How to Backup Office 365 Mailbox to PST: Superlative Methods

Why Export Exchange Mailbox to PST?

The substantial reasons that make it necessary to export Office 365 to PST online are:

• Exporting to PST format gives the user control to admin too for retaining contacts, calendars, emails, notes, etc.
• Increased security in case of unfortunate events and helps in recovery of data via backup.
• Protection of mailbox data from Office 365 Retention Policy Gap for any unexpected circumstances.
• Also, deleted emails on the cloud server cannot be retrieved. Hence, the O365 export mailbox to PST is beneficial.
• Moreover, it helps to reduce the storage costs and server load and can be viewed offline too.

Which Techniques Backup Office 365 Mailbox to PST?

Using three different free manual methods and an expert-recommended tool, users can perform this Office 365 export. However, the methods will only prove to be beneficial when executed properly.

How to Export O365 Mailbox to PST Manually?

To transfer Exchange Online to Outlook PST, users need to follow specific steps for different methods. These are provided below in complete detail.

Method 1: Save Office 365 Mailbox to PST via eDiscovery

1. Foremost, open the M365 Exchange Admin Center in your browser.
2. In the left pane, click Show All and select the Compliance option.
3. The Microsoft Purview window appears. Here, click Permissions >> Roles.
4. Further, check box eDiscovery Manager and check for Export in the Assigned Roles.
5. If it isn’t present, click on the Edit Role Group button to add it.
6. Later, browse down to eDiscovery Administrator and click Edit to add a user for the assigned role. Press Save.
7. After that, from the left pane, choose Content Search and press +New Search.
8. Subsequently, provide a name and description for the search in the open window. Hit Next.
9. In Location, mark Exchange mailboxes Status: On and press Choose users, groups, or teams beside it.
10. Afterward, provide the details of the mailbox to export and click on the Done button.
11. Click Next >> review search >> press Submit >> Done. Wait and check for the status to be displayed as Completed.
12. After that, double-click on your created content search and expand the Actions tab. Tap Export Results.
13. Select a desired Output option and Export Exchange Content as the required PST.
14. Finally, click Export >> OK. In the Export tab, double-click the content search and copy the Export key. Press Download Results.
15. Press Open to view the file in the browser. An eDiscovery Export Tool pop-up appears.
16. Here, paste the copied Export key and provide a destination for the downloaded files. At last, click on the Start button.

This completes the process of exporting email from Office 365 to PST.

Method 2: Backup Office 365 Mailbox to PST with Powershell

1. Firstly, run a command to connect with the Microsoft 365 Exchange Online:

$UserCredential = Get-Credential Connect-ExchangeOnline -UserPrincipalName <UserID> -UserCredential $UserCredential

2. Next, run this command to Assign the Export Role for data transfer:

New-ManagementRoleAssignment –Role “Mailbox Import Export” –UserID

3. Run the command to search for Exchange Online mailboxes content and then, initiate the search:

New-ComplianceSearch “name” -ExchangeLocation all | ContentMatchQuery Start-ComplianceSearch -Identity “name”

4. In addition, run the command to migrate the data:

New-ComplianceSearchAction “name” -Export -Format Fxstream

5. Now, execute this command to receive the URL for downloading exported data:

Get-ComplianceSearchAction “name_export” -IncludeCredential | FL

6. Next, download the export URL and SAS token and run the command to browse the location of the eDiscovery Tool:

New-MailboxExportRequest -mailbox user1-filepath\\myserver\documentsfolder\filename.pst

Method 3: Backup Office 365 Mailbox to PST Using MS Outlook

1. Firstly, in Outlook go to the Add Account option and enter Office 365 credentials.
2. Complete the procedure of connecting the two accounts using IMAP.
3. Afterward, move to File, and from there, press Open & Export.
4. Click Import/Export and the dialog shows up. Opt for Export to a file.
5. Subsequently, tap Next and click on the Outlook Data File option. Hit Next.
6. Then, select the folders from the configured O365 mailboxes and click Next.
7. Press Browse and give a destination folder path for a new PST. Finally, click Finish.

What are the Shortcomings of These Manual Methods?

Though these solutions are free, the following limitations are included with them:

• Admin credentials and accounts are required with all the prerequisites completed.
• Very lengthy, tricky, complex, and time-consuming process that requires high technical expertise.
• Several errors can occur during the process frequently and high risk of data loss.
• Not suitable for transferring large mailboxes or multiple files and has no option for selective migration.
• Slow performance and dependency on other options to complete the export.

Therefore, to export o365 mailboxes to PST in a more secure and hassle-free way, use a professional tool.

Which Tool Instantly Backup Office 365 Mailbox to PST?

SysInfo Office 365 Backup Tool is a comprehensive solution to swiftly export your data within seconds. It requires minimum steps and allows for batch export without size limitations. Additionally, it can be used by any new or experienced user and has great system compatibility. Moreover, other than PST, the tool Converts Office 365 to PDF, and other file formats and email clients with ease.

Steps to Export Exchange Mailbox to PST

1. Launch the Office 365 Email Backup Tool and click Backup.
2. Provide the M365 credentials to Sign In and check box Assign Impersonation.
3. Further, pick the User IDs and mailbox to export and press Next.
4. Preview the files and folders and select folders to continue with. Hit Next.
5. Afterward, opt for PST from the list and select the required filter options.
6. Click on the Destination Path button to provide the Outlook folder location.
7. At last, click on the Convert button to save Office 365 data in Outlook PST.

Conclusion

To sum up, this guide provides full-fledged freeways and an expert tool to backup Office 365 mailbox to PST easily. However, the manual methods are very difficult and cannot assure that data will be exported securely. Instead, a reliable professional tool is the best solution. It doesn’t require extra effort or specific permissions and offers advanced features too.

Frequently Asked Questions

About The Author:

Lovely Baghel

Lovely specializes in technical writing for SysInfoTools Software and has over 2 year of experience writing blogs, and articles about databases & backup, email recovery, email migration & management solutions. Her passion is researching and developing content that helps Office users, professionals, administrators, enterprises, and novices solve multiple problems.