Sometimes you need a mailbox as a spreadsheet: a list of every email from one client, an audit of who sent what and when, or a quick count of messages per month. CSV is the format that gets mail into Excel or Google Sheets.
Outlook has a CSV export, but its default field list leaves out the sent and received dates, which is usually the column you need most. Here's how to get a complete CSV.
In classic Outlook, go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
Choose Export to a file > Comma Separated Values.
Select one mail folder, such as Inbox, and choose where to save the file.
Click Map Custom Fields to see which columns will be exported, then click Finish.
What you get: subject, body, sender and recipient names and addresses, CC, BCC and a few flags.
NO DATES - The field list in the wizard has no sent or received date for email, and the export handles one folder at a time without subfolders. For anything date-based you'll need another method.
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Method 2: Copy a table view into Excel (small folders)
For a quick list with dates, use Outlook's own view:
Open the folder and switch to a list view (View > Change View > Compact, then turn off the reading pane if you like).
Use View > View Settings > Columns to add Received and From.
Click in the message list, press Ctrl+A, then Ctrl+C, and paste into Excel.
This copies the visible columns only, without message bodies, and gets slow past a few thousand items.
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Method 3: Convert PST to CSV with dates and bodies
Magic Soft PST Converter writes one CSV row per email, with sender, recipients, subject, date and body in separate columns. It reads the PST directly, so it works on archive files and PSTs from other machines, and it handles every folder in one run.
01
Load the PST
Add one or more PST files and click Load & Analyze.
02
Select folders
Tick the folders you want in the preview, including subfolders.
03
Choose CSV
Click Export and select CSV. Set a date range if you only need, say, the last two years.
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Export
Choose a destination and click Start Export.
Run the trial first. It exports 10 emails per folder, which is enough to check the columns match what your spreadsheet needs.
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Open the CSV in Excel without breaking it
Double-clicking a CSV works, but it can mangle non-English characters and long text. A cleaner way:
In Excel, go to Data > From Text/CSV and select the file.
Set File Origin to 65001: Unicode (UTF-8) so accented names and other scripts look right.
Click Load. Excel recognises the date column and you can sort and filter by it.
Long emails
An Excel cell holds up to 32,767 characters. Very long email bodies get cut off in Excel, though the full text is still in the CSV file. If bodies matter, search the CSV in a text editor or load it into a database.
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What people use a mailbox CSV for
Building a list of every customer or supplier who emailed a shared mailbox.
Counting emails per month or per sender for a report.
Giving auditors or lawyers a sortable index before handing over the emails themselves as PDF with attachments.
Finding a message by date when Outlook search keeps missing it.
Summary
Outlook's wizard is fine for subjects and addresses, but it drops dates and works one folder at a time. For a complete spreadsheet with dates, bodies and all folders, convert the PST to CSV and open it through Excel's Text/CSV import. Have Thunderbird mail instead? See exporting MBOX emails to CSV.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
The Import/Export wizard's field list for mail has no sent or received date field. Use a table view copy or a PST to CSV converter to get dates.
Outlook exports one folder at a time. PST Converter can export every selected folder in a single run.
No, CSV is plain text. Export attachments separately, or convert the emails to PDF if you need them together.
Yes. Use File > Import in Google Sheets and upload the CSV. Sheets has a 50,000 character limit per cell.
Methods 1 and 2 need Outlook. PST Converter reads the PST without it.
About The Author
Magic Soft
Magic Soft provides software solutions for email recovery, data migration, file conversion, and digital data management.
