Do you need to archive messages outside mail?

Question

Do you need to archive messages outside mail?

I moved to Mac mail from Windows Outlook back in 2009. I am currently using Mail Version 8.2 in OSX Yosemite Version 10.10.2

All my messages since 2009 are stored in my mac. I am getting nervous that the mail database grows to large and eventually could get corrupted. As a matter of a fact, once I had that problem in Windows Outlook, and it was one of reasons that I left Windows platform.

Does any one knows if you need to archive old messages to the database does not grow very large. ?

By the way, I haven't had any problem with the mail database.

Thanks.

Juan Manuel Ruiz

Posted on Mar 11, 2015 5:46 PM

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Answer 1

jeremy_v

Community Specialist

Mar 14, 2015 9:58 AM in response to Juan Manuel Ruiz

Hello Juan Manuel Ruiz,

Thanks for visiting Apple Support Communities.

It sounds like you're wondering if it's necessary to archive old email messages outside of the Mail application to prevent files from becoming unusable.

It's not necessary to archive old messages, although it is always a good idea to have backups of your data in case anything unexpected happens.

If you're not already, here are two methods to back up your Mail:

You can export the mailbox(es) containing the messages, and store them on an external hard drive for safekeeping. See this article for the steps to export a mailbox:

Mail (Yosemite): Import or export mailboxes

You can also use Time Machine to backup your Mac, which will allow you to go back and recover Mail messages if necessary. See these links for more information on setting up and using Time Machine:

Mac Basics: Time Machine backs up your Mac - Apple Support

OS X Yosemite: Restore items backed up with Time Machine

All the best,

Jeremy

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