How to Import Emails to Office 365 from PST Files

Let be honest – today many users are switching from one platform to another, and but it’s made even worse if you are migrating your entire business to an new Office suite.

Office 365 a cloud platform from Microsoft, is gaining traction in the enterprise and seeing many users or clients are switching from various platforms especially Outlook. Whatever will be the reason for switching and there always be an issue to import emails to Office 365. In this article, we will be discussing some easy and reliable solutions to import emails to Office 365 from PST files. So let us begin with the methods.

Migrate Emails to Office 365 from PST Files

There are two techniques which can be used for both normal users as well as organizations to move .pst to Office 365. Both of them are explained below with the detailed steps

There are two different through which home-users, as well as organizations, can migrate .pst to Office 365. Both of them are explained below:-

Use Office 365 Import Service to Move PST Files

Office 365 PST Import Service is provided by Microsoft to move email to Office 365 from Outlook .pst file. In this service, two methods have been discussed i.e, Network upload and Drive Shipping. Let us see, the detailed steps for both methods.

1. Network Upload Method

Note: This method is only for administrators.

Below are the step-by-step instructions to use network upload for migrating bulk PST files to Office 365 mailboxes.

1. Copy SAS URL and install Azure ACopy
2. Upload PST files to Office 365
3. View a list of PST files uploaded to Office 365
4. Create PST Import Mapping or CSV file
5. Create PST Import job into O365 account
6. Filter data and Start the PST Import Job process

2. Drive Shipping Method

1. Download and Install Office 365 Import tool
2. Copy PST files to Hard Drive
3. Create PST Import Mapping/CSV File
4. Create PST Import Job
5. Ship the Hard Drive

Why not to use Manual Methods to Import Oultook Emails to Office 365?

Even the above methods are suggested by Microsoft itself. They also recommend using an automated or third-party tool to perform the operation for importing emails to Office 365 for a secure and risk-free migration process.

Problem 1: PST Mailbox Location Identification Problem

In this issue, user face problem for finding the location of PST folder. Most users have an idea of where to look and how to find PST files. But, these files are generally found at the end user in the network device. While searching these files through Drive Shipping does not help users to find all PST files that are imported.

Problem 2: Centralization of Outlook PST File

Arranging all these Outlook PST files in a central location using drive shipping method is a very complex task. Importing all files to Office 365 account may take a lot of time. However, migrating these PST data across the network may lead to data loss.

Because of countless PST files, finding them totally and safely moving them can be a complicated task. This is for the most part if the client isn’t utilizing an agent to determine them. Simply identifying the files and assembling the data from them, clients can move them into Exchange Online mailboxes.

Some of these files may be corrupted if the migrating process is not done in a good manner. So it is necessary to execute the process of centralizing data.

Problem 3: High Risk of Data loss

As these above methods contain many steps, so while executing them there would be a chance of missing any steps it may lead to data loss.

Problem 4: File Size Limitation

The user cannot import a PST file which contains a mailbox item that is larger than 150 MB, the item will be skipped during the import process.

Problem 5: Time taking  & Requires Technical Knowledge

The process to migrate PST to Office 365 is very long which consumes a lot of time to perform them. However, the manual steps to move Outlook PST files to Office 365 cannot be performed by a non-techie user. As it requires the technical knowledge to execute it.

Automated Solution to Overcome Limitations

There are various techniques to migrate emails to Office 365 user account. So What is the Best Solution for data migration? Well, the answer to this question is PST Migration Tool. Using this tool, a user can import multiple Outlook files to Microsoft O365.

It helps to complete data migration such as contacts, calendars, tasks. Apart from this, it also offers various features such as incremental import, include/exclude deleted and sent items, data filter for selective migration, makes it unique.

Observation

Users can go with the manual methods to migrate emails to Office 365. But these techniques consists of many issues which may cause high data loss and serious malfunction activities. So it is preferred to all the Office 365 users to use Office 365 Import tool to move PST file to Office 365. After using this tool, you will find that it is the simplest and quickest way of executing the whole data migration process.

FAQs about Import Emails to Office 365 from PST Files

Network Upload – where you upload PST files over the network into Office 365. Drive Shipping – where you copy PST files to a physical hard drive and ship it to Microsoft for ingestion." } },{ "@type": "Question", "name": "Who can use these import methods?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Typically, only administrators have the permissions needed to perform these imports since these methods involve tenant-level access and configuration." } },{ "@type": "Question", "name": "What steps are involved in the network upload method?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Some key steps include:

Obtaining a SAS (Shared Access Signature) URL Installing Azure AzCopy tool Uploading PST files to Office 365 Creating a mapping (CSV) file to map PSTs to mailboxes Starting the import job" } },{ "@type": "Question", "name": "How does the drive shipping method work?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "You copy PST files onto a hard drive, prepare a mapping/CSV file, initiate an import job in Office 365, and physically ship the drive to Microsoft’s data center for ingestion." } },{ "@type": "Question", "name": "Are there drawbacks or limits with these manual / Microsoft-provided methods?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. Some drawbacks include:

Difficulty locating and centralizing all PST files Risk of data loss if steps are missed PST file size or item size limitations (e.g. items > 150 MB may be skipped) The process is lengthy and technically complex" } },{ "@type": "Question", "name": "What limitations exist concerning file size or item size?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "If a mailbox item within a PST exceeds about 150 MB, that item may be skipped during import." } },{ "@type": "Question", "name": "Can a non-technical user use these methods?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Using the Microsoft manual methods usually requires technical knowledge and comfort with administrative tools. The article suggests that non-technical users are better off using specialized tools." } },{ "@type": "Question", "name": "What features should one look for in a PST import tool?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Desirable features include:

Ability to handle bulk PST files Filters (date range, exclude deleted/sent items) Incremental import (to avoid duplicates) Mapping support (CSV) Error handling & reporting" } },{ "@type": "Question", "name": "Will the imported email data include all items (contacts, calendar, etc.)?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes — a good import tool or method should bring over emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, and other mailbox items as long as they are supported and the file is not corrupted." } }] }

What is a PST file?

A PST (Personal Storage Table) file is a Microsoft Outlook data file that stores items like emails, calendar events, contacts, tasks, and more. It is often used for archiving or local backups.

Why would someone import emails into Office 365 from PST files?

Because when migrating from Outlook or other local setups to Office 365 (Exchange Online), you need to bring over existing email data, contacts, calendars — and PST files are a common container for those.

What are the main methods provided by Microsoft to import PST files into Office 365?

Microsoft provides two primary methods:

1. Network Upload – where you upload PST files over the network into Office 365.
2. Drive Shipping – where you copy PST files to a physical hard drive and ship it to Microsoft for ingestion.

Who can use these import methods?

Typically, only administrators have the permissions needed to perform these imports since these methods involve tenant-level access and configuration.

What steps are involved in the network upload method?

Some key steps include:

• Obtaining a SAS (Shared Access Signature) URL
• Installing Azure AzCopy tool
• Uploading PST files to Office 365
• Creating a mapping (CSV) file to map PSTs to mailboxes
• Starting the import job

How does the drive shipping method work?

You copy PST files onto a hard drive, prepare a mapping/CSV file, initiate an import job in Office 365, and physically ship the drive to Microsoft’s data center for ingestion.

Are there drawbacks or limits with these manual / Microsoft-provided methods?

Yes. Some drawbacks include:

• Difficulty locating and centralizing all PST files
• Risk of data loss if steps are missed
• PST file size or item size limitations (e.g. items > 150 MB may be skipped)
• The process is lengthy and technically complex

What limitations exist concerning file size or item size?

If a mailbox item within a PST exceeds about 150 MB, that item may be skipped during import.

Can a non-technical user use these methods?

Using the Microsoft manual methods usually requires technical knowledge and comfort with administrative tools. The article suggests that non-technical users are better off using specialized tools.

What features should one look for in a PST import tool?

Desirable features include:

• Ability to handle bulk PST files
• Filters (date range, exclude deleted/sent items)
• Incremental import (to avoid duplicates)
• Mapping support (CSV)
• Error handling & reporting

Will the imported email data include all items (contacts, calendar, etc.)?

Yes — a good import tool or method should bring over emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, and other mailbox items as long as they are supported and the file is not corrupted.