PST files are mainly the email data files of MS Outlook. Some other email clients use the PST file format, but PST files are known for their functionality with Outlook. You can export these files from Outlook, but when it comes to exporting them directly to other email clients, Outlook falls short of that. It is the same scenario to migrate PST to Office 365.
Office 365, being the latest product of Microsoft, is on the top of the email services provider charts. It is a cloud-based email client that comes with several productive applications to ensure user experience. Hence, users are tempted to migrate the Outlook PST file to Office 365. In this blog, we will be discussing the methods to help you do the same. But before that, let us take a look at the reasons that compel users for migrating to Office 365.
Reasons to Upload PST to Office 365
There are different reasons as per user priority to migrate PST to Office 365. However, the most common ones are listed below.
- Users want to utilize the exemplary applications that are offered by Microsoft in addition to the email client.
- The cloud-based Office 365 is more secure in terms of data privacy as compared to MS Outlook.
- There is a lot of server downtime experienced by Outlook users that leads to disruption in the email services.
- Office 365 has become the top choice of business organizations that leave the employees with no choice but to migrate to it.
All the above reasons show the necessity for the users to migrate PST to Office 365. So, moving forward to the solutions for the same.
Also Read: How to Import Outlook PST File into Gmail Successfully
How to Migrate PST to Office 365?
You can take the help of the below-mentioned methods to import PST files to Office 365. They are manual solutions that need to be performed precisely to complete the procedure.
Importing PST through Outlook
MS Outlook is designed with an inbuilt feature to import the PST files using the Import/Export feature. Perhaps, you need to log in and configure your Office 365 account into Outlook to import the PST. Follow the below steps to migrate PST files to office 365 without any issue.
- Open your MS Outlook application on your system.
- Click on the File tab on the top left corner of the window.
- Select Open from the File menu options.
- Now, pick the Import option to import the PST files.
- In the Import and Export tab, choose the Import from another program or file option.
- After that, press the Next icon to proceed.
- Here, select the Outlook data file (.pst) option and tap on Next.
- Click on Browse to select the PST file that you wish to import to Office 365.
- Check on Replace duplicate option and hit Next.
- At last, tap on the Finish button to start the migration process.
The above steps will migrate PST to Office 365 account using Outlook. To know about other solutions, go through the below steps.
Using Azure AzCopy
You can utilize the Azure AzCopy commands to import PST to Office 365 mailbox. They are a batch command line set that assists users to move and shift files between different storage accounts. The below-listed steps will guide you through the complete process accurately.
- Sign In to your Office 365 admin account and select the Admin Center option under the application section.
- It will open the Exchange Admin Center (EMC) window. Click on the Permissions option and then double-click on Organization Management.
- Now, press on the Plus (+) icon and choose the Mailbox Import Export option.
- Then, click on the Add button and hit OK.
- Here, select the Mailbox Import/Export icon again and tap on the Save button.
- After that, browse to the Admin Center and choose Setup. Then, you have to click on Data Migration and tap on the Upload File icon.
- Click on the New Import Job icon and type the desired job name, and hit Next.
- Mark on the Upload your Date option and tap Next.
- Select the option named Show Network Upload SAS URL.
- Now, copy the URL and paste it on a clipboard like Notepad.
- Then, download and install the Azure AzCopy from Microsoft.
- Open the Azure AzCopy utility and type, ‘AzCopy.exe /Source: \Network Path or File location /Dest:” SAS URL”/V: location path where you wish to save logfile /AzCopy.log /Y’
- After that, press Enter to create the PST file.
- You will be asked to create a CSV file to map the PST into the mailbox account.
- Open the Import data tab and tick both options. After that, click on Next.
- Under the Mapping File option, choose Upload CSV file.
- Click on the Validate icon and hit Save to finish.
It is a quite tricky method but can assist you to migrate PST to Office 365.
Drive Shipping PST Process
If you can spend some money and want Microsoft to do the work for you, then you can opt for this method. The tech giant offers a solution to ease your migration process.
In this method to import PST to Office 365, you only have to copy your PST files into a hard disk or storage drive and ship them to Microsoft. They will take care of the rest and upload your PST files into your Office 365 account. Nevertheless, Microsoft charges as per the size of the files for this service.
All the manual solutions discussed above can migrate PST to Office 365 account. However, you can face the limitations posed by these methods while executing them. They are very time-consuming and complex. If you miss even a single step, it can result in a loss of data. Additionally, novice users cannot undertake these methods as they require technical knowledge.
To overcome all the limitations, you can directly opt for an alternate solution, i.e., Cigati PST to Office 365 Migrator Tool. It is an efficient software that can migrate an Outlook PST file to an Office 365 account in an instant. There is no need to have a prior technical background to operate this tool as its GUI is exemplary. Moreover, you can also import your PST files into the Exchange Server using this utility, including all the attachments.
Conclusion
Office 365 is becoming the top email client choice of every user. Hence, they are shifting from all types of platforms to Office 365. It gives rise to looking for solutions to migrate PST to Office 365. Outlook PST files cannot be imported directly into Office 365 using manual solutions. Although they can get the work done, still you can encounter some limitations. The third-party professional PST to Office 365 Migration Tool method is the best option for users to easily upload PST to Office 365. Additionally, you will get the complete information on how to migrate from IMAP to Office 365 in quick steps.