Overview
Many organisations and individuals have multiple Outlook mailboxes with years of emails, attachments, customer conversations, invoices and project records. You can save these messages as EML files if you need to move them, archive them, or access them outside of Outlook. EML is a popular email format that is supported by many email applications.
The trouble starts when there are hundreds or thousands of messages spread across many Outlook mailboxes. It can take a lot of time to save each email individually, and you also run the risk of missing important emails.
What is PST and EML Files?
PST File
PST is short for Personal Storage Table. It is an Outlook data file which stores emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, notes, and other mailbox data. Most commonly, PST files are used to archive, back up, and transfer data in Outlook.
EML File
EML is a format for single email message file. It can preserve the content of the email's message and commonly associated information like sender, recipient, subject, date and attachments. EML files can be opened with a variety of email applications and can also be used for individual message archiving.
Why Export Multiple Outlook Mailboxes to EML?
Sometimes it is useful to convert or export Outlook data to EML in these situations:
Email migration: EML files can help you migrate individual messages between compatible email applications.
Long-term archiving: Key messages can be stored separately from an Outlook mailbox.
Selective email management: Users can put individual messages into folders outside of Outlook.
Backup: It provides an additional copy of vital correspondence. Support for multiple email clients: EML is compatible with multiple email clients.
Multiple mailbox support: Businesses might want to retrieve data from multiple mailboxes for employees or departments.
How to Save Outlook Emails as EML via Manual Method
Outlook provides no easy bulk export option to save a whole collection of messages from multiple PST files directly as individual EML files.
However, users can manually save messages in supported Outlook environments or use an email application as an intermediary.
Manual Method Steps
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Start Outlook and open the mailbox or PST file you want to open.
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Choose the folder of emails you want to export.
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Choose an individual email.
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Depending on the version of Outlook and the workflow, use the available Save As or drag-and-drop option.
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Save the message in an email-compatible format where available.
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Repeat for other messages.
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Make individual destination folders for each mailbox.
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Repeat the same procedure for each PST or mailbox.
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Then open several EML files to see its contents and attachments.
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Users may need to repeat these steps a few times for multiple mailboxes.
Benefits of the Manual Method
• Does not require special conversion software all the time.
• Best for a small number of e-mails.
• Users can select specific messages.
• Provides direct control over destination folders.
• Good for when only a few important e-mails need to be saved.
Cons of the Manual Method
• You have to save hundreds of emails one by one which is time-consuming.
• When you have to process multiple PST files, it is like doing the same job repeatedly.
• It is more difficult to keep mailboxes and folders organised.
• There is a higher chance of accidentally skipping over messages.
• Attachments and message formatting must be checked carefully.
• Archiving mailboxes at scale is inefficient.
For these reasons, manual processing is usually more suitable for small collections than for large-scale mailbox conversion.
Simultaneous PST to EML Conversion: A Tool-Based Method
If you have several Outlook mailboxes that need processing, a dedicated converter can be a more organised way to do it. Softaken PST to EML Converter is specially designed to convert Outlook PST data to EML files.
This tool can be used by users who want to convert large email collections to EML and do not want to save messages one by one.
How to Convert Multiple Outlook Mailbox to EML
Download & Install: Download and install the Softaken PST Converter tool on your Windows OS.
Select Mode: Choose File Mode or Folder Mode to add your single or multiple PST files.
Browse and Upload: Click the Browse button to locate and select the PST file(s) you want to load into the program.
Mailbox Data Preview: Allow the software to scan the file and then view the full hierarchical preview of emails, folders and attachments on the screen.
Select Output Format: Choose the preferred export format like PDF, EML, MBOX, MSG, etc. or destination.
Select Path To Save To: Choose a location of a folder on your system where you want to save the converted files.
Start Conversion: Click on the Convert Now (or Export) button to start and finish the process.
Benefits of the Tool-Based Approach
A dedicated conversion workflow might be handy when dealing with multiple Outlook mailboxes:
Bulk processing: It is more efficient to process a number of PST files than to save each email.
Time-saving: Automates repetitive manual tasks. Selective conversion: Option to select certain folders or mailbox data.
Attachment retention: You can export supported attachments with the email files.
Better organization: Using separate output folders can help in maintaining mailbox-based archives.
High volume handling: A converter is more practical when thousands of messages need to be processed.
Less chance of manual errors: Automated processing reduces the chances of missing individual emails by mistake.
Who Needs to Save Multiple Outlook Mailboxes to EML?
System Administrators
IT teams can use EML conversion for employee mailbox management, preparing for migrations, or message-level archive creation.
Corporates
Outlook enables organisations to save customer communications, project discussions, invoices and other business records as separate email files.
Legal & Compliance Groups
Professionals who manage email records might want to have individual messages available for review and for organised storage.
Individual Users
Home users can export selected Outlook messages when migrating to another email client or creating an additional archive.
Professionals
EML files are used as an intermediate or final format by email migration specialists to transfer messages between compatible systems.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is it possible to save multiple Outlook emails as EML at once?
Not every version will have a convenient bulk workflow using standard features of Outlook. The dedicated converter makes the processing of large-scale PST to EML easier.
2. Can I convert multiple PST files to EML?
Yes, you can work with multiple PST files in a single workflow using software which supports batch or multiple file processing.
3. Are attachments stored in EML files?
If the conversion method you’ve selected supports attachment extraction and export, you can preserve attachments. Always review important converted messages.
4. Does EML have the full email?
An EML file normally contains only one email message, including the message headers and body, and any attachments that were included during the export process.
5. Is EML better than PST for archiving email?
They are for different purposes. PST is used to store an Outlook mailbox, while EML is better for storing or accessing individual messages one by one.
6. Can I convert selective Outlook folders?
Many dedicated conversion tools offer folder or item selection options. Selection features available depend on the software.
7. Should I keep the original PST even after conversion?
Yes. Keep a copy of the original PST until the EML files are fully checked and you are sure that the necessary emails and attachments were exported correctly.
Conclusion
Save multiple Outlook mailboxes as EML files for easier archiving, organising, migrating and accessing individual emails with compatible applications. The manual method can be useful in the case of a few emails but becomes more and more difficult with a higher number of messages and PST files.
For larger collections, a dedicated conversion workflow can help reduce repetitive work and make bulk processing more manageable. No matter whatever process you choose, you should take the backup of the original PST files and verify the exported EML messages, attachments and important mailbox data before marking the migration as completed.