How to Make Outlook 2016 Backup PST File Automatically

About Outlook Data Files (.pst)

When you run Outlook for the first time, the necessary data files are created automatically. Sometimes additional data files are needed. Outlook Data Files (.pst) are saved in the Documents/Outlook Files folder on your computer.

Outlook PST file is a file that stores all Outlook data including emails, contacts, calendar items, tasks and notes. There are some reasons why you may want to backup Outlook PST file automatically:

• If you change to a new computer, you will need to transfer your PST files to the new machine.
• When you migrate from the old version of Outlook to the new version, you will need to export your PST file and then import it to the new version of Outlook.
• If your Outlook crashes or Outlook data gets corrupted, you will need to restore your PST file from the backup.

Therefore, having a backup of Outlook PST file is an important part of using this email client. This article will show you two ways to automatically backup Outlook PST file. This way, you can have the latest version of the PST file.

2 Ways of Outlook Auto Backup .pst Files

This article takes Outlook 2016 as an example to show you how to achieve the task of auto backup of Outlook 2016. Hurry up to see how to do it exactly.

#1. Backup Outlook PST File Automatically with Add-in Feature

Outlook 2016 Backup Add-in is a reliable and free tool to automate Outlook backup process in Outlook 2016 version. It backs up Outlook in PST format only. If you are using Exchange server mailboxes, it will backup your files frequently by the server administrator. Following are the exact steps to backup Outlook PST files using Microsoft Outlook Backup Add-in tool.

1. Download the Outlook 2016 Backup Add-In v1.7. (direct link). Unzip the downloaded zip file. Double-click "OutlookBackupAddIn.msi" to install the add-in. After the installation is complete, launch Outlook.
2. From the menu bar, click BACKUP > Settings.

3. Select the PST data files that you want to back up. In the "Interval" option, specify the time you want to backup (e.g. 2 days). Then specify the destination of the backup. Click Save when you are done.

4. When you quit Outlook 2016 for the first time, the first automatic Outlook backup will be taken.

#2. Outlook 2016 Backup .pst Automatically via Third-party Software

If you want to automatically backup PST files in Outlook, you can also consider using a powerful backup software - AOMEI Backupper Professional to help you.

• It provides you with "Daily", "Weekly", "Monthly" and "Event Triggers" scheduled backups. Also, you can enable "Wake up computer to run scheduled tasks" to set off-peak hours or any time you are not using Outlook to backup PST files.
• It allows you to save a lot of time and space by backing up only the changed files with "Incremental Backup" or "Differential Backup".
• It also has the ability to delete old backup images with "Automatic Cleanup" to free up space. Therefore, you don't need to worry about full backup disks.

Please download this powerful backup software to have a try!

(PS: Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, XP and Vista are supported on the Professional edition. For server users, try AOMEI Backupper Server!)

1. Open Outlook 2016, type email and click Connect, then follow the on-screen instructions to add the Outlook account containing PST files.

2. Launch AOMEI Backupper Professional and click Backup and Outlook Backup.

3. Click Add Outlook data and select the Outlook account containing PST files you want to backup. Then click OK.

4.  Then click the box below to select backup destination to receive PST files in Outlook 2016.

5. Enable “Daily”, “Weekly” or “Monthly” schedule backup and be sure the option“Wake the computer to run scheduled task” is checked.

6. Afterward, click Start Backup to backup PST files to in Outlook 2016 automatically without locking issue.

🌟 Notes:

• The Event triggers only supports backup PST files at system startup, and user log on. So you cannot set a specific time to run PST file backup task.
• By default, if you enable schedule backup, this software will use “Incremental Backup” to backup only changed files. You can change it to “Differential Backup” too.
• To prevent backup disk full issues, the most effective method is to delete old backup images on a regular basis. Click Backup Scheme and enable it.

Summary

This article provides you with two methods to realize Outlook 2016 backup PST file automatically. You need to get in the habit of backing up to prevent data loss. This way if you encounter unexpected situations, you can quickly retrieve your important emails, contacts and other data through the PST file.

The powerful backup software - AOMEI Backupper provided in this article is not only able to protect your emails, you can also use it to backup your system, disk, etc., providing full protection for your computer data. What are you hesitating for? Hurry up and download it and try it.