Why You Should Backup Office 365 to EML Before Hitting Storage Limits
Created on Oct. 8, 2025, 7:41 a.m. - by ivy, harris
Having your Office 365 storage run out can be nerve-racking. Emails with attachments can eat up your space, and even slow your account down to the point where it may even cease to send or receive emails. One of the easiest ways to circumvent this is to back up Office 365 to EML. You can essentially store your emails locally and create space in your mailbox. In this blog, we will cover what Office 365 and EML is, why you should back it up, and the step by step process to do it manually.
What is Office 365?
Office 365, now referred to as Microsoft 365, is a cloud-based productivity suite offered by Microsoft. Businesses and individuals leverage Office 365 to manage emails, documents and collaborate online. As a cloud based solution there is a storage limit, based on your plan. Once you reach that limit you may start to see issues like slow access to email, or unable to receive new messages.
What is EML?
EML is a file format standard for storing individual emails. Each EML file stores the email body and any attachments, as well as sender info, recipient info, and metadata. One of the main advantages of using EML files is that they are supported by many different email clients, including Outlook, Thunderbird and Windows Mail. By backing up Office 365 to EML, this creates a secure and accessible duplicate of your emails that can be used anytime, even offline.
What Are the Benefits of Backing Up Office 365 to EML?
Backing up emails from Office 365 to EML has a number of advantages:
- Your emails will be preserved should any accidental deletions, mailbox corruption, or account issues occur.
- Storing older emails helps reduce the amount of storage in your Office 365 account.
- You can open EML files in other email applications when you need to.
- You can bundle your emails by year, month, or project for easier management.
Manual Method to Backup Office 365 to EML
You can manually backup Office 365 emails to EML using Microsoft Outlook. Here's how –
Step 1 Configure Office 365 with Outlook.
- Open Microsoft Outlook On Your Computer.
- Go To File > Account > Account Settings.
- To Add Your Office 365 Account Select New.
- Please Fill In Your Email Address And Password Outlook Will Configure Your Account Immediately.
- Once Configured Your Office 365 Emails Will Sync To Outlook.
Step 2 Configure Your Local Backup Folder.
- Open Windows Explorer.
- Create A Folder To Backup Your Eml Files.
Step 3 Create An Email Backup In Eml Format In Outlook.
- Navigate To The Inbox Or Folder You Wish To Backup And Select It
- Select The Emails You Wish To Save.
- Ctrl + A Will Select All Emails In The Folder.
- Drag And Drop The Selected Emails Into Your Created Folder And Outlook Will Save Them As .Eml Files.
Step 4 Verify Your Backup By Opening Your Created Folder.
- Double-Click Some Eml Files To Verify That They Work Correctly In Your Email Software.
- If Things Went Well You Should Have A Full Backup.
How to Manage Backups Successfully?
- Regular Backup - Backup Office 365 to EML on a regular basis.
- Organize by Folder - Create subfolders for easy access.
- External Storage - To increase security, keep backups on an external hard drive or on the cloud.
While the manual approach works well for small accounts, it can be time consuming if you have hundreds or thousands of emails. This is when professional tools come in useful. WholeClear Office 365 Backup Software is a trusted solution for quickly backing up your emails.
You can backup Office 365 to EML without any losing your emails . The software is also easy to use and it maintains the folder structure, provides data integrity, and saves time over a manual process.
Final Thought
Backing up your emails is no longer a choice in today's digital workplace, especially when you are using Office 365 which can quickly have storage limitations. By backing up Office 365 to EML, you are preserving critical emails and attachments while freeing up valuable storage space.The manual procedure with Outlook works fine for smaller accounts but for large mailboxes, professional solutions make the job faster, safer and more effective. Regular backups of your emails provide data security and better email management. You can focus on your job without worrying about storage space or accidental data loss