How to Export Office 365 Mailbox to PST Format? – Using Best Four Solutions

Approved By Rollins Duke

Published On April 18th, 2023

Reading Time 12 Minutes Reading

Throughout this technical guide, we will walk you through the procedure to export Office 365 mailbox to PST file format. Read this blog thoroughly to get the best-suited method for you.

Office 365 (now known as Microsoft 365) is a subscription-based productivity suite by Microsoft. It comprises Microsoft applications services, traditional Microsoft Office desktop applications, and some new productivity services as well. On the other hand, PST (short for Personal Storage Table) is the proprietary format of Microsoft and is used exclusively by the Outlook desktop application.

In this article, we will discuss why it is important to export Office 365 mailbox to PST format. Along with that, we will list four different methods and techniques that you can choose to opt to accomplish the task. Thus, without wasting any further time, let us get started with the blog.

Why Should Users Export Exchange Online Mailbox to PST Format in Office 365?

There are many reasons and benefits to export Office 365 mailbox to PST format. Some of these requirements are mentioned as follows:

It prevents data loss due to accidental deletion.
It prevents data theft in situations like account hacking and ransomware threat.
Users are not dependent only on Microsoft to control their data.
It reclaims storage space, which saves users from avoids buying more storage.
Retrieves data in case an ex-employee account is suddenly deleted.
When a backup of the Shared Office 365 mailbox is required
In case a legal audit of data is required.
Local PST backup allows users to open and view data on desktop-based Outlook.

All these are situations to export emails from exchange online to PST format to help us. Now let us proceed and see the methods of exporting O365 emails to Outlook PST format.

Four Best Ways to Export Office 365 Mailbox to PST Files

There are four ways in which you can accomplish the task of exporting PST from exchange online mailboxes. Three of these are manual solutions while the fourth includes expert-recommended utilities. In the first method, you will learn how to accomplish this task with the help of the eDiscovery PST Export Tool. In the second method, we will discuss how you can export PST from Office 365 mailbox using the Import/Export option of the Outlook desktop application.

A third method, we will know whether we can complete this task by using the PowerShell command, if we can then what will be its procedure. And in the last method, we’ll use the automated tool and see how well all the other methods get the job done. Keep reading the blog to know about these methods in detail.

Method 1: How to Export PST files from Office 365 Using eDiscovery PST Export Tool

Since Microsoft does not have any direct approach to download and export Office 365 mailbox to PST format, the eDiscovery content search is the only manual approach available for users to accomplish the task. So, let us get started with how to execute the task using this technique. However, there are certain prerequisites to execute this task, let us check what they are.

Prerequisites to Use the eDiscovery Method

Permission is required from Discover Management Group.
Windows 7 OS or later needed to export the search results to PST format.
Microsoft.NET Framework 4.5 or later must be installed beforehand on the system.
The latest version of MS Internet Explorer or any other browser.

Steps-by-Step Guidance for Using eDiscovery PST Export Tool

First and foremost, sign in to O365 account and click the Microsoft 365 Admin button.
Select the Security and Compliance option in the Admin Centers.
Drag the Permissions option from the Security and Compliance menu to the eDiscovery Manager.
Then, tap the Edit button next to the eDiscovery Manager checkbox to add the appropriate key permission to the Discovery Management Group.
All the compliance search & export are assigned to the role group.
In case, the role group doesn’t already exist, then consider adding the export role by clicking the Edit Role.
Now, open the Microsoft Purview portal, and then from the menu, select Content Search >> New Search.
Upon doing that, you can personalize all the aspects of your content search choices with the wizard that appears after selecting New Search. You can specify the Name and Description and you can also choose which mailbox data you want to export by selecting the Locations option.
Next, select the Conditions tab to define your search on different parameters.
After you have applied all the required settings and filters, click on Submit >> Done to close the window and start your search instantly.
Now, while the search is running in the background, you can check its status by clicking the Search tab.
On the next screen, check whether your search has been completed or not. If it is completed, click the Actions button and then choose the Export Results option.
If you want to export encrypted files, then you can include those files in this next window. Along with that, you can also customize the export results. It is suggested to export the results using default settings to avoid any complications. Once you have applied all the required settings, click the Export button.
The export process starts immediately. You can navigate by clicking Export and choosing the Search option again and see the progress of your search.
Once the export process is finished, click the Download Results option. Make sure you copy the Unique Export Key.
After clicking the Download Results option, the eDiscovery tool will start automatically. Next, enter the Export Key and set the preferred destination path and location for saving your resultant PST files on your local computer. After you have provided all the required details, click the Start button to initiate the export Office 365 mailbox to PST process. Once that is done, close the extension.

Note: Follow the above-mentioned steps carefully to get the job done in a reliable and simple manner. If you do not have an Internet Explorer browser and you are using Chrome or Firefox browser then you will have to download an extension or else you will not be able to use this method.

Chrome Browser: Meta4 ClickOnce
Firefox Browser: Breez ClickOnce

Drawbacks of The eDiscovery PST Export Tool Method

However, users often face some errors and complications while using this method. Some of the limitations of this method we have mentioned below:

eDiscovery Export Tool stuck calculating error.
Cannot start an application in the end (eDiscovery export tool download fails)
You cannot start the eDiscovery PST export tool from the admin center in Office 365 Exchange online.
Take a lot of time and lengthy process.
Not allow exporting selective data from emails, and contacts. Calendar, etc.
No advanced filter is available to export specific data, also a high risk of data loss and human error.
It is important that you must have enough technical knowledge to be able to configure eDiscovery properly.

Method 2: Export Office 365 Mailbox to PST Files Using MS Outlook Desktop Application

The second manual process involves using the Import/Export option of the Outlook desktop application. To make the process easier, we’ve divided this method into two phases. In the first phase you have to connect your Exchange Online Office 365 account with the Outlook desktop application and then in the second phase you can complete this task by following the given steps:

Phase 1: Connect O365 Account to Outlook Desktop Application

Start any Microsoft Outlook desktop client.
Choose File, and then Add Account.
After inputting your Exchange Online email address, click Advanced Options.
Check manually configuring my account, and click Connect.
Select the POP3 account type.
POP3 server name and port number are entered.
After entering your O365 password, click Connect.

Note: Now, your Exchange Online account is linked with the MS Outlook desktop application, and now Outlook will start adding O365 mailbox data at the default location.

Phase 2: Export PST from Exchange Online Using Import/Export Option

Open your Outlook application and click the File tab on the Menu Bar.
Afterward, click Open & Export >> Import Export option.
Next, choose the Export to a File option and click Next.
Then, choose the Outlook Data File (.pst) option in the above section.
Now choose your Office 365 account from the provided options and click Next.
Finally, choose the destination path and click the Finish button.

Note: That is all for the second manual technique to export Office 365 mailbox to PST format using the MS Outlook desktop application.

Method 3: Misapprehension: Export Mailbox from Office 365 to PST via Powershell Method

To begin with, there is no PowerShell option to export Office 365 mailbox to PST direct. There is no PowerShell cmdlet command in Office 365 that is analogous to the New-MailboxExportRequest command.

If someone desires to export Exchange Online mailbox to PST for free, the only way to do so is to utilize the eDiscovery PST Export Tool. Other techniques for exporting Exchange Online mailboxes are also available.

Using the Powershell feature, a desktop version of Microsoft Outlook may be synced with an Office 365 Outlook Online account. Then, using Outlook’s Import/Export function, export Office 365 mailbox to PST.

Delegation script with full access, Outlook Online connected to the delegated mailbox, and PST export are all available. Technically, I suppose it is possible, but no one has done it. After trying with scripts, I learned that exporting PST is a challenging task.
export office 365 mailbox to pst using powershell

Method 4: Full Instructions to Export Office 365 Mailbox to PST with Automate Software

Last but not the least, according to experts, users must go for automated software as they overcome the gaps left by manual methods. Moreover, contrary to manual techniques, automated solutions make the entire process to export Office 365 mailbox to PST format quick and hassle-free for users. There are so many automated solutions available on the Internet that identifying the best among them can be quite difficult and overwhelming.

As stated above, there are a plethora of automated solutions on the Internet, and picking the one best suited to your requirements can be an overwhelming task. So, we did all the hard work and found one of the best options for you. These solutions are Turgs Office 365 Backup Software, this utility is recommended by top tech professionals. We have mentioned all the features of this software below.

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Step-by-Step Explanation to Export Exchange Online to PST Using this Turgs Software

Run the recommended Office 365 to PST export software on your Windows machine. Next, check the I am admin option that allows exporting O365 emails from multiple accounts to PST. Uncheck this option if you are going with a single account.
After that, enter the O365 email address and press the Login button.
Now enter the password into Microsoft 365 official login page and press Sign In.
Microsoft Office 365 folders uploaded successfully, select required folders to export into PST extension.
Choose PST (Personal Storage Table) as a saving option from the listed options.
The tool permits to change language and splitting of resultant PST files into desired sizes i.e., 2 GB, 5 GB, and 10 GB.
This utility also provides various filter options to export Office 365 mailbox to PST file by specific date range, by email id, and by email subject.
After that software will automatically choose Desktop as the default destination path. However, you can click on the Change button to set the choice destination folder and then click the Backup button to start the process.
M365 to PST Exporter creates a log report file that has detailed information about exported data.
After that, the software will automatically open the destination folder. Hence, users can easily get exported data in PST format.

Advanced Features Provide by Professional Software

The tool allows to export Office 365 mailbox to PST format from multiple user accounts in one go. Hence, they can save significant time.
O365 to PST exporter comes with many advanced filters which are useful. If anyone wants to export exchange online mailboxes to PST between selected dates then can do it with the help of a date range filter.
Users can easily select only required folders from the entire data to export Microsoft 365 emails to PST.
It is able to export Office 365 mailbox to PST including emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, notes, journals, and all.
Microsoft 365 to PST exporter keeps the actual folder structure and completes the mailbox items during the completion of the job.
The tool has a separate option to extract Office 365 email attachments and email addresses from all mailbox folders.
The tool is able to export Outlook 365 mailboxes from primary, in-place-archive, and shared mailboxes to PST.
It allows choosing the size of the output PST files as per the Outlook version. Smaller PST files also work faster than larger files.

Conclusion

This article on “How to Export Office 365 Mailbox to PST Format” discussed several techniques you can choose to migrate your O365 data to the PST format. We shared three manual methods along with one of the best expert recommendations. You can choose from any of these utilities for a quick, reliable, and safe data migration experience. Hope you found this helpful.

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