Solved Importing mail from Outlook to Windows Live Mail

jimbo45 · May 19, 2009

Hi all
This is quite a complex operation and MS doesn't actually explain how to do it so here goes.

The trick is to get your email messages into Outlook Express (OE on XP) or Windows Mail (on Vista) before you can import into Windows Live mail. Then the import can be done directly.

There isn't any way currently to import mail directly from Outlook to Windows Live Mail so you have to do it indirectly BEFORE installing Windows 7.

1) even if you don't use Outlook Express (XP) or Windows Mail (VISTA) you need to have them running on the same machine as your copy of OUTLOOK.

2) create (if you haven't already) email accounts in OE or Windows mail identical to those you have in Outlook.

3) Now import your messages from Outlook into OE or Windows Mail.

4) Change the Store Identity in OE or Windows mail to a disk that your W7 can read (do this under Maintenance - data storage locations in OE or Windows Mail).
Doing this saves you having to install Live Mail on Vista or XP

5) Logon to your W7 system and install Windows Live mail.

6) Set up your email accounts

7) File ==> import==>messages

8) Chose Outlook express or Windows mail depending on step 3)

9) Browse to the directory where you stored the messages in step 4)

10) Job done.

A bit fiddly but obviously MS don't want to make it easy for people to switch from Outlook

Note also the "Send and Receive" function is calles "SYNC" in Windows Live mail -- confusing but there it is.

If you also installed Windows Messenger you can prevent it from starting automatically at startup by going to the Orb ==>acessories==>run. type msconfig and unclick windows messenger in the start up box.

There doesn't appear to be ANY method of importing mail directly from Outlook 2003/2007

Cheers
jimbo

weber Rio · Nov 11, 2009

Importing Messages from Outlook into Windows 7

jimbo45 said:
Hi all
This is quite a complex operation and MS doesn't actually explain how to do it so here goes.

The trick is to get your email messages into Outlook Express (OE on XP) or Windows Mail (on Vista) before you can import into Windows Live mail. Then the import can be done directly.

There isn't any way currently to import mail directly from Outlook to Windows Live Mail so you have to do it indirectly BEFORE installing Windows 7.

1) even if you don't use Outlook Express (XP) or Windows Mail (VISTA) you need to have them running on the same machine as your copy of OUTLOOK.

2) create (if you haven't already) email accounts in OE or Windows mail identical to those you have in Outlook.

3) Now import your messages from Outlook into OE or Windows Mail.

4) Change the Store Identity in OE or Windows mail to a disk that your W7 can read (do this under Maintenance - data storage locations in OE or Windows Mail).
Doing this saves you having to install Live Mail on Vista or XP

5) Logon to your W7 system and install Windows Live mail.

6) Set up your email accounts

7) File ==> import==>messages

8) Chose Outlook express or Windows mail depending on step 3)

9) Browse to the directory where you stored the messages in step 4)

10) Job done.

A bit fiddly but obviously MS don't want to make it easy for people to switch from Outlook

Note also the "Send and Receive" function is calles "SYNC" in Windows Live mail -- confusing but there it is.

If you also installed Windows Messenger you can prevent it from starting automatically at startup by going to the Orb ==>acessories==>run. type msconfig and unclick windows messenger in the start up box.

There doesn't appear to be ANY method of importing mail directly from Outlook 2003/2007

Cheers
jimbo

Hi Jimbo,
I am purchasing a new pc with Windows7. I read your thread above, and have one problem and one question:
Problem: When trying to save the messages from OE into a CD-RW or pen drive, following the procedure of your step Nr. 4 above, Outlook does not allow it. The OK button is not activated.
Question: Is there a procedure available to import the Address book (Contacts) from Outlook into Windows7 mail?
Thank you

RgM · Nov 17, 2009

Hi Jimbo - maybe you can help me with this one:
I had to rebuild my laptop (XP) so, before pressing the button, I Exported my Outlook (2002?) message files (as *.CSV) to a safe place. I now have Outlook Express (not Outlook) and/or Windows Live up and running but cannot find how to Import my old files - any suggestions? I moved my Contacts to Live without problems.

Thanks for any advice

weber Rio · Nov 18, 2009

It seems that Jimbo is not reading the messages posted in this topic, as he did not reply to you nor to my former message. Does anyone know how to call anybody´s attention?

echrada · Nov 18, 2009

RgM said:
Hi Jimbo - maybe you can help me with this one:
I had to rebuild my laptop (XP) so, before pressing the button, I Exported my Outlook (2002?) message files (as *.CSV) to a safe place. I now have Outlook Express (not Outlook) and/or Windows Live up and running but cannot find how to Import my old files - any suggestions? I moved my Contacts to Live without problems.

Thanks for any advice

Look here

Importing Items into Outlook Express

echrada · Nov 18, 2009

[/quote]
Hi Jimbo,
I am purchasing a new pc with Windows7. I read your thread above, and have one problem and one question:
Problem: When trying to save the messages from OE into a CD-RW or pen drive, following the procedure of your step Nr. 4 above, Outlook does not allow it. The OK button is not activated.
Question: Is there a procedure available to import the Address book (Contacts) from Outlook into Windows7 mail?
Thank you[/QUOTE]

Outlook Express & Windows Live Mail

dguy777 · Jan 6, 2010

Easy Fix

I had the same problem. I inadvetantly found that Mailstore Home (free) can import from outlook and export to LiveMail.

I was easy just a few clicks and 8000 eamils were transfered.

As as a plus Mailstore look like a much better archive. searching the 8000 emails is lightning fast.

dguy777 · Jan 6, 2010

Here is a step by step

Download & install Mailstore Home from Mailstore.com

1) Use Mailstore to read all of my Outlook email.
2) Export to "File System" using the eml format
3) Export to a directory such as C:\temp\email
4) In Live Mail use the Import Function
5) Select "Windows Mail" format
6) Select the directory such as C:\temp\email

David

oafak · Feb 26, 2010

Many thanks to dguy777 and the publishers of Mailstore Home. The solution offered above worked like magic! The first step was a little confusing for me initially. I suggest it could read:

1) In Mailstore Home, select "Archive Email" and point to Outlook

The other steps were easy to understand for me.

lswpubrw · Feb 26, 2010

Problems with Mailstore Mail

I downlaoded Mailstore and created both an archive and an export which I loaded on my flash drive. I then tried to import either one to my Mail Live both unsuccessfully. I'm getting an error message that says "no messages can be found in this folder.................." what am I doing wrong?

Bob

dguy777 · Feb 28, 2010

Hello Bob,

I cannot say for sure. Did Mailstore actully import ?

Go into Mailstore and search the mail and see if they come up.

The next thought that I have is if the mail is in Mailstore you may have turned on an export filter.

good luck... post your progress.

Dave

SueLynn · May 5, 2010

I am not a techie so understand that from the start. I just purchased a new laptop with Windows 7. I used Outlook running on XP. My computer guy refuses to do anything with Outlook so I am on my own here. I've read all of your messages and this is what I have done so far.

I have copied my Outlook files to MailStore and then exported them to a thumb drive.

There is a message that says the next step is to import them from Windows Live. I cannot find anywhere in Windows Live Mail that gives me the option to import anything.

This is so frustrating.

Can someone help me, please?

Thanks!

DocBrown · May 5, 2010

Mail :ar: Options :ar: More Options :ar:

weber Rio · May 28, 2010

Unknown Window

Dear DocBrown:
Would you please explain, how you reached the above window? I could not work out hoh to get there.
Thanks.
Mario

esha · Jul 5, 2010

WOW!
dguy777, thank you very much, that was exactly what I needed. A very easy solution, worked perfectly.

Frenchy · Jul 6, 2010

dguy777--Your tips made it easy!

BigLip · Oct 5, 2010

Thank's so much dguy777!!! I was hunting for an answer half the day. It's working great

KSMike · Jan 13, 2011

I was all set to use David's solution too, but either I'm doing it wrong or it doesn't work with current versions of the applications in question.

I have a new laptop with Win7 64bit and I'm trying to use WLM. The old machine is XP SP3 with Outlook 2010. I've copied the PST file over from the old machine and installed the current version of MailStore Home. However, when I open MSH, click Archive, choose Outlook, then select PST file, I get "Direct PST file archiving is not available in MailStore Home." It goes on to say that's only supported in MailStore Server, which is a $190 product.

So I tried Plan B - download OE6 to install on the old machine, with the intent of exporting from Outlook to OE, then copy over all the DBX files to the new machine for import to WLM. This has become so convoluted now that I can't even accurately describe why that didn't work.

MS, if this is how you expect people to "upgrade" to your new products, this is not the way to go about it.

Please, does anyone have any ideas?

Mike F.
Kansas City

KSMike · Jan 13, 2011

Never mind, I got it. Duh. You have to install MSH on the old machine, do the export there, then copy over the exported .eml data to the new machine.

Sorry for being so obtuse, this has been a painful process but seems to be good now.

Mike

md69 · Jul 11, 2011

Subfolders?

Thanks dGuy777. This woked great, however, the subfolder structure is gone. All the imported emails show up under one Inbox with no sorting, as opposed to the different subfolders that they are in in Outlook and also in Mailstore Home.

Do you have a method to get the subfolder structure to import?

Solved Importing mail from Outlook to Windows Live Mail

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