Outlook online archiving frequency for WSU student and shared mailboxes is reducing from six months to four weeks, effective Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
Please review the following article for additional information regarding the Outlook online archive.
What is an Online Archive?
An Outlook online archive serves as an additional mailbox that automatically stores older emails separate from your primary mailbox. It is accessible with an internet connection and keeps your primary mailbox clutter-free.
Starting March 6, 2025, online archives will be generated for mailboxes associated with a WSU Network ID (NID) for individual faculty, staff, affiliates, students, and alumni.
Starting Oct. 8, 2025, online archives will be generated for shared, room, and equipment mailboxes at WSU.
WSU Policy Compliance
The automatic transfer of older emails to the online archive does not delete any data stored in Outlook and is compliant with WSU records retention and disposition policies.
Archive vs. Online Archive
Archive Folder
Every Outlook mailbox comes with an Archive folder, labeled simply as Archive in Outlook. This folder is part of the primary folder tree for all user mailboxes. Users can move emails to the Archive folder by selecting the Archive button in Outlook or manually dragging and dropping email into this folder. All email stored in this folder counts toward your overall WSU email storage usage. Emails in the Archive folder also display in a general mailbox search.
- Archive Folder on Outlook on the Web:
- Archive Folder on Outlook for Windows:
- Archive Folder on Outlook for Mac:
Online Archive
WSU mailboxes will generate an Online Archive mailbox, labeled as Online Archive in Outlook for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android or In-Place Archive in Outlook on the Web. This mailbox is separate from the primary folder tree, but is still located within Outlook. Emails older than six months automatically move to the Online Archive mailbox, but can also be manually dragged and dropped into this location. Email stored in this folder does not count toward your overall WSU email storage usage. Emails in the online archive do not typically display in a general mailbox search, unless search parameters in Outlook are updated.
- Online Archive Mailbox on Outlook on the Web:
- Online Archive Mailbox on Outlook for Windows:
- Online Archive Mailbox on Outlook for Mac:
How to Access the Outlook Online Archive
The WSU email online archive will appear alongside your other mailbox folders in Outlook. It will be accessible in Outlook for Windows, Outlook for Mac, Outlook on the Web, and Outlook for iOS and Android. Your online archive will mirror the folder structure of the primary WSU mailbox, so emails will be organized in the online archive as they were originally filed.
Outlook for Desktop
Open the Outlook app on your Windows or Mac device.
In the folder list panel, locate the Online Archive option.
Expand the Online Archive folder and select the Inbox subfolder or one of your available subfolders.
YouTube Tutorials:
Outlook for the Web
Sign in to Outlook on the Web with your WSU credentials.
In the folder list panel, locate the In-Place Archive option. (Note: Outlook on the Web labels the online archive as In-Place Archive.)
Expand the In-Place Archive folder and select the Inbox subfolder or one of your available subfolders.
YouTube Tutorial:
Outlook for Mobile
Open the Outlook app on your iOS or Android device.
Locate and select the menu icon on the top navigation pane. This may be your profile name initials or your profile image.
Expand the Online Archive folder and select the Inbox subfolder or one of your available subfolders.
How to Search the Outlook Online Archive
If you are unable to find an email in a primary mailbox when you complete a search, it may have been moved to the online archive. To search for an email in the online archive, access a folder in the online archive, select the Search box, and ensure that you are searching within the current folder in your online archive folder.
On Outlook for Windows, you can also change your default search settings to include all mailboxes, which will automatically search your primary mailbox and your online archive folders. To change your default search settings on Outlook for Windows, select the File button at the top ribbon, select the Options button on the side menu, select the Search button, find the Result section and select the All Mailboxes button, and select the OK button to save your changes.
Outlook for Windows
Open the Outlook app on your Windows device.
On the side navigation, locate the Online Archive folder on the side navigation pane.
- Select the dropdown arrow button to expand your WSU email online archive.
- Select the Inbox subfolder or any one of the other available subfolders that you want to search within.
- After you select the subfolder, locate and select the Search box.
- Select the folder dropdown button to narrow your search to a specific folder.
- Return to the Search box, enter your search terms, and select the Search button.
- Outlook will then search for your archived emails in the selected subfolder based on the keywords you entered.
Outlook for Mac
Open the Outlook app on your Mac device.
On the side navigation, locate the Online Archive folder on the side navigation pane.
- Select the dropdown arrow button to expand your WSU email online archive.
- Select the Inbox subfolder or any one of the other available subfolders that you want to search within.
- After you select the subfolder, locate and select the Search box.
- On the top ribbon, select the Current Folder button to narrow your search to the subfolder you selected earlier.
- Return to the Search box and enter your search terms.
- Outlook will then search for your archived emails in the selected subfolder based on the keywords you entered.
Outlook on the Web
- In your web browser, visit email.wsu.edu to access Outlook on the Web and enter your WSU credentials to sign in.
- On the side navigation, select the In-Place Archive mailbox.
- Select the dropdown arrow button to expand your WSU email online archive.
- Select the Inbox folder or any one of the other available folders that you want to search within.
- After you select the folder, locate and select the Search box.
- Select the folder dropdown button to narrow your search to a specific folder.
- Return to the Search box, enter your search terms, and select the Search button.
- Outlook will then search for your archived emails in the selected folder based on the keywords you entered.
YouTube Tutorials:
Emails Not Moving to Online Archive
It can take up to 30 days for Outlook to begin transitioning emails older than six months to the online archive. Eligible emails may temporarily remain in the primary WSU mailbox if an online archive mailbox does not become available immediately or as the archival process completes. This often depends on the amount of data that needs to transition and similar factors.
Online Archive Access for Delegates
WSU users can view an online archive for another mailbox. However, this is not available with delegate permissions. The user viewing the online archive needs the full mailbox permission, which is distinct from your typical delegate permission. Full mailbox permission can be requested by emailing Crimson Service Desk at crimsonservicedesk@wsu.edu.
Impact on Calendar Items, Tasks, and Notes
Alongside tasks and notes, the online archive will also store calendar items older than six months, those with their last reoccurrence date older than six months, and those with an end date older than six months.
Archived calendar items, tasks, and notes are accessible via Outlook for Windows. At this time, Outlook for Mac, Outlook for Mobile, and Outlook for the Web are unable to provide access to calendar items, tasks, or notes stored for the online archive.
Impact on Overall Email Storage Usage
The online archive does not occupy space within your WSU Outlook storage usage for your main WSU Email Account. Online archives help save disk space on your device by not requiring local data storage usage.
The online archive does, however, have a Data Quota Limit depending on the Office 365 License you have assigned to your account. Enrolled Students, Active Faculty and Staff (Full Time) get an A3 License. Hourly Employees who are not students, WSU Affiliates (including Emeritus Faculty), and Alumni who were never employees (including student employment) and who are within the grace period for their WSU Email Accounts get an A1 License.
The Online Archive has a Data Quota Limit of 50 GB for A1 licensed users and 1.5 TB for A3 licensed users.
When you are nearing the quota limit for you their Online Archive, you will get a warning email. Once you receive one of the warning emails, you will need to go into your Online Archive and delete unneeded emails from the archive.
Impact on Litigation Holds
If a litigation hold is placed on a WSU mailbox, Outlook will continue to transition emails older than six months to the online archive.
Manually Move Emails to the Online Archive
WSU users are encouraged to manually move any emails located in the primary mailbox to the online archive if they have not yet been automatically moved. This will help keep WSU Outlook storage usage low.
Outlook for Desktop
- Open the Outlook app on your Windows or Mac device.
- In the folder list panel, locate the Online Archive option.
- Expand the Online Archive folder to view your folders.
- Drag and drop email messages to your online archive folders from your primary inbox as needed.
Outlook on the Web
- Sign in to Outlook on the Web with your WSU credentials.
- In the folder list panel, locate the In-Place Archive option. (Note: Outlook on the Web labels the online archive as In-Place Archive.)
- Expand the In-Place Archive folder.
- Drag and drop email messages to your online archive folders from your primary inbox as needed.
Email Sync Limitations in Outlook Mobile
The Outlook mobile app for iOS and Android devices automatically syncs and downloads a limited range of emails and attachments.
By default, only emails from the past 30 days are stored on the Outlook mobile app. Users who frequently need to access older emails on their mobile devices may benefit from extending this sync period to the past 90 days using the following instructions:
- Open the Outlook app on your iOS or Android device.
- Locate and select the menu icon on the top navigation pane. This may be your profile name initials or your profile image.
- Select the gear icon to open Settings.
- In the General section, select the Accounts button.
- Select your WSU Microsoft 365 account.
- In the Data Storage section, select the Sync Settings button.
- Select the Days of Email to Sync button to change the desired timeframe for automatically syncing and downloading your email.
This setting applies only to emails stored in the primary WSU mailbox and does not affect messages that have been automatically moved to the online archive mailbox after six months.
Due to the different process timeframes, there is a period between the 30-to-90-day sync limit and the six-month online archive transition during which certain emails may not appear in the Outlook mobile app. These emails are not deleted and remain accessible through the Outlook desktop apps or Outlook on the web.
Extending the data sync limit ensures that a broader range of emails remains available directly in the Outlook mobile app, reducing the likelihood of emails appearing temporarily unavailable before they transition to the online archive. However, this adjustment does not eliminate the potential gap between the sync period and the online archive transition.
Online Archive vs. PST File
Unlike an online archive, Personal Storage Table (PST) files are manually created for storing local copies of emails, calendar events, contacts, and other mailbox items with a capacity of 50 GB. PST files pose various challenges:
- Corruption Risk: Larger PST files are more susceptible to corruption, increasing the likelihood of data loss.
- Remote Inaccessibility: PST files cannot be accessed remotely, posing challenges for remote work scenarios.
- Location: Often found on USB flash drives or external hard drives, PST files are difficult to locate and at risk for data loss.
An online archive, however, offers significant advantages as a storage solution:
- Backup and Disaster Recovery: Data in online archives is continually backed up, and the system has built-in disaster recovery capabilities.
- Redundancy: Online archives are replicated across multiple database copies in numerous Microsoft data centers, ensuring data restoration in case of infrastructure issues.
- Accessibility: Online Archives consolidate data in one place and allow access from anywhere there is an internet connection.
- Searchability: Online archives are readily searchable for eDiscovery purposes.
Impact on Offline Storage (OST), Mailbox Caching
Outlook automatically creates a local cache of your mailbox that stores a copy of your synced mailbox data on your computer using an Offline Storage Table (OST) file. This allows you to read, compose, and organize emails without an internet connection. Any changes made to your OST file while offline will then sync with your primary mailbox once an internet connection is reestablished.
Starting March 6, your local mailbox cache will only include emails not in your online archive by default. Your online archive will then include all remaining emails (i.e. messages older than six months).
Setting a timeframe shorter than six months for caching mailbox data is recommended to save hard drive space on your computer and improve Outlook performance as less data is processed locally. Change how much email you keep offline.
Using an OST file is beneficial for offline work with recent emails, especially when network connectivity is unreliable, and now with an online archive offering improved accessibility for older emails, you can expect enhanced online and offline access for all your Outlook content.