How to Locate the Windows Mail Store Folder

While you can view your Windows Mail emails in your Mail inbox and other folders, these messages are also stored on your drive in another location. It is not immediately obvious where Windows Mail stores its folders and messages. Even so, if you use the POP3 protocol, it’s not difficult to locate. After locating the folder, you can create a backup of your email.

• Determine the Location of Your Windows Mail Store Folder
• In Windows Explorer, navigate to the Windows Mail Store folder
• If You Are Unable to Start Windows Mail

Determine the Location of Your Windows Mail Store Folder

The Windows Mail store folder is only accessible if Windows Mail is configured to use POP3. POP3 is a protocol for storing.eml files on your computer. If you use IMAP with Windows Mail, the email is not downloaded and stored as.eml files, and thus cannot be backed up in this manner.

To locate the Windows Mail store folder, follow these steps:

1. In Windows Mail, navigate to the menu Tools > Options.
2. Select Maintenance from the Advanced tab.
3. To store a folder, click the Store Folder button.
4. Select the entire folder location by right-clicking it and selecting Select All from the pop-up menu.
5. To copy the string, press Ctrl+C.

In Windows Explorer, navigate to the Windows Mail Store folder

With the path to your Windows Mail store folder copied to the clipboard, it’s simple to navigate to it in Windows Explorer.

1. Press Windows+R to open the Run dialog box.
2. In the Open box, press Ctrl+V to paste the folder’s location.
3. Click OK to open a Windows Explorer window containing the store folder.
4. After you’ve opened the store folder, return to Windows Mail and use the Cancel buttons to close the Store Location and Options dialog boxes, as well as the Close button to close the Maintenance dialog box.

If You Are Unable to Start Windows Mail

If you are unable to launch Windows Mail in order to identify the active store folder, follow these steps:

1. Ensure that Windows is configured to display hidden files and folders.
2. Examine the following standard location: C:UsersusernameAppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsMicrosoftWindowsMicrosoftWindowsMicrosoftWindowsMicrosoftWindowsMicrosoftWindowsMicrosoftWindowsMicrosoftWindowsMicrosoftWindows
3. Locate and open the Mail folder to view the.eml files contained within. These files are located in the following folders: Inbox, Deleted Items, Drafts, Junk E-Mail, Outbox, and Sent Items.