Export Exchange Contacts to PST via PowerShell & Professional Solution
Overview: Being in this IT industry for many years now, we understand the importance of contacts in an Exchange mailbox very well. Thus, here in this article, we will discuss the steps to export Exchange contacts to PST in two ways. The first method includes the use of PowerShell cmdlets, and the other procedure is an expert-recommended automated solution.
IT organizations use Microsoft Exchange Server as it helps them manage their mailboxes and stores emails, contacts, calendars, etc. These data items store sensitive information that helps the organization to do its job effectively.
In all these Exchange mailbox items contacts have their own importance in companies. It stores all employees’ and client details, phone numbers, country, zip code, etc. All this data is very useful it helps the company to maintain communication and build a network with clients and other users inside or outside the organization.
Why Users Want to Export Contacts to PST from Exchange
There are multiple scenarios when organizations face the need of exporting their crucial contacts from Exchange and save them in PST format.
- To restore Exchange contacts in case of mailbox corruption, server crash, cyberattacks, etc.
- Whenever there is Exchange Server downtime, or it is under maintenance.
- When the organization’s compliances demand a full backup of Exchange mailbox data.
All the above-listed reasons are the most usual reasons which arise the need to export Exchange contacts to PST either via PowerShell commands or via a professional solution.
PowerShell Commands to Export Contacts from Exchange Server
The Exchange administrator can use the New-MailboxExportRequest PowerShell script and get all the contacts exported. However, there are a few pre-requisites that must be fulfilled to get the job done.
- The user must be the Exchange administrator or must have administrator rights to perform the export process.
- Grant Mailbox Import Export role to the user from which you want to export Exchange contacts to PST.
New-ManagementRoleAssignment -Role “Mailbox Import Export” -User
The field must have the respective Exchange mailbox username.
- A network shared folder location to save a resultant PST file.
- Assign full permissions (Full Control, Change, and Read) to the Exchange Trusted Subsystem on the saving location.
Steps to Export Exchange Contacts to PST via PowerShell Cmdlet
Once you have fulfilled all the aforementioned conditions, you can now create an export request.
- Launch Exchange Management Shell as an administrator on the Exchange Server machine.
- Now create an export request as explained below:
New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox -IncludeFolders “#Contacts#” -ExcludeDumpster -FilePath \\ExchSrv\FolderName\FileName.pst
Automated Method to Export Contacts to PST from Exchange
If you are looking for a reliable solution to avoid technicality and complexity, then this software to export Exchange mailboxes into PST is for you. It is one of the most rated tools that you can use to export Exchange contacts to PST with ease.
It has a selective mailbox item filter that helps you filter and export only contacts from the Exchange mailbox. In the same way, you can choose any specific mailbox item that you want to export and get the job done in an easy way.
Unlike the PowerShell cmdlet, the utility supports both older and new versions of Exchange Server including 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, and 2003.
Working Steps of the Software
1. Download and launch the automated utility to export contacts to PST from Exchange.
2. Insert the Exchange credentials >> Select the Exchange Server version & click on the checkbox i.e., Include sub-domain users >> Hit the Login button.
3. Select the mailbox from which you want to export contacts >> Click on the Next button.
4. Click on the contacts mailbox data items >> Select the given checkbox and click on the browse button to set the destination file path >> Click on the Export button.
Important Note: Many users store their Exchange mailbox data in an EDB file as a backup copy. It is a bit difficult for users to extract mailbox data from an EDB file as you cannot convert an EDB file directly. Thus, we have come up with an advanced solution to convert EDB files to PST that will make your job effortless. This software also offers a category filter to export only selective mailbox items from offline Exchange DB.
Bringing It All Together
IT sectors and any other organization export contacts from Exchange to PST to keep them safe and secure. This write-up provides detailed information on how you can export Exchange contacts to PST by using PowerShell commands and the professional solution mentioned in the above section. You can choose any of these procedures as per your preferences.
