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Can no longer save outlook emails to Dropbox

Cbray

In the past I've copied over certain emails from my Outlook inbox into Dropbox just by using copy/paste function. These would bring attachments along with the original message text and are a backup record for my business. I can't seem to do this anymore but can open the email message attachments one at a time and copy them over to Dropbox. This takes too long, breaks up the information and I lose the original message text. Does anyone know if this fuction can still be done and how with the new changes to Dropbox.

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Cbray

Thanks for this. This one link shows at the bottom how to move the "Documents" folder to dropbox which moves the Outlook data and creates an auto sync. Not what I was doing as I was only backing up selective emails but it might work.

https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Files-folders/Can-you-help-me-backup-my-emails/td-p/282911

What is interesting is that while playing with this I found that if I copy and past an outlook email with attachments from my Outlook inbox into the Documents folder in Windows first, I can then copy and past it into Dropbox the way I used to with no third party app.

So this is an extra step and something Dropbox has done created this inability to do the same thing directly from my email inbox. No idea why or what the fix might be but it does work now if I take this extra step. I tested it and I can open that same email from dropbox with a double click and it opens automatically with Outlook so the process break is only one way on the save side.

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Walter

Hello @Cbray - welcome to the Dropbox Community; how are you today?

As I'm not sure about this, could you clarify how exactly were you copying and pasting your emails from Outlook to Dropbox and what device were you on?

While it is possible to sync Outlook or Windows Mail .pst files using Dropbox, we believe you'll have a better experience enabling IMAP through your email provider which will automatically sync changes to your email for you, if your email provider supports that capability. IMAP is only associated with email providers and not related with Dropbox, so you'll need to check with your specific email provider for more info on how to set up or enable IMAP.

I hope this helps to some extent and I'll be waiting for your response to look further into this.

Cbray

Thanks for the reply Walter. My emails are all set as IMAP. To answer your initial question I am on a laptop and was simply copying emails from my inbox list and pasting them into the appropriate Dropbox folder in order to save them as a backup. Doing it this way would capture not just the email text but also any attachments that were included with the email.
I've been doing this for years but just recently went to refresh my backup for this one business I run and that is how I found the function to no longer work.
There are two reasons I am a Dropbox user. One is the multi device access to my information as I travel and use multiple laptops as well as mobile devices. I also share information with others in a group. The second reason which is the most important is that I use Dropbox as a back up for my media but most importantly also for my critical business communications which is where the copy and paste of certain emails was being used. It was a simple and quick method that I must have to remain a Dropbox user.

Fiona

Hey @Cbray. I wanted to add this Community thread that might help.

:pushpin: The Dropbox add-in to your Outlook account can:

Replace email attachments with a shared link to any file, big or small
Save email attachments that you receive directly to your Dropbox account
Ensure those with access to a file see updates to it (since shared links always point to the latest version of a file, whereas attachments are just a static copy)

Gmail +Dropbox: Note, this integration does not save or sync your Gmails text body to Dropbox automatically. )

To fully understand the issue you are facing with the emails you were saving, it will be super helpful to provide the steps you were taking and the type of device you are using to complete this process, as @Waltersuggested.

Thanks for your time checking out the resources I provided.

Looking forward to more details for us to assist you the best way possible!

Cbray

Thank you for the reply. I thought I had explained the process and what I was using but maybe this is clearer. I'm on a laptop. I go into my Outlook email inbox. I right click and copy the email if it is needed for future purposes from the inbox without opening it. I go to the appropriate folder in Dropbox and right click/paste the email copy there. In the past this worked and the email copy retained the attachments as well for future reference. Nothing more complicated than this and a function I need with Dropbox. Also just to mention that I did already add the Dropbox add-in to my Outlook account. It did not support this funciton any better as I was doing it.

Walter

So you're drag and dropping those emails to your Dropbox folder on your laptop directly @Cbray.

As you mentioned that this used to work, when was the last time you remember doing this? What file types did your emails have by the way?

Also, what happens now? Are you getting any errors?

In addition, could you try another browser other than the one you used originally to do this and let us know the results?

Cbray

So you're drag and dropping those emails to your Dropbox folder on your laptop directly @Cbray.

No I copy and paste them, not drag and drop

As you mentioned that this used to work, when was the last time you remember doing this? What file types did your emails have by the way?

The last time was a couple of months ago, as it's a back up process for business emails I wish to hold on to. These are Outlook emails file extension .msg that contain various attachments. The ones already in my dropbox folders can still be accessed and opened with a simple double mouse click but no new ones can be added.

Also, what happens now? Are you getting any errors?

I get nothing. I can right click and it says I can paste but when I click on that nothing happens.

In addition, could you try another browser other than the one you used originally to do this and let us know the results?

I was using Chrome. With Microsoft Edge I get a flashing "wheel" that doesn't stop but nothing else.

EDIT TO ADD: I had to restart my laptop in order to get the "flashing wheel" on my mouse curser to stop.

Fiona

Copying and pasting the emails without even opening the email, cannot upload the text of the emails and the attachments to Dropbox. All that is saved to Dropbox needs to be uploaded somehow. Copying the text from your email to a doc, you create in Dropbox would work.

As discussed, our integration with Outlook can forward your Outlook attachments to Dropbox directly but not the body texts of your email.

Where you maybe using a third party app to accomplish this? :thinking:

Cbray

No third party apps. Simple copy/paste with my mouse. Not sure why this is so surprising to the Dropbox team. It was as simple as the alternative of saving an email with attachments to an external or internal hard drive. Except putting them on Dropbox was an added back up and made them accessable from any of my devices. This is a very disappointing loss of functionality to be honest. If you can't explain how to do this on your improved platform I'll be looking for another cloud application. It seems like your integration efforts may be adding a bit of function but it's no good if it also takes away the most basic functionality that was there before. I have years worth of client email communication details dating back to 2013 stored on Dropbox this way and if I can't do this any longer the platform is not worth keeping for me.

Fiona

Sorry you feel this way @Cbray.

Wish I could be more helpful. This is not something I was able to reproduce succesfully, in any way. I still don't understand how it was working for you, without a third party app. I hope the following Community discussions help with clarifying matters:

{Edit}

Our integration with Slack is currently the best way to save your conversations in Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/app-integrations/slack

Cbray

It's not how I feel. You've removed a basic back up functionality that is critical to my business records. All you have to do is look in my folder called "Confirmed Bookings" to see the 7 years worth of email storage. Dropbox needs to stay close to it's roots as a safe back up storage for information as well as multi device access. Too many bells and whistles at the expense of your basic offering will undermine your success. I'm testing this functionality with other cloud providers to see what options there are.

Fiona

I wish I had steps on our end to have your Outlook emails saved. Syncing Outlook emails was never a Dropbox feature. Maybe you had the folder symlinked and symlinks now don't work with Dropbox (read about this here). I am sure there are third party apps that can save your emails in Dropbox.

Alternatively, you can export your emails as files and upload them manually to Dropbox. Hope this Office support article can help: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/back-up-your-email-e5845b0b-1aeb-424f-924c-aa1c33b18833

I am personally using Slack to have my conversations directly in Dropbox but I understand (from the name of the directory) that you might not be able to have your bookings system set up with Slack. I just wanted to add out alternative.

I hope other Community users can suggest a third party solution.

Thank you for your feedback.

Cbray

https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Files-folders/Can-you-help-me-backup-my-emails/td-p/282911

Fiona

Glad to see updates on the matter. Your feedback and participation in Community is important to us. This solution can help so many other users.

Truly pleasant to know you found a way for this to work for you. Seems like the Windows Document folder was the key for your Outlook emails.

I will try it myself!

Thank you @Cbray!

kulbardi

I’m having the same issue with the latest update. It lets me choose the folder but then the “post” button is greyed out.

Update: after many frustrating attempts and the options changing each time I found I could copy to Dropbox. Why has this simple process become so complicated?

Fiona

Sorry to hear that @kulbardi.

As explained in this discussion, saving emails from Outlook is not something Dropbox can do for you without third party app steps.

I understand you are doing something different, because you mentioned the "post" button. May I have a screenshot of the grayed out button to make sure I understand what is not working of you?

Thank you!

kulbardi

I worked out how to do it but it wasn’t as straightforward as before, and different options appeared each time so quite unpredictable. A ”copy to Droppbox” option came up after a few more attempts and this worked.