If you're using an IMAP email account hosted with Namhost, your emails are stored on our mail server and synchronised with your email clients such as Microsoft Outlook. Over time, your mailbox can fill up, potentially affecting performance and storage limits.
To help manage this, you can archive old messages locally in Outlook 2019 while keeping your mailbox clean and within storage limits.
Important Notes Before You Start:
- Archiving moves emails from our mail server to your local computer. Once archived, those emails will no longer be accessible via Webmail or other devices unless you manually move them back.
- We recommend you only archive emails that are no longer needed on multiple devices or don't require regular access.
- Make sure your Outlook profile is configured using the IMAP protocol. This guide does not apply to POP or Exchange accounts.
Step-by-Step: Archiving Emails in Outlook 2019
- Open Outlook and Go to File → Tools → Clean Up Old Items
- Launch Microsoft Outlook 2019.
- Click on the File tab (top-left corner).
- Click Tools, then choose Clean Up Old Items from the dropdown.
- Choose Folder to Archive
- Select the mailbox or folder you want to archive (e.g., Inbox, Sent Items).
- Tick the box “Include subfolders” if you want to archive everything within that folder.
- Under Archive items older than, choose a date. Emails received before this date will be archived.
- Set the Archive File Locations
- By default, Outlook stores archived emails in a .pst file located on your PC (usually under Documents > Outlook Files).
- You can change this path to store the archive elsewhere if needed. We recommend saving it somewhere safe and regularly backed up, especially if your PC is not backed up.
- Start Archiving
- Click OK to begin the archive process.
- Outlook will now move older emails from our mail server to your local archive file.
- Depending on how many emails you have, this may take a few minutes.
Accessing Archived Emails
Once archiving is complete:
- Your archived emails will appear in the “Archives” folder in Outlook.
- You can browse, search, and read them as usual — they are just no longer on our server.
Need to Free Up Even More Space?
For Namhost clients nearing their email quota, consider the following:
- Empty Deleted Items and Junk folders.
- Sort by attachment size and delete or move large emails.
- Upgrade your mailbox quota — contact us if you'd like to explore this option.
Questions or Need Help?
If you're not sure whether archiving is right for you or you'd like help setting it up, feel free to contact the Namhost Support Team. We're happy to assist!