How to Recover Outlook Emails from Backup File (.bak) Stored on Old Hard Drive ?
With the fastest-growing technology, it is very important to do regular backups to protect data from being hacked or lost. Backup usually refers to creating and saving multiple copies of the data. Moreover, data backups have been considered as a good savior for all users who have lost the original data. These days, most people are using different mail clients for their business or personal work.
Out of which, Outlook is the most commonly used email program as it is associated with some unique features. But, sometimes, situations such as a virus attack, accidentally deleting files, a power outage, etc., that users may face, they want to get back their crucial data. Therefore, in the upcoming section, we are going to discuss a smart approach by which users can recover Outlook emails from a backup (.bak) file.
Why Do Users Want to Take Backup of Emails?
Many times, several situations arise due to which users have to face data loss. Once the crucial data is lost, it is very tough to recover the entire data. Henceforth, it is necessary to maintain a backup of all items like emails, contacts, tasks, etc., on a regular basis. Well, some situations that may lead to data loss are:
- Accidentally Deleted Files: At certain times, the user mistakenly deletes his/her important files while working. In that situation, users should create a backup of data to make it easier for all users.
- Viruses & Malicious Infections: Multiple systems are prone to the virus as they are connected to the Internet at all times. The virus causes severe damage to store data in the computer system and results in critical data loss. Therefore, it is recommended to backup your files safely.
How to Access a Healthy & Corrupted .bak file in Outlook
When users try to access the xyz.bak file in Microsoft Outlook, it is created by the Inbox Repair tool. While running the Inbox Repair Tool, it automatically selects an option to create a backup of the actual PST file. This will create a single BAK file on the system (where the original PST file is situated) with the .bak extension. This file is just a copy of the original PST with a different file extension (like a .bak file). In case the original PST gets damaged or permanently deleted, then the only method is to import the .bak file back to MS Outlook. Here are the following steps to recover Outlook Emails from a Backup (.bak) file in the Outlook profile:
- Check the particular location of the .bak file in your local system
- Take a copy of the Outlook .bak file and name a file with the PST extension ( For example: abc.bak >>> abc.bak.pst).
- Then, import the (abc.bak.pst) file by using the Import and Export Wizard in MS Outlook.
Further, some of the steps are given below:
- Open MS Outlook and go to the File menu. Choose the Import and Export option
- Next, choose Import from another program or file and press Next
- Click on Select Personal Folder File (.pst) and then, Next button
- In the File to Import and select the Browse button, and then double-click on the newly created PST file (abc.bak.pst).
- Under the Options, click on Do not import duplicates and press Next
- Then, hit on select the folder to import from and Personal Folders (.pst). Choose Include sub-folders option
- Finally, click on the Select Import folders into the same folder and choose the newly created PST file (xyz.bak.pst), and then choose Finish
- If you are still facing any problem or if it fails to import abc.bak.pst into the Outlook application, then follow these steps to open a .pst file (abc.bak.pst) directly in an account.
- Click on the File option, select Open, and then Outlook Data Files
- Now, browse to the desired location where the newly created .pst file is stored (abc.bak.pst) and press Ok
Note: Make sure that the above-stated steps only help to open the .bak file in the MS Outlook account. However, it would not help to repair corruption in a BAK file. To recover Outlook emails from a .bak file that is corrupted, it is necessary to opt for a professional solution mentioned below
An Automated Solution to Recover Outlook Emails From Backup
Actually, there is no direct manual solution to restore a highly corrupted .bak file of MS Outlook. Thus, users start searching for a trustworthy and trouble-free solution. One such application is Outlook Data Recovery Software, which helps to repair a corrupt Outlook BAK file without any risk or data loss.
It is capable enough to restore an Outlook archive file from a corrupted PST file without the installation of MS Outlook. The tool not just recovers data from .bak but also provides an option to recover emails from a PST file.
Working Steps of the Tool
1. First, download and install the tool on your system.
2. Click on the Add File(s) option to add the .bsk file.
3. Choose the scan mode, Advance or Quick.
4. Select the Export option after the scan process is complete.
5. At last, click on the Export button to complete the recovery.
Bottom Line
As everyone knows, making a backup copy of each file or folder is necessary to prevent data loss. Although there is no manual solution to recover Outlook emails from backup, first, we need to open the .bak file in the Outlook account. Secondly, users can take help from a third-party tool, i.e., Outlook Recovery. With this utility, users can recover Outlook emails from a .bak file without any data loss. Apart from this, several reasons due to why users need to take a backup of data are mentioned above.