Migration

How to Import PST Directly to Office 365 Account?

In this article, we will reveal the step-by-step process to import multiple PST files into Office 365 user account in a conventional manner. We have covered a free manual solution for importing a single .pst file using Outlook as well as a process to import PST directly to Office 365 webmail in bulk. 

Table of Contents:

1. Concerns with PST File While Importing
2. Method 1. Configure Office 365 account to MS Outlook
3. Method 2. Import PST Directly to Office 365 Webmail
4. Highlighted Features of Tool
5. Steps to Import PST File to Office 365 Webmail
6. Concluding Thoughts
7. Frequently Asked Questions

Concerns with PST File While Importing

Most of the organizations working on Outlook have lots of PST files in their system. Consequently, these PST files can be a backup, shared file, or local file that belongs to someone. It’s quite difficult to manage these PST files and there is no way of determining which PST file belongs to which user. The following are the issues with the PST file:

• No Central Management: It is quite difficult for an organization to confirm which PST file belongs to which user and where all PST files are saved.
• Inefficient: There are possibilities of data loss, corruption, and speed reduction while using NAS and/or file servers to centralize PST files.
• Restrain business-aligned changes: PSTs hinder Morden client structures including various devices, VDI, and BYOD.
• Extreme security risk: Transferability of PSTs reveals the organization for data leakage and susceptibility to malware.
• Legal and compliance barrier: Companies cannot reinforce retention policies, and legal authorities strive to guarantee they have total findings to support cases.
• Security Issues: Lastly, the PST files with password protection are not encrypted. It is possible to easily bypass passwords using well-known tools and techniques. Once unlocked, it can be imported by any user in its Outlook account.

Also Read: How to import PST files to G Suite (Google Workspace)

Techniques to Import PST Directly to Office 365 Account

For importing PST files into Office 365 user accounts, Microsoft provides its built-in tools. And, these are two ways to use them:

• Network Upload: You can the temporary Azure storage location for uploading PST file over the network. Then use the Office 365 Import service to directly import PST files to Office 365 account (free of charge).
• Drive Shipping: Using the Office 365 import service is quite a difficult task, therefore, Microsoft handles the import task for you and charges USD 2 per GB of data. You just need to copy your PST files to a Bit-Locker encrypted external hard drive and then ship it to the Microsoft data center.

Note: If you like to know about Network Upload then search for the method and see if it fits your requirements. Otherwise, we don’t recommend using Drive Shipping because it’s quite costly and you need to pay whenever import tasks need to be performed. 

• Professional solution: The other way to import your PST directly to Office 365 user accounts is using a third-party tool, which is way easier to use and quite cheaper than Drive shipping.  Or, use MS Outlook for importing PST files into each user account one by one (not recommended for bulk import). This solution not only just import your data but while importing it gives you a lot of features plus source and destination choices. 

So without wasting time let’s understand these techniques step by step. 

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Technique 1. Configure Office 365 account to MS Outlook

The measure works with the latest 2 versions of Microsoft Outlook i.e., 2016 and 2013. The users can utilize the email client for moving emails, calendar mailboxes, and address book content into their O365 account. Hence, the following steps will help users practically implement the solution to import PST to Office 365 account:

• Step 1. Configure a basic email ID (say, Gmail) in your MS Outlook application. Wait for a few minutes to show up all the emails and contacts.
• Step 2. Now, Add an Office 365 account in the same Outlook profile, and then, let the program sync with all the present content into O365.
• Step 3. Then, convert PST file from Microsoft Outlook, which is to be uploaded in O 365. This step is required if the source .pst is not orphaned.
• Step 4. Once you have done (Step 3) then, go to File >> Open and Export >> Import/ Export.
• Step 5. An Import export Windows gets opened in which you have to choose Import from another program or file option. After this, click on the Next
• Step 6. Among the 2 displayed options, hit on Outlook Data File .pst >> Next
• Step 7. Subsequently, Continue with the process to import PST directly to Office 365 webmail by clicking on the Browse button.
• Step 8. In this step, Navigate to the location where the PST file is saved, select it, and click on the Open
• Step 9. Now hit on Next and select Office 365 ID in Import items into the same folder in the field.
• Step 10. After this, click on Finish to begin the process of migrating PST data to Outlook 365

The import task is not as simple as it looks. While importing the PST files manually, users face many difficulties & challenges. It is so because there is a problem with the large size of Outlook data file (.pst) that may lead to corruption.

As a solution, users can configure an OWA account in MS Outlook or use an application to import PST directly to an Office 365 account. Thus, this blog explains both of these procedures. One can select any one of the illustrated measures depending on the reliability factor. Even users can also go with the automated approach namely as Outlook to Office 365 migration tool that will help in importing PST files to O365 without any data loss.

Technique 2. Import PST Directly to Office 365 Webmail

If the importing procedure is carried away by hand then, it can be performed. Because the manual way is simple for only a small amount of data status at a risky state.

But, when it comes to the large quantity, the same thing changes the data status at a risky state. Hence, the users can opt for third-party applications that can be used to import PST directly to Office 365.

It has an interactive GUI that makes the software easy to transfer all PST database files in bulk. Also, it generates a complete import process report, this report maintains a complete record of the details entered by the users.

Therefore, the users can first understand the attractive characteristics of this measure and then, discover the simple working of the same.

Highlighted Features of Tool

• Import multiple PST files to Office 365 Account simultaneously. 
• Easily import Emails, Contacts, Calendars, Task from PST file
• Perform incremental import from same PST file after the first attempts
• Data filtering option to move selective mailboxes or data from PST to O365
• Option to Include/Exclude Sent and Deleted Items folder in .pst file. 
• Option to create a folder in O365 with PST file name and store data in it. 
• Supports all versions of Microsoft Outlook and Win operating system

Simple and Easy Steps to Import PST File to Office 365 Webmail

To initiate the steps of importing, first download and install the software.

• Step 1. Provide the source as PST and destination as Office 365 to the software.
• Step 2. Select a category from the workload selection and provide the date range filter option.
• Step 3. Now provide the PST folder into the import folder path and validate the necessary permissions.
• Step 4. After that, enter the Office 365 admin email account and application ID and then validate the necessary permissions. 
• Step 5. Now, on this screen, you will get some options through which you can add users from the source account.
• Step 6. Lastly, tap on Start Import to import PST into Office 365.

Concluding Lines

In the above-mentioned section, we discussed two methods, which help users to import PST directly to Office 365 effectively. But, the manual approach includes some troubles that affect the conversion process positively.

So, here we come up with an automated software named Office 365 Import Tool. With the help of this software, users can upload PST mailboxes to O365 effortlessly.

Also, Read how to import Outlook data file into Office 365

Frequently Asked Questions