How to Change Public Folder to Shared Mailbox?

Do you know how to convert public folder to shared mailbox? If not, then here I am going to help you by explaining ways to change your public folder into a shared mailbox and also move your data. But first, let us understand the difference between these two.

In today’s times, many professional organizations prefer to use shared folders through channels like SharePoint, OneDrive, and Shared Mailboxes to ease access, increase flexibility, and enable external and internal users to participate. Although Public folders are supported for real-time collaboration and specific Exchange modules, they are particularly structured for guest access.

On the other hand, Shared Mailboxes support collaboration, that allows plenty of regular users as well as guest users to to work together securely from anywhere.

Comprehending the difference between the Public folder and Shared Mailbox would help users and professional organizations enhance their data-sharing implementation and make sure for a seamless transitions across numerous cloud-based collaborative modes.

Know About Public Folder & Shared Mailbox

In Microsoft 365, public folders and shared mailboxes are used for sharing information and improving collaboration. But their usage and purpose are different from each other. A public folder is used to archive, share emails, and calendars. It is an old feature provided by Microsoft that can still be used.

Shared mailbox, on the other hand, is an advanced collaboration tool where you add multiple users to a common mailbox. This makes it easy for users to send and receive emails from common addresses and also manage them. So, a Shared mailbox is a modern approach to collaboration. That’s why many experts are moving from the public folder to the Shared mailbox.

Why Shared Mailbox Chosen Over Public Folder?

• Shared Mailboxes are designed for modern-day teamwork tasks, which allow users to remark, update, or edit their files, which makes the collaboration process way easier and minimizes the chances of having any delays for sending data whatsoever.
• Without any complications, users can easily share essential folders with other users or external partners through guest invitations or secure links. This guarantees that multiple projects, including multiple users, can be well-managed effectively.
• Share Mailbox do not need the assistance of IT administrators for setting up or handling permissions regularly, making it completely independent.
• Another benefit of opting out of shared folders is that they can be customized according to users’ requirements, from having full editing rights to just permitting other users to view only.
• The advantages of cloud security can only be featured in shared mailboxes, consisting of tracking access, policies on data compliance, and encryption, ensuring all the shared data is safeguarded and can be managed easily.

Difference Between Public Folder and Shared Mailbox

Features	Public Folders	Shared Mailbox
Purpose	Used for archiving emails, calendars, and sharing documents.	Used for team collaboration, group communication, and shared access of data.
Outline	Follow folder structure.	Follows a mailbox-based interface.
Easily Accessible	Public folders are easily accessed from Outlook and OWA, but users need manual setup.	The mailbox is automatically displayed in Outlook and OWA for assigned members.
Send Emails	Cannot send emails from a public folder.	Easily send and receive emails from a common email address.
Support Contacts and Calendars	Provides limited contact and calendar features.	Support shared calendars, contacts, and tasks.
Storage Space	Provides large storage, but is difficult to handle.	Storage limit is 50 GB, can be expanded using a license.
Best Use Case	For archiving and legacy systems.	Best for teamwork, group emails, and collaboration.

Preparing for the Process

• Make sure you have appropriate global admin or Exchange admin rights to convert your public folder.
• Check the size of your public folder, as the shared mailbox has limited storage.
• Make sure you backup your data before going through the process to avoid any data deletion.
• Review the user access and permissions that are included in the public folder.

Export Public Folder Data and Move into Shared Mailbox

This is the common way to change your public folder to Shared mailbox. Here, you have to first extract the public folder data and then create the shared mailbox in Office 365 and move the files to the mailbox. This is a lengthy process, but I have provided proper steps for this.

1. In the Outlook Application. Click on the Open & Export option.
2. Select the Import/Export button.
3. Then, click on the Export to a file option and then press the Next button.
4. Choose Outlook Data File (.pst). Hit the Next option.
5. Select the public folder from the list and then click the Next button.
6. Create a Shared Mailbox by going through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
7. Select the Groups option and then click on Shared Mailboxes.
8. Hit the Add a shared mailbox button and then enter a name and assign an email address.
9. Save the mailbox. I am going to import the data that you have exported.
10. Open Outlook where you can access the Shared Mailbox.
11. Go to the File option and then Open & Export.
12. Click on the Import/Export button and select Import from another program or file.
13. Choose Outlook Data File (.pst) and browse to the file that contains the public folder data.
14. Go back to the Shared Mailbox that you have created from the Microsoft 35 admin center.
15. Add the users to access the shared mailbox.
16. After that, you can now see the shared mailboxes that have been converted from public folders.

Convert Public Folder to Shared Mailbox with Migration Script

1. Download the Microsoft Public Folder Migration Script from the Microsoft Download Center.
2. Then, start the process by creating a public folder mailbox in Office 365: New-Mailbox -PublicFolder -Name PFMailboxOnline.
3. Perform the migration process with these commands: //Export the Public Folder Listcd C:\PFScripts.\Export-PublicFolderStatistics.ps1 > PFStats.csv//Create a Mapping File for Migration.\PublicFolderToMailboxMapGenerator.ps1 PFStats.csv > PFMapping.csv// Start Migration in BatchesNew-MigrationBatch -Name “PF-Migration” -SourcePublicFolderDatabase “PFDatabase” -CSVData (Get-Content PFMapping.csv -Raw) -NotificationEmails “[email protected]”.
4. Convert Public Folder to Shared Mailbox with this command: Set-Mailbox “PFMailboxOnline” -Type Shared.

The above method is a free way to convert a public folder to the Shared mailbox. But some users may have difficulty converting them. Especially moving your Public folder data. So, to make the process easier, I have a professional solution that can easily help you.

Professionally Move Public Folder to Shared Mailbox

To change the public folder to the shared mailbox, the first step is to export your data from the public folder. So, if you have already exported public folder to PST, you can use SysTools Office 365 Import Tool. It is an advanced solution that can easily move your files to the Office 365 and the shared mailbox. To use the software, you don’t need any technical knowledge. because of its user-friendly interface. To know how it works, follow the steps below.

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Steps to Use Professional Software

1. Download the software on your computer.
   
2. Click on the Outlook from the Source tab and Office 365 from the destination tab.
   
3. Choose the Workload option and apply the date filter, then press the Next button.
   
4. Browse the location where your PST file is located. Click on the Validate option to set the correct permissions.
   
5. After clicking the Next option, provide the Admin Email and Application ID. Validate the credentials that are provided.
   
6. Now, add the user where you want to move your account. Choose Fetch Users or Import Users to import the file.
   
7. Lastly, press the Start Import option.
   

To Be Concluded

Many people want to convert public folder to Shared Mailbox. That’s why, in this article, I have explained to you three ways to move your public folder. The first two methods are manual, which are free solutions. However, some of you may have a problem using them. So, I will also explain a professional solution. With these methods, you can effortlessly move your public folders to Office 365.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Is it possible for guest users to access Public folders?

A. No, external or guest users are not permitted to access the Public Folders as they are considered constrained to the internal members that are within the same Exchange organization.

Q2. Why are home users and organizations switching from Public Folders to Shared Mailboxes?

A. This situation is taking place due to the greater flexibility, accessibility, and advanced collaboration features provided by Shared mailboxes along with cloud storage.

Q3. What role do Shared Mailbox play in collaboration?

A. Shared Mailbox allows users to have real-time collaboration, share data with external users, and sync files, making them remote or hybrid environments.

Q4. Are Public Folders getting disintegrated?

A. While Public Folders are still supported, however, Microsoft encourages organizations to shift from Public Folders and adopt advanced solutions like Shared Mailboxes for improved and better management.