This procedure is designed for the Desktop version of Outlook as it is more efficient for this and many other tasks. The icon for this version looks like the image to the left.

Are you a “filer” or a “piler.”

 A If you are Faculty or Staff at Canisius College, your campus email account ("username@canisius.edu") is supplied and managed through a program called Microsoft Exchange.  Via computers, Employees access their email via Microsoft Outlook Web, or Desktop Outlook (for PC or Mac.)  A few faculty use the Mac Mail client on their Macbook computers. Many employees also have their Canisius email accounts accessible through mobile apps on smart phones or tablets.  

By default, messages other people send to you are collected in your Inbox, while messages you send to others are filed in a Sent Items folder.

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Exchange automatically deletes old emails according to the following rules:

• Emails located in the "Inbox" and "Sent Items" folders are deleted after 180 days.  
• Emails located in the "Deleted Mail" folder are deleted after 30 days.  
• Subfolders, and emails within those subfolders, created inside the Inbox, Sent Items, and Deleted Mail folders are deleted after 180 days (Inbox, Sent Items) or 30 days (Deleted Mail).

At the top of any email in your inbox or sent mail folder (or Deleted folder), you will see an expiration date.

Messages stored in folders that are located outside of the Inbox and Sent Items folder are not deleted.  So to save old emails, periodically move them into folders you create outside of your Inbox and Sent Items folders.*  

Are you a filer or a piler?

A filer is a person who typically creates folders for specific groups of messages. Examples might be by Project  or from specific people. If you’re a filer you’re ready to go. Just make sure that the messages older than 120 days in your Inbox are filed. Messages in the folders you create will not be affected by this policyfor specific courses ("HIS108A FA22") or projects ("Library Phase II") or from specific people or organizations ("Snack Food Subcommittee").  Other filers parse messages by dates, such as weeks, months, and years. Filers often remember to save older messages they've received, but neglect to similarly save older messages they have sent.  If a user wishes to save her or his sent messages, they must transfer those messages to another folder as well.  

If you’re a filer, be sure that the received messages in your Inbox, and the sent messages in your Sent Items folder are moved to these other folders before they reach 180 days old.  Messages in the folders you create outside the Inbox or Sent Items folder will not be deleted by Exchange. 

Pilers are people who leave all of their received messages in the Inbox and their sent messages in the Sent Items folder. If this is you, please follow this procedure.

 To create a folder:

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. Pilers need to create at least one folder outside their Inbox and Sent Items folders, in which to store their old messages.  

It is important to note that for saving old messages, you do not want to create folders within the Inbox or Sent Items folders.  Subfolders or "child folders" within the Inbox or Sent Items folders will be deleted after 180 days, along with any messages stored in them.

*Note: You may notice that Microsoft Outlook has an Archive function, but this tool is really for shrinking the file size(s) of your email data, and for various reasons, Canisius ITS does not recommend that you use this at all, or rely on it to save your old emails.  Instead, follow the procedures below.

Below are instructions for creating folders, deleting unwanted messages, and moving messages you wish to save into other folders.  

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This procedure is for people using Outlook through the my.canisius.edu portal or your browser please follow this procedure:

 Open the Outlook Web the way you usually do.

1. Deleting non-contiguous unneeded messages:
   1. Click on those messages while holding down the control key. This will select that message.
   2. Select 15 or 20 messages as described above.
   3. Place your cursor over one of the selected messages and right click.
   4. Choose Delete from the pop-up menu. This will delete all of the selected messages. Repeat until your Inbox in free of unneeded messages.
   5. To delete contiguous messages, left click on the first message you want to delete, hold down the Shift key and select the last message you want to delete.
   6. Place your cursor on any of the selected messages and right click.
   7. A pop-up menu will appear and choose delete from the menu. Your messages will be deleted.

 Create a new folder as follow:

1. Right click on your account name, for example lastname, firstname.
2. In the pop-up menu select Create New Folder.
3. Name the folder; for example 2012 Messages.

 Once you created the folder you can now move your messages.

1. Click on the first message in your Inbox.
2. Press and hold the control key and press the letter “a” thus selecting messages in your Inbox. You may have to repeat this procedure if you have a lot of message in the Inbox. There is a limitation as to how many messages can be deleted or moved using this version of Outlook.
3. Place your cursor over any of the selected messages, hold down the left mouse button and drag these files over to the folder of your choice.
4. If you want to select non-contiguous messages hold done the control key while clicking on the messages you want.
5. Click on any of the selected and hold the left mouse button down and drag them to the folder of your choice.

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