Top 3 Methods to Backup Office 365 to PST – A Complete Guide

In this post, we will learn why users backup Office 365 mailbox to PST and how to backup Office 365 to PST manually. If you are looking for an easy way to backup Office 365 emails, then this post will help you.

Why backup Office 365 to PST?

Office 365 is a cloud-based subscription service that offers Microsoft Office programs such as Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. It is beneficial for both personal and professional users. With its help, you can access your email and other files whenever and wherever you want.

Office 365 is considered safe. But various things can damage your mailbox data. With the help of backup, you can protect emails from accidental file deletion, viruses, malware, ransomware, and other issues. Many users back up their Office 365 mailboxes to PST. So they can protect the data on your local machine.

How to backup Office 365 to PST?

With the help of manual methods, you can backup Office 365 mailboxes. You can also use professional third-party software to back up your emails. Here you will learn how to backup Office 365 to PST manually. We will also discuss the best way to export Office 365 mailboxes to PST using the Office 365 backup tool.

How to backup Office 365 to PST manually?

There are various manual methods available that you can use to backup Office 365 to PST manually. Here we will use the top 2 methods to perform this backup process. You can choose any as per your requirement.

Method 1: Backup Office 365 to PST using eDiscovery

It is considered the best manual method to backup Office 365 mailbox to PST. We divided this method into three steps. To perform this solution, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Select an eDiscovery administrator

1. Sign in to Office 365 account
2. Click the Admin option.
3. From the admin center, go to the Security option.
4. From the left pane, go to the Permissions option
5. Select eDiscovery Manager from the list of contents.
6. From the pop-up, click the edit option in front of eDiscovery Administrator.
7. Select the eDiscovery administrator
8. Click the Save and Close button.

Step 2: Perform a new content search

1. From the left pane, find the Search option and select the Content search option.
2. From the content search window, select the New search option.
3. Assign the name and description of your new search and proceed with the next option.
4. In the location pop-up, search the mailboxes or select the destinations for the PST backup and proceed with the next option.
5. Pick the required keywords.
6. Select the conditions as per your requirements and continue with the next option.
7. Review search parameters and proceed with the Submit button.

Step 3: Export the result to a PST file

1. From the list, choose the user search, then click the Action button.
2. Use the export result option to export the file. Choose your output action, then click the export option to continue.
3. In the export tab, navigate to your last export and go to the download result button. Scroll down the window and copy the export key.
4. The eDiscovery Export window appears.
5. Paste the export key and navigate to the directory to save the PST file.
6. Click on the Start button. The tool begins the email backup process.

Method 2: Backup Office 365 to PST using PowerShell Command

You can also use the PowerShell command to backup Office 365 mailbox to PST format. To perform this method, follow the steps given below.

Step 1: Establish a connection to the MS Exchange server using PowerShell

1. Enter the command in PowerShell: "$UserCredential = Get-Credential"
2. Enter the Office 365 username and password.
3. Run the command: "$Session = New-PSSession -ConfigurationName Microsoft.Exchange -ConnectionUri https://outlook.office365.com/powershell-liveid/ -Credential $UserCredential -Authentication Basic -AllowRedirection"
4. Follow up with the given command: "Import-PSSession $Session"

Step 2: Allow export permission using PowerShell

"Add-MailboxPermission - User exportpermissionemail@example.com -Identity mailboxyouwantexport@example.com -AccessRights FullAccess -InheritanceType All"

Step 3: Sign up in MS Outlook using the given email

Use the exportpermissionemail@example.com to create a new Outlook account and ensure that the mailboxyouwantexport@example.com is present in the left pane.

Step 4: Confirm configuration settings

1. Launch MS Outlook and go to the File menu
2. Select the Info option and choose Account settings.
3. Click Account Settings and select account.
4. Click the Change button and enable the Cached Exchange Mode

Step 5: Export the mailbox to PST using the Import/Export option

1. Open MS Outlook and go to the File option
2. Select the Open & Export and choose the Import/Export option.
3. From the Import and Export wizard, select the export to file option and click the Next button.
4. From the Export to File screen, select Outlook data file (.pst) and click the Next button.
5. Select mailboxyouwantexport@example.com, select the Include subfolders checkbox, and click the Next button
6. Click the Browse button and provide a location where you want to store PST file C:\Users\Admin\Desktop\backup\backup.pst
7. From the Options, select Do not export duplicate items and click the Finish button.

With the help of these manual methods, you can backup Office 365 mailbox to PST format. However, the manual solutions are time-consuming and require technical expertise. If you are looking for a simple way to backup Office 365 emails to PST, try the SysCurve Office 365 backup tool. The software also comes with a free trial version. Using the free version, you can export the first 20 items per folder.

Method 3: Backup Office 365 to PST using Office 365 backup tool

Here we are going to use SysCurve Office 365 backup tool. It is one of the best software that provides a simple and efficient way to backup Office 365 to PST. Using this software, you also export Office 365 mailboxes to MBOX, EML, and MSG file formats. To perform this step, follow the steps below:

1. Download the install the Office 365 backup tool in your system.
2. Open the software, enter your Office 365 Tenant ID and Client ID
3. Enter Client Secret (Value) and User Id and click the Next button.
4. Select the Office 365 folders you want to export.
5. Select the PST as an Export option.
6. Provide a location to save the log file
7. Provide a destination path to save the PST file and click the Export button.
8. After that, the software will export Office 365 emails to PST format.

Other Helpful Features

• Backup Office 365 to PST, MBOX, EML, and MSG format
• Preserves mail properties and maintains folder hierarchy.
• Backup multiple Office 365 mailbox to PST
• Backup Office 365 emails based on Date range
• Export selected Office 365 folders
• Export the first 20 items from each folder
• Compatible with Windows OS.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Author

Deepak Singh Bisht

Content Lead |

Deepak Singh Bisht is a dedicated IT professional with over 9 years of experience, is a key member at SysCurve Software for the last 5 years. His expertise lies in email migration and data recovery, with a focus on technologies like MS Outlook and Office 365. Deepak, who also delves into front-end technology and software development, holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Applications.

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