Quickly Migrate Outlook Emails to Office 365 Using Top Two Methods

The cloud platform is an emerging technology. Most of the organizations that are using desktop-based email clients are now switching to the cloud to boost their business. One of the leading cloud platforms is Office 365. Nowadays, organizations are transferring Outlook accounts to Office 365 due to certain reasons. But, after subscribing to Office 365, many companies fail to migrate Outlook emails to Office 365.

Today, we will help you with both manual and automated solutions to help you perform this task with maximum data security.

User’s Query?

Paul on Reddit asks – “Hello Experts! I work in a company of 400+ employees as an Assistant Manager. We are switching from on-premises to the Cloud platform. We have created Outlook PST for each employee but we don’t any method perform Outlook to Office 365 migration. Can anybody provide a simpler method to migrate Outlook to Office 365? Thanks with Regards”

Rebecca Zurich on Twitter asks – “Hello Everyone, I am facing some problem while importing Outlook emails to Office 365 mailboxes using Network upload. I don’t know why but I am not able to upload multiple PST files into my Office 365 account. I have a few orphan PST file which I need to import. Is there any alternative way of moving Outlook PST mailbox to Office 365 mailbox?”

What are the Methods to Migrate Outlook Emails to Office 365?

The top two methods we are going to explain are as follows:

1. How to Migrate Outlook Mailbox(es) to Office 365 – Automated Approach.
2.  How to Import Outlook Emails to Office 365 Mailbox, Manually

Before that following are the steps to create an Outlook PST :

Step 1. Open your Outlook and go to Files >> Open & Export >> Import & Export

Step 2. Now, select the Export to File option >> Outlook Data File (.pst) >> Next.

Step 3. Select the Mailbox to save as a PST file.

Step 4. Browse the location to save the PST file & choose option >> Finish

Migrate Outlook Mailbox(es) to Office 365 Using the Easiest Way

For easy and fast Outlook to Office 365 migration, it is recommended to use professional software like SysTools Import PST to Office 365 tool. This software is one of the best tools available in the market to migrate Outlook emails to Office 365 mailbox. It can bulk import Outlook PST data into the O365 account of multiple users. The unique features of the software make it more demanding and user-friendly.

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Detailed Software Working Steps to Import Outlook PST File to Office 365

Step 1. Opt for Outlook as your source platform and Office 365 as your destination platform.

Step 2. Within the same interface, pick the categories you want to import into Office 365 under the Workload Selection.

Step 3. Utilize the Date-Range Filter option to selectively import mailbox data based on specific dates. Afterward, proceed by clicking Next.

Step 4. You’ll now be directed to the Source screen. Here, designate the folder path where your Outlook PST files are stored. Organize the PST files into folders named after the respective target O365 email IDs, as follows:

– Create a folder in the root drive, like E:/PST/[email protected]/ (consolidate user1’s PST files here)
– E:/PST/[email protected]/ (consolidate user2’s PST files here)
– E:/PST/[email protected]/ (consolidate user3’s PST files here)
– And so on…

Then, select the folder “E:/PST/” as the Import Folder Path in our tool.

Step 5. Click Validate to ensure the necessary permissions have been granted to the files. Once validation is successful, permissions will be granted to the source platform. Proceed by clicking Next.

Step 6. Provide the Office 365 admin email account and application ID for the destination. Click Validate to verify the credentials. After validation, permissions will be granted to the admin account. Click Next.

Step 7. On the Users screen, you have various options for adding users from the source account that require processing:

• Fetch Users – Automatically retrieves users from the Source.
• Import Users – Imports users via CSV.
• Download Template – Downloads a template for creating a CSV file.

Choose the method that suits your needs.

Step 8. The list of source users is displayed on the screen. You can search for a specific mailbox and select that user for data import. Use the Show Selected toggle bar to display only the selected users, making selective data import more manageable.

Step 9. Now, it’s time to add destination user accounts. You have two options for this:

• User List Template: Provides a sample CSV file for manually adding source users.
• Import Users: Imports users through CSV.

Step 10. Click Validate to authorize the selected user source and destination accounts. Once users are validated, click the “OK” button.

Step 11. Users can prioritize the import task. Select accounts based on priority, as illustrated in the image.

Step 12. Finally, click the Start Import button to commence the import process.

• Import multiple Outlook PST Emails into Office 365 Mailbox.
• Migrate Outlook emails, contacts, and calendars to Office 365.
• Incremental option to migrate only new emails from PST files.
• Advance Filter option for moving selective PST file data.
• Import Bulk PST using Admin credentials.
• Maintains folder hierarchy during the migration.
• Migrate emails, calendars, contacts, and tasks from the PST file.
• Provides Pause & Resume option during Outlook to Office 365 migration.
• Move Outlook data into multiple users’ accounts simultaneously.
• Import PST files to Office 365 shared mailbox without any hassle.

How to Migrate Outlook Emails to Office 365 Mailbox, Manually

1. Import Using Outlook Configuration

The most common manual method to import Outlook PST files to Office 365 is by using the POP Configuration method. For this, you need to configure your Office 365 account into MS Outlook. Although it is a free method for Office 365 users for moving Outlook PST mailbox to Office 365, still for migrating multiple user mailboxes, this method needs to be performed again and again.

Step 1. Open MS Outlook & Go to File >> Open & Export >> Import / Export.

Step 2. Choose Import from another program option from Import & Export wizard >> Next.

Step 3. Now, select Outlook Data file (.pst) option >> Next.

Step 4. Browse the Outlook PST file

Step 5. Select one of the desired options from the list >> Next

Note: If the Outlook PST file is password protected then enter a password and unlock it.

Step 6. Select the option to Import items to the same folder and choose the Office 365 mailbox >> Finish to migrate Outlook emails to Office 365.

The import process is complete, the manual method looks too short if it needs to be done for a single user. But, if the organization need to import multiple Outlook PST file to Office 365 mailboxes, then it would be a tricky task for Exchange Admin. They need to prefer an automated tool to migrate Outlook mailboxes to multiple Office 365 mailboxes.

2. Import Using Network Upload

Another manual method to migrate Outlook to Office 365 is by using the Network Upload method. Although it is also a free method for Office 365 users, still it’s a tricky approach.

• Step 1. First, Copy the SAS URL and install Azure AzCopy
• Step 2. Now, Upload your Outlook PST files into Office 365
• Step 3. Next, create a mapping file to Import the PST file
• Step 4. Create an Outlook PST Import job in the Office 365 account
• Step 5. Filter the PST file data and import the Outlook PST file to Office 365

What are the Limitations Of Using the Manual Method?

• In some regions, the Import PST service is still not available.
• Import Outlook data files to Office 365 mailbox requires Admin Credentials
• Mailbox items above 150 MB will not migrate using the manual method
• The migration process requires temporary storage to Import PST.
• Cannot Import PST that contains 300 or more levels of nested folders.
• The import process is lengthy and time-consuming (up to 24 GB per day only)
• The Drive Shipping method is quite costly ($2 per GB)

Must Read: How to Perform Microsoft 365 Tenant to Tenant Migration Step By Step?

Conclusion

The migration of emails from Outlook to Office 365 could be a tricky task for non-technical persons. But, with proper guidance and approach, it can become simple. For such a purpose, it is recommended to use an automated approach. We have explained both the manual and automated approaches to migrating Outlook emails to Office 365. You can choose any method you are comfortable with. If you are using an automated tool, first try the free demo version to perform Outlook to Office 365 migration.