How to Export Office 365 Archive Mailbox to PST File Efficiently? Guided Explanation
In this article, we are going to discuss – what is archive mailboxes and how to export Office 365 archive mailbox to PST file for all users. We are going to put the limelight on the user confusion between archiving and archive mailbox (In-Place Archive) and their uses. Without any further discussion let’s get started!
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What is Archive Mailbox in Office 365?
Archiving is a process of moving data into a repository that can be used as a backup as a separate mailbox. This repository is available alongside with primary mailbox (Inbox) that can be used for storing emails separately from one another.
In Office 365, we call this mailbox Archive Mailbox (also known as In-Place Archive). It is an additional mailbox for storing emails separately from Inbox emails. After enabling the archive mailboxes, any user can access them to save their inbox email.
The Benefit of an archive mailbox is that it provides you with a central location for storing emails that no longer needed direct access. Moreover, this way user can keep their Inbox (primary mailbox) clean and easily accessible.
Benefits of Exporting Office 365 Archive Mailbox to PST
The following is the list of benefits that the user gets by exporting the O365 archive mailbox to PST:
- It reduces storage requirements in Office 365
- Prevents losing data of the user
- Increases server performance
- Easy to restore data when needed
- Eliminates mailbox quotas
- It provides easy search capabilities
Methods to Export Office 365 Archive Mailbox to PST
There is no direct method provided by Microsoft to O365 mailboxes, whether it is a primary mailbox or any other user-generated mailbox like the Archive mailbox. However, by using some indirect methods such as Outlook and third-party tools, users can export Office 365 archive mailbox to PST.
5 Quick Steps to Export Office 365 Archive Mailbox to PST
- Step 1. Download & Install the Software on PC.
- Step 2. Log in with Admin or User Credentials.
- Step 3. Select Desired User Accounts from List.
- Step 4. Choose Desired Mailbox Item Categories.
- Step 5. Set & Apply Date Filter, Click on Export.
Method #1: Export Complete Archive Mailbox to PST Using the Automated Solution
As we have explained above Office 365 doesn’t yet provide any method to backup Office 365 mailboxes. Moreover, other manual method requires various technicalities to perform. In addition to this, the manual approach has its own limitations and shortcomings.
Therefore, users need to take the help of an automated tool like Office 365 Export Tool. This tool is specifically designed for such an export procedure. Moreover, it also allows you to select Archive Mailbox from Office 365 account and export it into the PST file format without any hassle.
Features Provided By Automated Tool
- Exports Archive Mailbox, Inbox, and other mailbox data.
- Capable to export contacts, calendars, and tasks from the O365 account
- Allows to export Shared mailbox data to PST format
- Provides date-range filter of selective data export
- Dual-Login options: With Admin & Without Admin Credentials
- Provides split PST option to create small-size exported files
- Maintain hierarchy of exported archive mailbox or other mailboxes
Software Steps to Export Office 365 Online Archive Mailbox to PST:
Step 1. First, download and install the tool for the export process.
Step 2. Login into the tool using an Admin or User account.
Step 3. Select the User account for the export process (Available when login via Admin).
Step 4. Choose the Email format as “PST” & Set Split PST (optional).
Step 5. Select the Category as “Archive Mailbox” & Set the date-range filter.
Step 6. Choose the destination location for the exported archive mailbox PST file.
Step 7. Click on the Start button to export Office 365 archive mailbox to PST.
Method #2: Use Outlook for Exporting Archive Mailboxes From Office 365
Another method to export Office 365 archive mailbox to PST is with the help of a desktop Outlook Application. If you don’t have MS Outlook installed on your system, then simply prefer an automated solution as a solution.
Alert: The below method is only suitable for exporting single / few user mailboxes, not for organizational use.
Manual Working Steps to Export Archive Mailboxes using Outlook:
Step 1. Open the MS Outlook application on your desktop.
Step 2. Go to the File tab and click on Add Account option.
Step 3. Enter the details of Office 365 account and configure it.
Step 4. After the configuration is finished, Go back to the File tab and click Open >> Import/Export
Step 5. Choose the “Export to a file” option from Import/Export wizard
Step 6. Now, choose the “Outlook data file .pst” option from the list.
Step 7. Select the Office 365 Archive mailbox from the list >> Next
Step 8. Browse the location for the exported file, & click on the Finish button
Conclusion
In this guide, we have explained the two possible solutions to export Office 365 archive mailbox to PST. Both methods work perfectly, however, the automated method is best suited for organizations to export multiple users’ archive mailboxes. Whereas the manual method is suitable for a single user only.
Although there is an alternate approach for exporting Office 365 mailboxes using the eDiscovery tool. But this method is quite tedious for any Office 365 user who doesn’t have a good command of the Admin center working. It’s better not to follow such a method, which may corrupt the exported file in the process.
FAQs Related to Exporting Office 365 Online Archive to PST
Q1. How do I archive Outlook 365 to PST using Outlook?
A – You can easily archive Outlook 365 to PST through Outlook by following the below five steps. However, before getting into the below steps. You need to configure your Outlook 365 user accounts with POP configuration in the Outlook desktop app.
- Click on File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
- Choose Export to a file, and then click on Next.
- Opt for Outlook Data File (.pst), & click on Next.
- Choose mail folder to archive & select Next.
- Define the location to save, & click on Finish.
Q2. How do I archive emails in Outlook 365 older than 12 months?
A – You can easily archive older emails using the inbuilt feature of Outlook 365 AutoArchive. In order to set it, you can follow the below steps:
- Click on File > Options > Advanced.
- From AutoArchive, click AutoArchive Settings.
- Choose Run AutoArchive every n day’s box & specify the n value for AutoArchive.
- Opt for any other choices you want, like having Outlook delete old items instead of archiving them.
- In this way, you can easily archive emails without any hassle.
Q3. Where is the online archive stored in Office 365?
A – You can find it in your mailbox, it is also a folder and shows in the user’s mailbox similar to Inbox, Sent Items, and the Deleted Items folder, etc. You can not delete this folder from your mailbox. Moreover, all Microsoft 365, Outlook.com, and Exchange accounts have access to an Archive folder.
Q4. How long does Outlook Online archive last?
A – For Draft and Inbox items the default period is six months, on the other hand, the Sent Items have a different archive period which is three months. However, these default settings can be changed using the Clean Out items older than an option.