How do I backup Hotmail email messages?

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I’ve used Hotmail for many years and have very important communications stored at the account. I would like to preserve a copy of these messages on my computer. Is it possible to backup the Hotmail email? Would be grateful if you can shed light on this issue.
S. Haywood

Probably the easiest way to backup Hotmail emails is to first download them to your computer using an email program (also known as an email client) and then copy the files from this program to a “safer” location such as an external hard disk.

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From where can you get an email program?

Most computers come with a preinstalled email program; Outlook Express on XP, Windows Mail on Vista, Windows Live Mail on Windows 7, Mail on Apple computers etc. Any of these will work just fine. Also check the big list of email programs for alternatives.

When you’ve decided which program to use (will probably depend on the operating system your computer is running on), the next step is to set up the Hotmail account using the POP3 – Post Office Protocol. I know this sounds technical, but throw your apprehensions aside. This web site has detailed instructions on how to configure Hotmail on all the popular free Microsoft email programs on this web site. Check the links below:

Download and backup Hotmail email

The POP3 technology enables the email program to connect to the Hotmail server and download messages to your computer. Emails are now stored on the local hard disk by the program. To take a backup of the Hotmail email messages, simply employ the export function of the email program. Remember to keep a copy of the messages in an external storage device such as a hard disk or a flash drive.

By the way, instead of taking a backup of all Hotmail email, it’s also possible to select just the important ones. This can easily be done in Windows Live Mail, for instance, which is the default email program of Windows 7 and can also be installed on XP and Vista. Messages can be picked up individually and then dragged-n-dropped to a folder. Creating a backup now entails simply copying this folder to a safe location. Emails will be available in the standard .eml format.

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