In this article, we’ll discuss techniques to archive Office 365 mailboxes to save them as backup on local computer. No matter how big your mailbox size is, these technique archives everything.
Before we begin, we need to clarify the confusion between in-place archive and out-place archive (data archiving) and both are different. So, you take the right decision before beginning with the solution.
Difference between Archive and Archive Folder?
Archiving is a process of taking the backup of some or all of the mails in the desired destination folder, i.e., Out-Place Archive.
In the given topic, the archive office 365 mailbox refers to taking the backup of the complete mailbox of Office 365.
An archive folder is a type of folder which is located under the primary folder i.e. Inbox folder. It is an inbuilt feature that can store the mails in case we want to segregate them from other mails of the inbox folder. This is called In-Place Archiving.
Reasons to archive mailbox
1. It can help in moving the data from one person to another person.
2. It can ease in migration from one account to another account.
3. It can help in keeping the back up of the data as whole.
4. It can help in creating some space if you take the backup and then delete.
5. The files of office 365 can be accessed in a desktop client application like Outlook.
Manual Methods to Archive Office 365 Mailbox
There are two ways to archive mailboxes from Office 365 manually, one by using MS Outlook and another is via Office 365 Admin Center.
Method 1-Using Export Office 365 Mailbox to PST via Import/Export
The following are the steps for export office 365 mail to PST via Import/Export:
1. Firstly, you need to configure Office 365 in the Outlook application of any version.
2. Once, the configuration is complete then Outlook will automatically get synced with Office 365.
3. Now, in the Outlook application, go to the ‘File’ tab.
4. Now click on ‘Open & Export’ and then on ‘Import/Export’ option.
5. Now, choose the ‘Export to a file’ option and then click on the ‘Next’ option.
6. Choose the folder that you want to export.
7. Browse the location to store the selected folder of files.
8. Now, click on the ‘Finish’ button.
Drawbacks of Using Export Office 365 Mailbox to PST via Import/Export
1. The single folder of Office 365 mailbox to PST file can be exported at once.
2. In order to export the multiple mailboxes, the export option needs to be repeated.
3. While exporting the email files, there are the chances for data loss.
4. In order to begin export, the Office 365 needs to be configured in the Outlook application. This would allow the synchronisation. However, the security and integrity of data would remain affected since it can be accessed by anyone.
5. The synchronisation and de-synchronisation has to done for security purpose and thus, every time the activity of export needs to be repeated.
Method 2-Using the e-Discovery Export Tool
The e-Discovery Export Tool is a product of the Microsoft. It provides the step by step method for exporting the Office 365 mailboxes in the PST file.
However, the Outlook ‘Export/Import’ option for exporting the mailboxes provides a user friendly environment as compared to e-Discovery Export Tool.
e-Discovery Export is a lengthy, complex and hard procedure with multiple conditions and then it saves the Office 365 files in PST format.
Considering the above two manual methods, it has been observed that the manual methods does not provide the complete solution. Both the manual methods have certain limitations which hinders to achieve the goal.
How to Archive Multiple Office 365 Mailboxes Without Fail?
To overcome all the shortcomings and limitations of manual solutions, use the automated Office 365 export tool. This utility allows users to export Office 365 mailboxes in multiple file formats. Using it user can archive their Office 365 mailbox in PST, EML, and MSG file format.
Apart from normal mailbox users can even backup “archive folder” emails and shared mailbox data as well. With the filtering option, you can select the data you want to archive.
Following are the steps to archive Office 365 mailbox:
1. Launch the tool and login with Admin or User account
Tips: Admin account allows to archive multiple user account mailbox(es) and shared mailboxes, whereas user login allow to archive own mailbox only.
2. Select the user account to archive (for admin)
3. In the next window, select the email format to archive email into.
4. Select the category of items to archive & set a date filter.
5. Browse the location to archive your data and hit Start.
Now the tool will start taking backup of emails, and once done, you will get the notification.
Final Words
In this article, we have discussed 3 methods to archive Office 365 mailbox. All these 3 method works completely fine but some methods are slower than other, i.e., manual solution. On the other hand, automated tool is quite easier and faster to perform the task. You can test the tool first and archive the data before implementing on large users.
