Auto Archive Not Working in Outlook [Tested Solutions 2024]

Organizing your Outlook emails is essential to keep your focus on the right emails instead of getting lost in the numerous unimportant emails.

Archiving the emails allows you to personalize your Outlook by removing unnecessary emails from the email folders. Additionally, you can use the AutoArchive feature in Outlook to automatically archive items.However, sometimes, Outlook stops auto-archiving for different reasons. In this article, I will resolve the auto-archiving issue in Outlook.

Without further discussion, let’s get started!

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How to Fix AutoArchive Not Working in Outlook

Several reasons can mess up the process of auto-archiving in Outlook. If the Run AutoArchive every ** days checkbox is not selected in the AutoArchive Settings, Outlook will not archive any items automatically. Also, ensure that the PST file is not corrupted and has space to store items.

There are some additional ways to fix the auto archiving issue in Outlook. Consider the following methods to solve auto archiving in Outlook.

Here are the methods to fix the auto archive not working in MS Outlook:

1. Tweak AutoArchive Settings

In AutoArchive Settings, you must ensure the settings are enabled to archive your Outlook emails automatically. To enable auto archive, check the following instructions.

Here are the steps to enable auto archive in MS Outlook:

Launch Outlook.
Navigate to File > Options > Advance > AutoArchive Settings.
Tick the Run AutoArchive every ** days checkbox.
Click OK to save the changes.

Once the AutoArchive Settings are enabled, Outlook should automatically archive the emails frequently. If the settings are turned on but still the feature is not working, move on to the next method.

Also read, how to add AOL email to Outlook.

2. Check the Folder Settings

When the Do not AutoArchive this item checkbox is checked in the file properties, Outlook will not auto-archive the items. To check and change the properties, consider the following procedures.

Here is the procedure to check and change the file properties:

Double-click on the item to open it.
Go to File > Properties.
Locate the Do not AutoArchive this item checkbox under Settings.
Remove the tick to uncheck the Do not AutoArchive this item checkbox.

The above steps will include the item folder to AutoArchive, and the items will be automatically archived.

3. Contact the Mail Administrator

If you are under a corporation, the Autoarchive feature may be disabled due to the Group’s policy. Many organizations don’t allow users to use the auto archive feature. In that case, you must contact the administrators to turn on the feature for you.

Using the Exchange account limits the ability to auto-archive features for clients and forces them to archive the items in the online archive. However, this brings an extra advantage to accessing the file on any device.

4. Repair Damaged File

Outlook stores its files as .pst files. Several reasons can damage the file, including the archive files.

However, you can effortlessly repair any damaged files using the Inbox Repair Tool (ScanPST.exe). Consider the following instructions to access the ScanPST.exe and repair the damaged file.

Here is the process to repair .pst files using ScanPST.exe:

Open File explorer and locate the Inbox Repair Tool in the following locations:
- 64-bit Windows: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office1X.
- 64-bit Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office1X.
- 64-bit Outlook: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office1X.
Launch Inbox Repair Tool.
Select Browse and choose the damaged file.
Click on the Start button and wait until the checking is completed.
Select Repair to repair your .pst file.

In some cases, you may be unable to repair the files if the files are critically damaged. Using different third-party applications can help you to repair severely corrupt PST files.

Check out our separate post to Outlook not marking emails as replied.

5. Archive on Local Drives

Microsoft doesn’t allow users to connect to a PST file stored on a network share. So it’s impossible to archive to a PST file stored on a network share.

The restrictions on network sharing are necessary to reduce the risk of damaging the PST file while adding data to the file. Any minor interruptions in the network connection can affect the archiving process and damage the file.

To avoid this problem, you should change the file location to a local folder instead of the network share.

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6. Check the Archive File Size

The PST file has a limitation on different versions of Outlook. For example, Outlook 2010, 13, 16, 19 and Microsoft 365 have a limit of 50GB and Outlook 2003, 07 have a limit of 20GB.

When the archive file reaches its limit, Outlook will not be able to store any new items in the PST files manually or automatically. However, you can still access the file and remove unnecessary items for cleanup.

The best way to override the file size limitation is by creating a new file to store the archived items in Outlook. If none of the above methods helps to archive your Outlook items automatically, archive them manually.

7. Archive Manually

You can archive the Outlook items manually if you fail to auto-archive them. To archive items manually, check the procedures below.

Here is the procedure to archive Outlook items manually:

Open Outlook.
Navigate to File > Cleanup Tools > Archive.
Select the folders and subfolders you want to archive from the Archive window.
Click Browse and choose a file location.
Press OK to archive the selected folders.

The location may vary depending on the version of the Outlook application. In Outlook 2007, go to File > Archive; for Microsoft 365, go to File > Tools > Clean Up Old Items.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my Outlook not auto archiving?

Your Outlook auto archiving may not be working because the Run AutoArchive every ** days checkbox is not selected. You can enable this feature by navigating to File > Options > Advance > AutoArchive Settings.

How do I fix the Outlook archive?

If the Outlook archive stopped adding any items to the PST file, the possible reason is the file is damaged or corrupted. You can quickly fix the error using the Inbox Repair Tool (scanpst.exe). Otherwise, create a new archive file to archive Outlook items.

How to check if the auto archive is working?

To check whether the auto archiving is working or not, open Outlook and navigate to File > Options > Advance > AutoArchive Settings. If the Run AutoArchive every ** days checkbox is selected, Outlook should archive the items automatically.