If you have been using Microsoft Outlook for some time now, it is possible that you have saved many email messages, tasks – past and present, past appointments, contacts and so on in the PST file used by Outlook. Not archiving older messages and simply storing them in folders in the main PST file can not only cause problems with space but also lead to corruption in the PST file. We will look at how the AutoArchive feature in Outlook can help resolve this problem.

As you continue to use Microsoft Outlook and store various items such as email messages, contacts, appointments, tasks, notes, etc., the PST file used to store the data continues to grow. In order to manage the available space, you will have to regularly delete unwanted messages and other Outlook items as well as archive all the older messages and items that you would like stored. Since you might not always remember to archive the items on a regular basis, it is best to use the AutoArchive feature in Outlook to move all older messages and items to another PST file. The archived mails and messages can also be used to quickly carry out a PST recovery if there is limited damage or corruption in the main PST file.

You have to bear in mind though that if you are using the Personal Folder files or PST files to archive mails typically stored in the mailbox of an Exchange Server, your organization might have policies in place that limit the time up to which you can store your messages. These policies always take precedence and your AutoArchive feature might not work as you intended it to. In fact, in many organizations employees are not able to use the AutoArchive from their Outlook profiles and thus not able to archive their messages or other Outlook items.

On the other hand, if you are working with other email accounts and not from an Exchange Server, the AutoArchive feature can help you manage your space and provide you with an excellent way to back up the Outlook items. This can be of tremendous use when you need to carry out a PST recovery.

Some important points that you need to bear in mind about the AutoArchive feature:

By specifying the time period by when items have to be archived, you can be sure that all the older Outlook items such as email messages, tasks, appointments, etc. will be automatically moved to another location where they will stored until you decide to permanently delete them. In fact, you can set options for when the items have to be deleted.

You should also be aware that different types of Outlook items such as email messages, tasks, appointments, etc. have different default periods beyond which they are moved to the archive location. If you would like shorter or longer periods for archiving these items, you will have to make changes in the settings manually. For example, you might want to have shorter periods to archive email messages and longer for appointments or tasks.

The archive PST file can be used to carry out a PST recovery in case the main file ever gets damaged but at times, this file may not contain the most recent changes in the PST file. If you are afraid of losing data permanently from the PST file, you should use sophisticated tools to restore data from corrupt or damaged files, including archives.

More information can be found at http://www.repair-outlook.com/.