah
7.11.2008
[...] problemi più gravi di un banale backup. Se proprio siete “de coccio” provate a leggere qui o qui dove si menziona la chiave di registro, ma considerate il fatto [...]
7.12.2008
Oh man!
Thanks a lot!
I hope it works when I reinstall windows!
You’re the best bro.
1.18.2009
[...] registry keys to use and how to export them. Here is the website where I got the insturctions… http://www.whoisdeep.com/2006/03/07/…-outlook-2003/ So now I have 2 problems…. multiple personal folders and incorrect registry settings. Is there a [...]