How to Save Microsoft 365 Data in Local Device Easily?

Imagine you lost your data accidentally or your email service server got down, while you are working on very important work. I know it’s hard to imagine. But it’s happened many times with most users, so taking a backup of your crucial data is important. Many Office 365 users want to backup Office 365 to local storage, but it’s not as easy as we think. That’s why, this guide will show you correct and easy ways to store Microsoft 365 files locally.

Many small or big organizations use Microsoft 365 suite as a productivity tool. Developed by Microsoft, Office 365 provides you many famous applications like Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams etc. In addition to that, it also offers cloud computing to store and manage your data on Microsoft server. Right now, cloud based services are very popular around the world, but still most users want their data in their local storage, because of the following reasons.

Benefits of Exporting Office 365 Mailbox Locally

In today’s fast-paced digital world, accidental loss, ransomware attack and cyber attack are the biggest threats for companies. However, despite having Office 365 advance suites, they prefer to save their data on their local drives. Following are the reasons behind this.

• The foremost advantage of saving your data is to protect them against accidental deletion, leaking of sensitive data or any harmful activity.
• You need internet access to open and see the Microsoft 365 emails, but having your data in local storage allows you to easily access your data.
• Businesses or companies need to store their data for legal and compliance policy.
• Although you have given free storage space in your plans. But, it will be easily exhausted. So, saving them in your local storage drives maintains your cloud storage.
• Whenever you are migrating your Office 365 data to another computer. It is advisable to backup your data to prevent any unforeseen accidents.

So, you may get so many benefits from backing up Office 365 data to local storage. Now, here is the big question of this article: how can Office 365 files be stored locally. To answer this question we have found several methods from the internet that can help you.

Save Office 365 Data to Desktop with MS Outlook

The most easy way to download your emails in your local machine is the Outlook application. If the application is already installed in your device. Then, just follow the steps below.

1. In the File menu, click on Account Settings. Then, choose the New Account option.
2. Enter your Microsoft 365 email address and password. Choose the IMAP option and configure your account.
3. Once the account sync. Go to the File menu again and choose the Open&Export option.
4. Click on the Import/Export button >> Export to a File >> Choose Outlook Data File button.
5. Select the folder that contains O365 emails and export it.

Make sure that first you enable the IMAP option from the Exchange Admin Center. Then you go through the steps. If you don’t have the Outlook application. Then, you can use the next method.

Backup Microsoft 365 Data to Local Storage with eDiscovery

From the Microsoft purview Compliance Center, you can find your content and export it. This method will be lengthy, so follow the steps carefully.

1. Open Office 365 using admin account credentials.
2. Now from the Admin Center button, choose the Security and Compliance option.
3. Choose the “Permission” tab and check the eDiscovery Manager option.
4. Click on the eDiscovery Administrator >> Edit button, and generate the important role for discovery management.
   
5. Hit the options More Resources >> Microsoft Purview Compliance Portal >> Content Search >> New Search by finding them. (If the Content search option is not visible, then it will take 24 hours to show after changes in eDiscovery permissions).
6. After hitting the “New Search” option a Window will appear on the screen, where you can customize the settings as per your needs, and give the name and descriptions of the search. Now in the location step, you can easily select the mailbox that you want to save.
7. From the conditions tab, you can apply the required filters including language/region, keywords, etc as per your requirements.
   
8. After applying and configuring all settings, hit the Submit >> Done options.
9. The search will begin in the background; you can analyze the process in the Search tab.
10. After completing the process, click on Actions >> Export Results options to backup Office 365 to local storage.
11. You can select the option as per your needs, but I suggest that you should export emails with default settings for a confusion-free process and hit the “Export” button.
    
12. When your process gets completed, hit the Download Results and copy the unique export key. It will be required in the coming steps.
    
13. Open Discovery PST Export Tool will open automatically and enter the copied unique key. And choose the destination to save the data to local storage, and hit the start button to back up Office 365 to local storage.

Limitations of Manual Methods

The above two methods are manual. They are free and easy but there are problems that you might encounter during the process.

• First of all, both are time-consuming processes.
• You need technical knowledge to use Microsoft Purview Compliance center and connect your account.
• There are chances of human risk on both of the methods.
• Users may lose some of their data during the process.

From a professional point of view, using these manual methods can be a big mistake to backup Office 365 to local storage. But there are specialized tools on the internet that provide you to download all Microsoft 365 emails and other data.

Steps to Backup Office 365 Data to Local Storage

1. Install the software on your desktop and enter your Office 365 email address.
   
2. Provide the password, press the I am Admin option. Then, click on the Login button.
   
3. After that, the tool automatically fetches your emails and data in the software. Click on the item and preview the content.
   
4. From the Saving Options select any one option. Then, browse a destination location and click the Backup button.
   

Commonly Asked Questions

Q. How can I archive emails in outlook 365 to local drive?
Ans. For this, go to the Open & Export option. Select Import/Export >> Export to a File button. Select the Outlook Data File and export your file.

Q. Is there a way to save Outlook 365 emails to the hard drive without PST?
Ans. Yes, you can use the Print option to save your emails in PDF format. Open your email in Office 365. Click on the three button and select the Print option. Choose the PDF option and save it.

Q. How can I save Office 365 documents to the computer?
Ans. In the Microsoft 365 Word, open the documents and click on File >> Save As >> PDF option and save it.

To be Conclude

Creating a backup of your Office 365 mailbox locally is the most important step of managing your data. That’s why, this article explained to you three simple ways to backup Office 365 to local storage. The methods are simple, but you may have difficulty in using the manual methods. However, the advanced method is a better option because of its advanced features and functions. So, try the methods mentioned in the above and get benefits from having your Office 365 files locally.