How to back up your e-mail? Where are your e-mails stored? – a New York Computer Help e-mail support tip

If you have to back up your files due to some dreaded virus, or you just want to have a secure backup, don’t forget about backing up your important e-mails.  If you solely work off of Gmail, Yahoo!, Hotmail, MSN, or another online e-mail service, then you don’t have to worry about backing up since your e-mails are stored online.  However, if you use Outlook, Outlook Express, Windows Mail, Thunderbird, Entourage, or Mail, then, you have to know where your e-mails and contacts are stored so you can back them up.

Here’s where the major e-mail software clients are stored:

• Outlook – In Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<Profile>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook; In Windows Vista/7: C:\Users\<Profile>\AppData\Local\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
• Outlook Express – C:\Documents and Settings\<Profile>\Application Data\Outlook Express\{ID} or C:\Documents and Settings\<Profile>\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{ID}\Outlook Express.  Contacts are found in: C:\Documents and Settings\<Profile>\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book
• Windows Mail – C:\Users\<Profile>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail.  Contacts are found in:  C:\Users\Contacts
• Thunderbird - C:\Users\<Profile>\AppData\Local\Thunderbird\Profiles\xxxxx.default\Mail
• Entourage – Home\Documents\Microsoft User Data\Office X Identities\Main Identity\Database
• Mac Mail – Home\Library\Mail

To back up your e-mail, make sure you are out of the program you backing up from or else it won’t let you back it up.  If you need further help with backing up, you can contact an e-mail specialist.