How to Export Office 365 Archive Mailbox to PST? A Complete Guide
Summary: This guide explains useful solutions to export Office 365 archive mailbox to PST format. Firstly, know some of the reasons behind this conversion and a professional method to securely complete the migration task.
An archive mailbox is also referred to as an online or In-Place archive. It is a separate mailbox in Microsoft 365 that is connected to a primary mailbox for a user. It provides extra storage for users while dealing with older emails and allows the regular mailbox data to remain intact for further use.
Types of Data Stored:
Inbox > Sent Items > Drafts > Contacts > Calendar
The Online archive mailbox is used to host emails that are of no use, needs or have been put on hold by a retention policy. The archive is still separate from the main mailbox, but it can be accessed by supported Outlook applications and Microsoft 365 services.
Form of Data:
Archive > Older Emails > Historical Folders > Archived Messages
Also Read: How to Backup Office 365 Mailbox without Outlook?
Why Export Office 365 Archive Mailbox to PST?
There are various reasons why an administrator or user may need a PST storage copy of the archived mailbox data.
- Save your old emails saved somewhere on your local system
- To maintain data before deleting the entire mailbox
- Keep emails from former employees
- Migrate old email data to a different Outlook account
- Investigate or review data from a shared mailbox
- Retrieve emails from historical Microsoft 365 mailboxes
- Sign up for a business account and choose an Outlook data file
Points to Note Before Exporting Online Archive Data
- Make sure the archive is turned on and has the emails that you need
- Ensure that you have given the correct Microsoft 365 permissions
- Check the size of your archive and give time accordingly
- Decide if you need all data or only certain folders and days in specific dates range
- Store PST files in a secured place to protect all sensitive data
Manual Methods to Export Office 365 Archive Mailbox to PST
There are two approaches which you can try manually. Let’s try one by one and do not miss any steps.
#1. Export Online Archive Mailbox to PST Using Outlook
This is a method which users can use to access the online archive through classic Outlook and saves mailbox items to a PST file.
- Firstly, launch classic Outlook on the Windows PC
- Ensure the Microsoft 365 account you need to use is set up
- Check that you see the Online Archive in the folder pane
- Go to File tab
- Select Open & Export
- Then, choose Import/Export
- Click Next again, and select Export to a file.
- Select Outlook Data File which is your .pst.
- Choose the Online Archive mailbox or its folders you want
- Tick Include subfolders if you want the folders under that location
- Now, set the location of your PST
- Lastly, click on Finish
Limitation of Outlook Method:
- It is good for single exports, but not ideal when exporting large archives or many Microsoft 365 accounts
- Before exporting, make sure the Online Archive is fully synced with Outlook
- Review synchronization settings to ensure that all archive data is included for large exports
- Manually setting up accounts and exporting archives can be hard for multiple mailboxes
#2. Export Office 365 Archive Mailbox to PST Through Administrative Tools
- Microsoft has admin and eDiscovery applications to export Microsoft O365 data into PST
- In the exchange server, you can export one user archive mailbox to PST
- During the export process, you have an option to filter data as well as select particular folders
- In Exchange Server and Exchange Online, you may need to complete different export steps
- Microsoft eDiscovery allows for the export of search results in PST format
- You need necessary permissions to use eDiscovery
- It is helpful for compliance checks, investigations and targeted data collection
Drawbacks of Using eDiscovery Method
- It is meant to find and collect specific content and not for archive backup purposes
- To export Office 365 archive mailbox to PST, you can go with our professional method
- Microsoft Q&A discussions point out, Exchange online archive content may not always show up as a separate source in Purview
Export Office 365 Archive Mailbox to PST – Expert Solution
If you have to export large archive emails from different mailboxes, then try the FreeViewer Office 365 Export Tool. This software can convert Microsoft 365 mailbox data to PST and other formats. It also supports online archive mailboxes to select the data you want to export and filter it according to date.
Why to Choose:
- Export online archive mailbox to PST
- Users can convert Microsoft 365 mailboxes
- You can apply date-based filtering
- Export selected mailbox data
- Maintain folder hierarchy
- Software also includes email properties and attachments
- Tool generate export reports
- Retry failed items
Software Steps to Convert Office 365 Archive Data in Bulk
1. Install & run our professional software on your machine.
2. Next, choose the source Office 365 Archive and destination Outlook platform.
3. So, select your required workload from mailbox list such as Email, Contact, Calendar etc.
4. To authenticate on the secured platform, log in using source Office 365 Admin credentials. Make sure you have the required permissions by clicking on the validate button.
5. Provide the location to save your PST files on your computer
6. Add users using one or more of the following methods:
- Fetch Users – Automatically retrieve users from the Source domain
- Import Users – Import users using CSV
- Download template – Download a sample CSV template and create your user list
7. Choose users whose data you want to export and click on Start Export button to export Office 365 archive mailbox to PST.
End Note
Follow the above steps to export Office 365 archive mailbox to PST. Users can save old Microsoft 365 emails into a local PST file. You can use the in-built export option of Outlook for a single mailbox. When you are exporting more, then check out the Microsoft administrative tools to help. On the other hand, eDiscovery is mostly used to search and retrieve specific emails. So, therefore go for our professional solution to get all the features at one place.