How to Fix Microsoft Office 365 eDiscovery Export Tool Crashes, Hangs or Not Working?

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Written By Mohit Jha
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh
Published On September 25th, 2023
Reading Time 7 Minutes Reading

What happens when the Microsoft Office 365 eDiscovery export tool crashes or hangs, all of a sudden while performing the export and downloading process? This is one of the most common cases that is reported in many of the technical forums related to data migration and data storage.

Hence, in this blog, we are going to discuss a few user scenarios when the eDiscovery export tool fails or hangs in between the process. And you will also get the best possible solutions to fix this issue. However, before getting into the solutions, let’s have a quick overview of real-life scenarios.

My Microsoft Office 365 eDiscovery Export Tool Crashes Suddenly

Here we discuss 2 case studies, where users have come across similar issues while using the eDiscovery Export tool to transfer mailbox items. Compare these scenarios with your issue to understand the situation.

Case Studies:

“I am a Microsoft Office 365 user for many years. And I have used eDiscovery Export Tool to download O365 emails / mailboxes data/ items into .pst file format many times before. This time I had a large data that i want to migrate. The file was almost 70 GB in size. The eDiscovery export tool fails each time when I try to run it. I tried this on multiple Windows 10 PCs and a Windows Server 2008 R2, but this behavior was same every time. Please suggest a proper solution to export Office 365 mailboxes’ data efficiently without any data loss.”

“From Google search, I found Microsoft eDiscovery Export Tool, to move mailbox data from Microsoft 365 user account to local Outlook PST file format. I have followed the working steps correctly & completed the search process successfully. After that, I created an export for mailbox and waited for export to be 100% prepared and started eDiscovery Export Tool. As normal, export process begins, and creates the target folder and starts creating files in folders and subfolders. But at some point of time, the download suddenly stops and the Microsoft Office 365 eDiscovery Export tool hangs and stopped working. None of the fields were not updating, the entire process seems to be frozen. I let the application to remain in the same state for several hours without any interruptions. I tried to stop the download process, but the eDiscovery tool appeared to be hung.”

Microsoft Office 365 eDiscovery Export Tool Crashes

From the above image & user queries, you can easily identify the issue that a user faces while exporting Office 365 mailbox data to the personal folder file format. This will help you to understand the issues regarding the tool in your system and why an eDiscovery Export Tool fails without any clue. Now, let’s know the respective reasons for the same.

Why Does eDiscovery PST Export Tool Hang?

It is difficult to find the exact root cause of this issue. The eDiscovery Export Tool has a few prerequisites for its proper functioning. If those requirements are satisfied, then the tool will start working. But from the above scenarios, the tool was working in the initial stages, and it crashed suddenly. So it is difficult to suggest a proper reason or cause for this.

Nevertheless, it is not a simple or easy process to run this application. It needs proper understanding and technical knowledge of the eDiscovery tool. However, let’s see some of the known reasons for the same.

Possible Causes of eDiscovery Export Tool Fails or Hangs

  • When the mailbox size is too large.
  • If you are using the old version of Windows while using eDiscovery to export files.
  • When using Internet Explorer 9.0 or later without having Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 installed.
  • Local intranet zone settings are not up to the mark in Internet Explorer.
  • When you use a third-party browser.
  •  Using an outgoing proxy server & the connection times out.
  • If any of the searched messages are corrupted, they cannot be exported in PST format.
Failed exporting item id: from source id: [email protected] with error: [FailedToSearchMailboxes] Export failed with error type: 'FailedToSearchMailboxes'. Message: The results are sorted but inconsistent with reference item. MailboxGuid:…', Reference Item: '001B2013-10-04T09:29:32.0000000000001D40002A8AD', Offending Item:'001B2013-10-16T16:01:44.0000000000001D400029FF1'

How to Export Office 365 Mailbox Items to PST File Format?

The eDiscovery Export Tool is one of the most suggested manual ways to transfer Office 365 data from the account. But what if, this recommended application fails suddenly? What to do when Microsoft Office 365 eDiscovery Export Tool crashes out of the blue?

In such scenarios, the only available solution is to find reliable software to migrate Office 365 mailbox data. Here we introduce a SysTools Office 365 Export Tool to move your data files without any data loss. Download the application and try the free demo edition for proper knowledge. Go through the preview options and other features and specifications.

Software Steps Along with Respective Screenshots

Let’s have a look at the steps.

Step 1. Initiate the process by downloading, installing, and launching the software on your computer.

Free Download Purchase Now

Step 2. Next, choose Office 365 as the source and Outlook as the destination platform.

Step 3. Seamlessly pick your preferred workload from the list of mailbox items using our user-friendly interface. Apply date filters to selectively export data based on specific date ranges.

Step 4. Authenticate the platform securely by logging in with your source Office 365 admin credentials. Ensure the necessary permissions by clicking the “Validate” button.

Step 5. Specify the destination path to save the resulting PST files on your computer. Choose the appropriate PST file size.

Step 6. Add users using one of the following methods:

  • Fetch Users – Automatically retrieve users from the Source domain.
  • Import Users – Import users by utilizing a CSV file.
  • Download Template – Acquire a sample CSV template to create your user list.

Step 7. Now, select the users whose data you wish to export and initiate the export process by clicking “Start Export Process.”

Also Read: How to View All Aliases in Office 365?

Why You Should Consider Software When the eDiscovery Export Tool Hangs?

  • First of all, it is browser-independent, you can download this tool from any reputed browser like Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, etc.
  • Also, it supports the latest versions of Windows. Whether you are using Windows 10, or 11, it doesn’t matter, you will not get a single error message while exporting your emails.
  • Moreover, the tool lets you export your files in 3 different formats i.e. PST, EML, and MSG. The choice is yours in which format you want to export.
  • Another interesting feature is that you don’t have to manually search for the contents, it will automatically fetch all the existing mailboxes including the admin mailbox.
  • Further, using the software you will be able to not only export emails but also save contacts, calendars, etc. to the local system.
  • Plus, you can download archive mailboxes and shared mailboxes by utilizing this software.
  • And, more importantly, you have the power to pause and resume the process. What could be better than that?

Doesn’t all of the above characteristics of the software sound convenient? Of course, it does! This is why this tool is recommended by many MVPs & Office 365 experts across the globe.

Verdict

There are cases when the Microsoft Office 365 eDiscovery Export tool crashes, fails, hangs, or does not work while trying to migrate mailbox data from Office 365. We have discussed the various possible issues also, that may affect the proper working of this inbuilt Microsoft utility.

We understand the frustration when you are in a hurry to export your important emails & documents, and out of nowhere, you get stuck in the middle of the process. Thus, we have explained the most reliable approach you can use to export your data instead of using the eDiscovery tool.

  author

By Mohit Jha

Mohit is a writer, researcher, and editor. Cyber ​​security and digital forensics are the two subjects that keep Mohit out of his seat. In addition, he hopes that the well-researched and thought-out articles he finds will help people learn.