How to Import PST Files to Office 365 Mailbox Manually? Top Solutions

Nowadays, migration from desktop-based Outlook to Office 365 OWA has become a common thing. It’s because users are getting a wide range of functionalities & features over the cloud platform. The best one is, of course, Office 365. Most of the users are familiar with its interface and its application. Office 365 is just a web-based version of desktop Outlook with more features.

But, the problem is, it is not at all an easy task to import Outlook PST files to Outlook 365 if you don’t know the right approach. Therefore, to help users to make this task simple, we have written this technical post. This post will explain to you how you can safely perform the above operation without any hassle.

Must Read:- Export address book from Outlook 2019

Know the Top 3 Approaches to Import PST Files to Office 365!

Microsoft provides two methods of manual approaches using which users can move PST files to the Outlook 365 clouds.

Apart from this, you can also use trusted and secure software for the same operation ensuring maximum security of data. All solutions are explained here:

1. How to Transfer PST Files to Outlook 365 Using Professional Solution (MVP Verified)
2. How to Migrate PST Files to Office 365 Drive Shipping Method (Time Taking)
3. How to Move PST File to Outlook 365 Network Upload Method  (Confusing)

“Hello, I am Rachel. Recently, I bought an Office 365 subscription plan and created an account. However, there is no option to import PST files to Office 365 mailbox, like it was in the Outlook email client. I am not much of a technical user. Please guide me with a method to resolve how to import the Outlook 2010 PST file to Outlook 2019. Thanks in advance.”

Method 1: Automated Way to Transfer PST Files to Outlook 365

The most trusted and verified software by Microsoft MVPs is Outlook Office 365 Import Tool. Free download demo version of the application. 

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It is the only solution that overcomes all the limitations of manual approaches. It supports migrating email, contacts, calendars, the tasks from PST files to Office 365 accounts. Also, capable of maintaining folder hierarchy throughout the process. This tool supports the Incremental Import approach which allows us to migrate only new or updated data from a PST file.

Moreover, the date filter is also available for the selective import of PST files to Office 365. Also, the software is available for all Windows Operating systems.

Steps to Move PST Files to Office 365

Follow the listed steps and quickly export/import Outlook Calendar to Office 365, emails, contacts, tasks, notes, etc.

Note: Login via Office 365 admin account if the user wishes to import Outlook PST files into multiple Office 365 accounts simultaneously.

Also, to import PST in Office 365 shared mailbox. Log in via User credentials to import multiple Outlook PST into your own Office 365 account.

Pre-Requisites to Import PST to Shared Mailbox in O365 Using Software

• Add Admin Impersonation Permissions in the Exchange Admin Center to import PST files to Office 365.
  • Specify Mailbox Import Export Permissions to the Discovery Management Role Group.

• Then Allocate UserMailbox Permissions to the Assigned Admin Account.
  

Now, after downloading the solution follow the stepwise instructions to initiate the task efficiently –

Step 1. Select the source (Outlook) & target (Office 365) platforms.

Step 2. Now, Select the Category of data you need to Import and Apply a filter for each selected category.

Step 3. Browse the PST files for the importing process & select the location as “Import Folder Path“.

Step 4. Enter Office 365 Admin credentials for login.

Step 5. Map each PST file with its destination client ID.

Step 6. Finally, Click on the Import button to start the import process.

Why Use This Utility Over Others?

1. Import multiple PST files to the Office 365 mailbox quickly.
2. Incremental import option to import new or updated files.
3. Efficiently export Office 365 contacts to VCF or CSV formats.
4. Allows to Import PST files to Office 365 shared mailbox.
5. No file size limitation to moving Outlook data files to Office 365.
6. Easily import large-size PST files to Office 365 users’ accounts.
7. Support to Migrate Unicode and ANSI PST to Microsoft 365.
8. Move Data File from Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, etc.

Method 2: Import Outlook PST into Office 365 – Drive Shipping

Office 365 has provided a method for its users to import PST to Office 365 mailbox. It is used to bulk move PST files to an Office 365 account.

Drive Shipping Workaround copy the Outlook PST file on a drive and manually forward the drive to Microsoft. Once Microsoft validates the file, it moves the data from the drive to the Microsoft cloud.

Here, users can select the desired PST data and import it into target mailboxes using setting filters. And, when the import job begins, the O365 Import service migrates the PST data to Office 365.

For a Complete and step-by-step guide to using the drive shipping method to import Outlook data files to an Office 365 mailbox.

Limitations Associated With the Drive Shipping Method

This method also has some downsides that must be considered before approaching this workaround to import PST files to Office 365.

1. Currently, the Drive Shipping method is available in the United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Korea, Brazil, Japan, the United Kingdom, Southeast Asia, Europe, India, and East Asia.
2. This method is available through the MS Enterprise Agreement (EA). It cannot be available via. Microsoft Products & Services Agreement (MPSA).
3. The cost associated with the drive shipping method to upload a PST file Office 365 OWA is $2/GB of data. For example, if you ship 1 TB of PST files, the cost should be $2,000.
4. A maximum of 10 hard drives can be shipped for an individual import job.
5. A time-consuming procedure and data item of more than 150 MB will be skipped during the migration task.
6. Users cannot import Outlook PST file that has 300 or greater than nested folders.

Method 3. Network Upload to Import PST Files to Office 365!

Use Network Upload to import Outlook PST files to Outlook 365. It is a free manual method. To use this process one requires high and sound technical skills.

This technique is very complicated and not reliable for non-technical users. But if you still want to use this technique, follow these below-mentioned steps to bulk import PST to Office 365.

In the Network Upload method, you have to perform 5 steps.

• Step 1: – Download AzCopy Tool & Copy SAS URL 
• Step 2: – Import Organizations PST to Office 365
• Step 3: – Create a Mapping File
• Step 4: – Create PST Import Job in Office 365
• Step 5: – Filter and Start PST Import job

Know These Before Begin

• By default, the Mailbox Import Export role in Exchange Online is not assigned to any role group. You need to get this role. Use the Organization Management role group to assign Mailbox Import Export to your mailbox.
• Another way is to create a new role group, assign a Mailbox Import Export role, and then add yourself as a member.
• Apart from this, also you need to be assigned to the Mail Recipients role in Exchange Online which is by default assigned to Organization Management and Recipients Management role groups.
• Or to use Network Upload to import PST files to Office 365 you need to be a Global Administrator in your Office 365 organization.

Step 1: – Download the Azure AzCopy Tool & Copy SAS URL

• Open https://protection.office.com and log in to the Office 365 organization using Administrator account credentials.
• Go to the Security & Compliance Center and select Data Governance >> Import
• A new Import dialog box will appear, choose + New Import Job
• The New Import Job wizard will be displayed. Give a name to the Import Job and click Next
• Do, you want to upload or ship your data? Window hit on Upload your data and click on “Next“
• A new “Import Data” window will be displayed. You need to do two things here: Copy the SAS URL and Download & Install the Azure AzCopy Tool
• A pop-up will appear, choose Run to install the Office 365 Network Upload tool completely.

Note: Copy your SAS URL carefully in a text file as it is unique to your organization. You will need it later for transferring PST files to Office 365. Download Azure AzCopy version 7.1.0 only.

Step 2: – How to Transfer PST Files to Outlook 365

• Open your command prompt by typing “cmd” in the Run window
• Go to the directory location where you have installed Azure AzCopy.exe
• Perform the following command with the following syntax

AzCopy.exe /Source:<Location of PST files> /Dest:<SAS URL> /V:<Log file location> /Y

The actual command will be like this

AzCopy.exe /Source:”\\FILESERVER1\PSTs” /Dest:”https://3c3e5952a2764023ad14984.blob.core.windows.net/ingestiondata?sv=2012-02-12&se=9999-12-31T23%3A59%3A59Z&sr=c&si=IngestionSasForAzCopy201601121920498117&sig= Vt5S4hVzlzMcBkuH8bH711atBffdrOS72TlV1mNdORg%3D” /V:”c:\Users\Admin\Desktop\AzCopy1.log” /Y

Step 3: – Create a Mapping File of Imported PST

This is the most crucial step of the Network Upload method to import PST files to Office 365. After the complete upload of PST files to Azure Cloud Storage, create a CSV file that will specify the mapping of the PST files to which mailbox it is to be moved.

This CSV file will be required in the next step where you need to create an Import Job.

Step 4: – Create an Import Job in Office 365

• Log in to your Office 365 account and do the steps as shown in Step 1
• This time select the following options in the dialog box
• On the Import data page, select the following options
• Select the Mapping File option in the next window and choose “Validate“
• After successful validation, click on Save and finally select Close after the job is created

Step 5: – Filter and Start Import PST Files to Office 365 Job

• A window will be displayed, in the Security & Compliance center, and select Ready to import to Office 365
• On the flyout page, click Import to Office 365
• After clicking that, the filter of your data page will be displayed. You can easily apply filters according to your requirements and import your organization’s PST files to Office 365

Limitations of the Network Upload Method

• As you can see, the network upload method is quite complicated and lengthy to use. It requires high technical knowledge.
• The steps are too hectic and time-consuming. If the PST file size is more than 20 GB, then it will create a lot of issues.
• You have to save the PST file on the server or shared folder.
• To overcome that, we have come up with an extremely extraordinary solution for importing multiple PST files into Office 365 which is discussed in the next section.

Method 4. Use Outlook’s Import/Export Option

This is a straightforward method, users can use this solution when need to import data in small quantities. So, let’s start with its stepwise instructions –

• Navigate to the File option > Add Account.
• Provide the Office 365 webmail account > Connect.
• Now, enter the password > Sign In.
• Perform the prompts to set up an account.
• Afterward, run the Outlook app > File > Import/Export.
• Hit Import from another program or file > Next.
• Click on Outlook Data File (.pst) > Next.
• Now, find the PST files, by clicking on the Browse option.
• Lastly, select the folders of the files > Finish.

Limitations of the Import/Export Method

1. Does not support a large volume of data
2. Error-prone
3. Time-consuming
4. Need Outlook to be installed in your system, which is quite costly for some users.
5. Risk of data loss

Bottom Lines!

In this article, we have discussed three manual approaches that can import PST files to Office 365 mailbox. Due to the limitations of the Network Upload, Drive Shipping method, and Import/Export, we also discussed an automated solution. It overcomes all the downsides of manual approaches and moves Outlook PST into Office 365 in the minimum time of utilization. You can first try the free demo version of the tool which allows you to transfer 25 items per folder from a PST file into Office 365 OWA.