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How to Back Up and Restore Your ACT! E-mail Database

  • Updated
You would like to know how to Back Up and Restore your ACT! E-mail database.

The E-mail Transfer feature allows you to create a backup of your e-mail database so you can move your e-mail to a different computer. This feature can also be used to provide a backup of your e-mail to prevent the loss of this data in the case of a hard drive or system failure.

Creating the E-Mail Backup:

  1. Launch ACT!
  2. Launch ACT! E-mail by clicking the E-Mail icon
    • ACT! 2009 and earlier: in the left navigation bar
    • ACT! 2010 and later: in the icon bar across the top
  3. Click the File menu, and then click Transfer E-mail. The Transfer ACT! E-mail - Welcome dialog box appears:

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  4. Enable the In the future, hide this page option (if desired), and then click Next. The Transfer ACT! E-mail - Shared Computer dialog box appears:

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  5. Enable the appropriate option, and then click Next:

I am the only person who uses ACT! on this computer.
  1. The Transfer ACT! E-mail - Transfer ACT! E-mail dialog box appears:

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  2. Click the Browse button (if desired) to change the location of your backup file. The default location is C:\Documents and Settings\<User_Name>\My Documents\ACT\ACT for Win 8\Backup
  3. Enable the Password protect file option (if desired), and then click Next.
  4. Enabling the Password protect file option invokes the Enter Transfer Password dialog box:

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    Enter and confirm your password, and then click OK.
    --or--

    If you do not password protect this file, a progress bar appears. When the backup is complete, the following Transfer message box appears:

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  5. Click OK. The Transfer ACT! E-mail - Transfer Complete dialog box appears.

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  6. Click Finish to complete the process.
I share this computer with other ACT! users.

The Transfer ACT! E-mail - Transfer Options dialog box appears:

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Note: These two options may appear to be the same as you move through the process, but there are some major differences in what ACT! does:

  • If you use the 'first person' option, the backup process will copy the e-mail database (this includes all message for all users) and the e-mail preference setting for the currently logged in user.
  • If you use the 'another person' option, the backup process will only copy the e-mail preference setting for the currently logged in user.
I am the first person to transfer ACT! e-mail to my new computer.
  1. If you are the first person to transfer ACT! e-mail enable this option and then click Next. The Transfer ACT! E-mail - Transfer ACT! E-mail dialog box appears:

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  2. Click the Browse button to change the location for your backup file. The default location is:

    C:\Documents and Settings\<User_Name>\My Documents\ACT\ACT for Win 8\Backup
     
  3. Enable the Password protect file option (if desired), and then click Next.
  4. Enabling the Password protect file option invokes the Enter Transfer Password dialog box:

    Image

    Enter and confirm your password, and then click OK.
    --or--

    If you do not enable the Password protect file option, a progress bar appears. When the backup is complete, the following Transfer message box appears:

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  5. Click OK. The Transfer ACT! E-mail - Transfer Complete dialog box appears:

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  6. Click Finish. The Backup is finished.
Another person has already transferred ACT! e-mail to my new computer.
  1. If you are another person to transfer ACT! e-mail enable this option and then click Next. The Transfer ACT! E-mail - Transfer ACT! E-mail dialog box appears:

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  2. Click the Browse button to choose a new location to save your backup file. The default location is:

    C:\Documents and Settings\<User_Name>\My Documents\ACT\ACT for Win 8\Backup
     
  3. Enable the Password protect file option, and then click Next.
  4. If you have enabled the Password protect file option, the Enter Transfer Password dialog box appears:

    Image

    Enter and confirm your password, and then click OK.
    --or--

    If you do not enable the Password protect file option, a progress bar appears. When the backup is complete, the following Transfer message box appears:

    Image

     
  5. Click OK. The Transfer ACT! E-mail - Transfer Complete dialog box appears:

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  6. Click Finish to complete the process.

Restoring Your Backup:

  1. Launch ACT!
  2. Launch ACT! E-mail
  3. Click the File menu, and then click Restore Transferred E-mail. The Following ACT! dialog box appears:

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  4. Click Yes. ACT! E-mail closes and the ACT! E-mail Transfer - Restore Transferred E-mail dialog box appears:

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  5. Click the Browse button. An Open dialog box appears.
  6. Browse (if necessary) and double-click your e-mail backup (.ZIP) file. The ACT! E-mail Transfer - Restore Transferred E-mail dialog box re-appears.
  7. Click Next.  A progress bar appears. When the restore is complete, the following Restore message appears:

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  8. Click OK. The ACT! E-mail Transfer - Restore Complete dialog box appears:

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  9. Click Finish. Your e-mail is restored.

 

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