Outlook email transfer to one drive

NikkiG 0 Reputation points
2026-10-31T20:34:37.49+00:00

How do I transfer emails to one drive. I do not want to open each mail and file save as

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For business | Windows
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  1. Nafisat Badmus 0 Reputation points
    2026-11-04T20:14:48.4833333+00:00

    Hi Nikki, there are two easy ways, depending on how often you need to do this:

    One-off batch (classic Outlook): Create a folder inside your synced OneDrive folder in File Explorer. In Outlook, select the emails (Ctrl+click or Shift+click) and drag them into that folder. Each one becomes a separate .msg file that opens in Outlook, with its attachments intact. Try one email first to check it works.

    Ongoing filing (no dragging at all): Set up a Power Automate flow. Use the trigger "When a new email arrives (V3)" on a specific Outlook folder, then "Export email (V2)", then "Create file" in OneDrive or SharePoint, naming the file after the subject and date. After that, you just move an email into a "To file" folder in Outlook and it's saved automatically. Many firms point this at a SharePoint folder per client or project, so everyone can find the emails.

    Avoid exporting a .pst into OneDrive. It's one big file, and OneDrive doesn't handle it well. Happy to help further if useful.

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  2. Michelle Nguyen 2,620 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-31T21:55:46.0866667+00:00

    Hello @NikkiG

    I’m a fellow community user and do not have access to your account.

    Could you clarify whether you want to save the email messages themselves, including the sender, subject and attachments, or only save the attachments to OneDrive?

    If you mean attachments, Outlook allows you to use Save all files to OneDrive for all attachments contained in one email. However, this still works one message at a time.

    Ref: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/outlook/use-a-screen-reader-to-save-an-image-or-attachment-from-an-email-in-outlook#bkmk_saveallwinnew

    If you want to back up a large number of complete emails, you can export the mailbox or selected folders to an Outlook Data File (.pst). In new Outlook, this is available under Settings > Files > Export; in classic Outlook, use File > Open & Export > Import/Export > Export to a file > Outlook Data File (.pst).

    Ref: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/export-emails-contacts-and-calendar-items-to-outlook-using-a-pst-file

    I recommends saving the exported .pst file to a local folder rather than directly to a OneDrive-synchronised folder, because OneDrive may block automatic syncing of Outlook .pst files.

    Please let me know whether you use new Outlook, classic Outlook, Outlook on the web or Outlook for Mac, so the steps can be narrowed down for your version.

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  3. AI answer

    2026-10-31T20:36:16.1933333+00:00

    The practical no-code option is to test dragging a message from classic Outlook into the synced OneDrive folder in File Explorer; if it creates a usable .msg file, select and drag the remaining messages as a batch.

    1. Prepare the OneDrive destination

    1. Press Windows key + E to open File Explorer.
    2. Open OneDrive – [OrganizationName] and create a folder such as Saved emails.
    3. If OneDrive is absent:
      • Open Start, search for OneDrive, and start it.
      • Sign in with your work account and complete setup. OneDrive for Business then appears as a folder in File Explorer.^1^
    4. Add a small test file to that folder and wait for its sync-status icon to show that synchronization has completed. Files placed in a synced folder are automatically synchronized to OneDrive.^2^

    2. Test with one email in classic Outlook

    First determine whether Outlook (classic) is installed:

    • Open Start and search for Outlook (classic).
    • If available, open it and access the required mailbox. The availability of classic Outlook may be controlled by your organization.

    Then:

    1. Arrange classic Outlook and the Saved emails File Explorer folder side by side.
    2. Drag one message from Outlook’s message list into that folder.
    3. Confirm that a separate .msg file appears.
    4. Double-click it and verify that it opens correctly and contains the expected message and attachments.

    Microsoft documents .msg as an Outlook message-file format. New Outlook can open .msg files, although doing so requires a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription.^3^

    3. Transfer the batch

    Only proceed if the one-message test succeeds:

    1. In classic Outlook, filter or search for the messages to transfer.
    2. Select a continuous range with Shift, or individual messages with Ctrl.
    3. Drag the selection into the Saved emails folder.
    4. Wait for OneDrive synchronization to finish before closing Outlook or moving/deleting the original messages.
    5. Open several files from OneDrive to confirm the batch is complete.

    This preserves each email as a separate file rather than combining the mailbox into a PST.

    If only new Outlook or Outlook on the web is available

    The available Microsoft guidance does not establish a supported bulk operation that saves selected messages directly to OneDrive as separate files. Save to OneDrive in new Outlook applies to email attachments, not the email message itself.^4^

    In that situation:

    • Ask your Microsoft 365 administrator whether classic Outlook can be installed or enabled.
    • If classic Outlook is prohibited, ask IT for an organization-approved export or archiving tool. Avoid unapproved third-party exporters because they require access to mailbox contents.
    • New Outlook can schedule an export of an entire mailbox or folder to a .pst, but that produces one Outlook data file—not one file per message—so it does not meet the stated requirement.^5^

    References

    1. [Windows](https://support.microsoft.com/onedrive/sync-your-computer-s-files-and-folders-with-onedrive)
    2. Work with synced files in File Explorer | Microsoft Support
    3. Open .eml, .msg, and .oft files in new Outlook and Outlook on the web | Microsoft Support
    4. [New Outlook](https://support.microsoft.com/outlook/mail/open-save-and-edit-attachments-received-in-outlook)
    5. Release notes for Outlook for Windows (new)
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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