Sarah wrote us this morning with a question about using MessageExport for extracting email file attachments from Outlook: "I have a folder containing hundreds of emails from a client, many of which have important attached files and documents. I want to copy all of the file attachments and save them to my flash drive. I don't want to export the email message, only the attachments. To do this manually would take me all morning. Can MessageExport do this? I didn't see an option like this in the MessageExport profiles."
Yes! MessageExport can copy file attachments from the selected message or messages. To do this, you will need to configure a custom action. This is not difficult, and can be done by simply modifying one of the existing export profiles, and giving it a new name.
Lets take you through it step by step.
Assuming MessageExport is installed on your computer, open Microsoft Outlook.
1. From the MessageExport drop down list, choose "Export to PDF - Attachments Saved to Disk"
2. Click MessageExport's "Open Profile Options" button, which is the "hammer and wrench" tool.
3. Change the Profile Name to "Export Attachments Only." We do this so that we don't overwrite the existing PDF profile that we are modifying.
Change "Export Target" either to "Select Files" or "Selected Folders." If you want to export multiple folders and all of their subfolders, then select "Selected Folders with Subfolders."
4. Change "Export Format" to "Don't Export Body." This tells MessageExport not to export the email message.
5. Change "Export Attachments" to "As File Attachments in Same Folder." This will copy all file attachments to a single folder.
6. Move to the "Output Folder" tab and select "Prompt User for Export Folder" if you want MessageExport to ask you where to put the files. If you always want to put the files in the same folder, then select "Predefined Folder" and tell MessageExport which folder to use.
7. Click "OK" to save your new profile.
Now lets try out our new profile.
Choose "Export Attachments Only" from the MessageExport drop down list.
Select the Outlook messages or folders that contain the file attachments we want to export.
Click on the MessageExport "Export" button (looks like a computer floppy disk), and off you go.
The ability to configure custom email export profiles is a powerful feature of MessageExport. Remember that any profile can be modified, and new profiles can be built to accommodate your specific needs and custom actions. If you don't see how to do it, you can ask the MessageExport support team by opening a help ticket at
www.encryptomatic.com/osticket/
For more information on MessageExport for Microsoft Outlook, visit
http://encryptomatic.com/messageexport/
