To move all the messages stored inside your AOL Saved on My PC filing cabinet to a different email program, try one of the email migration tools. But if you need to rescue just one message, or just a few, the manual route is entirely feasible and works in a surprisingly straight-forward manner.
Export an Individual Message from AOL's "Saved on My PC" Folder
To save an individual email from your AOL Saved on My PC folder:
- Select Mail | Saved on My PC (Filing Cabinet) from the menu in AOL.
- Open the folder containing the message you want to export.
- Click on the message with the right mouse button.
- Select Forward from the menu.
- Enter either your new email address or your AOL address in the Send To: field.
- Click Send Now.
- Open Outlook Express or the email program you want to import the message to.
- Download new mail.
- If you forwarded to your new email address, download all new messages from that account.
- If you forwarded to your AOL address, make sure you access the AOL account via IMAP in the email client you want the message to appear in.
- Move the original attached message to its final destination in your email program.
- If you use Outlook Express, double-click the forwarded message to open it in its own window.
- Drag and drop the attached messages (it should appear under Attach: right below the subject) to the Inbox folder, for example.
To export or restore more than one message at a time, try a tool like ePreserver.
