How to Import PST to Office 365 Account: Top 4 Methods

Written by Alora Eve
Published on May 23rd, 2026
Last Updated on July 20th, 2026

You can migrate your emails from PST file to Office 365 either manually using Outlook, with the help of Microsoft Network Upload function or using PowerShell. However, after a recent migration I noticed that both approaches have many issues especially when dealing with huge PST files. The Outlook technique was slow for big data and the Network Upload process involved several technical steps like generating SAS URL, using AzCopy and setting up CSV mapping files. In some circumstances, the import procedure even stopped or failed during validation.

I tried numerous ways to import PST to Office 365 mailboxes to make the transfer succeed. In addition to manual approaches, I also used a professional PST to Office 365 migration tool which made the entire process more easier and minimized the risks of errors. In this article, I will discuss all the ways that I tested to move Outlook PST emails to Microsoft 365 mailboxes. Go through each one of them and choose the best solution that fits your needs and requirements.

There are 4 ways to import PST file to Office 365:

  1. Outlook Import Wizard – Best for a single PST file, manual and no admin rights needed.
  2. Network Upload – Microsoft’s free native method using AzCopy, best for admins comfortable with command line and Azure.
  3. PowerShell – Best for hybrid/on-prem Exchange environments and PST files already sitting on a network share.
  4. A third-party PST to Office 365 Migration Tool – Best for bulk migration, no admin permissions and no size restrictions.

PST file is a file used by MS Outlook. It stores mailbox data including emails, contacts, calendars, notes and many more. Microsoft Office 365 is cloud-based email service and has the benefits such as enhanced security, access from anywhere and interaction with Microsoft programs. In general, consumers seek to move emails from PST to Office 365 to run their business and to fully exploit the Microsoft 365.

Table of Contents

Benefits of PST to Office 365 Migration

Some of the primary benefits of importing PST email into Microsoft 365 are:

  • It enables you to quickly reach your emails, contacts and calendar from any internet connection device.
  • Multi-factor authentication, encryption and threat protection of Office 365 provides extra layer of security.
  • It provides powerful search capabilities to easily search emails, contacts, attachments and calendar items without manually opening up Outlook data files.
  • Importing PST files to Microsoft 365 means the mailbox data will be stored on the Microsoft cloud servers. It is useful in recovering emails in case of unintentional deletion, system failure or hardware breakdowns.
  • You can use Microsoft 365 collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint.

How to Import PST to Office 365 Using Outlook?

Follow the below given steps to open PST file in Office 365 using Outlook email client:

  1. Click on File and choose Add Account.
    choose Add Account
  2. Enter your Office 365 webmail account and click Connect.
    Enter your Office 365 webmail account
  3. Type in the password for your Microsoft 365 account and click Sign In.
    type password
  4. Follow the instructions to set up your account and click OK when you’re done.
    click Ok
  5. Again, open Outlook on your computer and go to File.
    go to File
  6. Click Import/Export to open the Import and Export Wizard.
    Click Import/Export
  7. Choose Import from another program or file and click Next.
    Choose Import from another program
  8. Select Outlook Data File (.pst) and click Next.
    Select Outlook Data File
  9. Click Browse to find the PST file select options; click Open.
    choose PST file
  10. Choose the folders of PST files and click Finish.
    import PST to office 365

Finished!! You just need to follow these simple steps to import Outlook data file to Office 365 webmail account directly.

How to Upload PST File to Office 365 Using Network Upload Method?

This method is offered by Microsoft itself to help administrators open PST file in Office 365 account. However, the whole method is lengthy and complex, which is why we have divided it into 4 major steps to ease the whole process.

Before proceeding with this method, you have to be assigned the Mailbox Import Export role in Exchange Online to create import jobs. Without it, you can not see the Import option in Purview at all.

Step 1. Assign Mailbox Import Export Role

  1. Go to Exchange Admin Center > Roles > Admin Roles.
    click on Admin roles
  2. Choose Organization Management.
  3. Open the Permissions tab and check Mailbox Import Export.
    check Mailbox Import Export
  4. Click Save.

Note: It takes 24 hours for the change to apply(usually works within an hour).

Step 2. Create a SAS URL

The SAS URL is used to temporarily store PST files in Azure Blob Storage before importing them into Office 365.

  1. Sign in to Microsoft Purview Compliance portal.
  2. Go to Data Lifecycle Management and choose Microsoft 365.
  3. Choose “Import” in the Data Lifecycle Management Overview section and click on +New Import Job.
  4. Give the job a name and click Next.
    Give the job a name
  5. Select Upload your data > Next.
    Select Upload your data
  6. Click on Show network upload SAS URL to generate the SAS URL.
    Click on Show network upload SAS URL
  7. Copy the SAS URL to use in later procedures.
    Copy the SAS URL

Step 3. Upload PST Files to Azure with the AzCopy Utility

Upload PST files to Azure Blob Storage using the Azure AzCopy command-line tool.

  1. Download AzCopy and place it in the C:\Temp folder. AzCopy V10 is just an executable file, nothing to install.
  2. Open Command Prompts administrator and change to the folder containing azcopy.exe.
  3. Now, Run:
    azcopy.exe copy “C:\Temp\PSTs” “<your-SAS-URL-here>” –recursive=true
  4. Now visit the location of your PST file. Right-click on PST file and click on Properties to copy the PST file path and update.
  5. Replace the local path with your actual PST folder and paste your full SAS URL.
    C:\>cd C:\Temp\
    C:\Temp>azcopy.exe copy “C:\Temp\PSTs” “https://e5c2666294514f92b02da36.blob.core.windows.net/ingestiondata –recursive
  6. Run the command to copy the PST file to Azure. The output will show like this.
  7. Now back to Exchange Preview.
  8. Enable check box: I’m done uploading files and I have access to the mapping file.
  9. Now, click on Next button.

Step 4. Upload CSV Mapping File

  1. Download the sample CSV template from Microsoft: https://go.microosft.com/fwlink/p/?Linkld=54417
  2. Open the downloaded file and edit it according to your requirements.
  3. Save the file after making the changes.
  4. Go back to the import wizard and click Upload file.
    click Upload file
  5. Browse and select the updated CSV file.
  6. Run the validation to make sure there are no errors.
  7. Once validation is successful click Next to Continue.
    click next

Step 5. Final Verification & Submission

  1. Now verify all details and press the Submit button.
    click submit
  2. The file will be uploaded to cloud.
  3. After uploading, click Done button.
    click done

Step 6. Start PST Import to Office 365

  1. Choose the checkbox in front of the Import Job.
    choose checkbox
  2. Click on Import to Office 365 button.
  3. Select No, I want to import everything and click Next.
    import pst to office 365
  4. After that, click on Submit.
    click on submit
  5. Upload to the cloud succeeded. Click Done.
    Click Done

Step 7. Verify PST Import Job Completion Status

  1. Click on the Import Job to verify the PST import job status. After that, verify that the PST import job shows the status completed.Office 365 import PST

Office 365 import PST process complete!

How to Import PST to Microsoft 365 Using PowerShell?

If you are running a hybrid Exchange environment or your PST files already live on a network share accessible to Exchange Online then the New-MailboxImportRequest is a faster path then the full Network Upload method. No Azure, no AzCopy, no CSV mapping file is required to migrate PST to Office 365.

  1. Connect to Exchange Online PowerShell
  2. Run the import request:
    New-MailboxImportRequest -Mailbox “user@yourdomain.com” -FilePath “\\server\PSTs\user.pst”
  3. Check progress at any time.
    Get-MailboxImportRequest -Mailbox “user@yourdomain.com” | Get-MailboxImportRequestStatistics
  4. Wait for the Status field to read completed.

How to Migrate PST to Office 365 Automatically?

If you want a simple and direct solution to import PST to Office 365 Webmail account then try the Advik PST Converter. This software is able to directly upload PST files to Office 365 in just a few simple clicks. The tool will maintain folder hierarchy and email attributes in the same format during the PST to Office 365 migration. It can bulk import PST to Office 365.

Click below to download this software for free.

 

Note: The freeware or trial edition will migrate 25 emails for free.

Steps to Import PST File to Office 365 Webmail

1. Run PST to Office 365 Import Tool and click Select Files to add PST file.

Run PST to Office 365 Import Tool

2. Select mailbox folders that you need to import and then press Next.

select mailbox folders

3. Choose Office 365 from the given list of Select Saving Option.

Choose Office 365

4. After that, enter your Office 365 account login details in respective field.

enter office 365 login details

5. Finally, click Convert button to start the importing process.

import pst to ooffice 365

Done!! The software will start transferring emails from PST into Office 365 automatically. Once done, open your Office 365 Webmail account and find your emails in the AdvikSoft Label folder.

Watch How Office 365 Import PST Files


In addition, the software does more than that. Below are the additional benefits you will get from this Office 365 to PST import tool.

  • A standalone utility that can directly import PST file to Office 365 mailbox.
  • Upload PST files with complete mailbox folder items.
  • Import large PST to Office 365 without any size or quantity limits.
  • Let’s you select specific folders for the import process.
  • Automatically adds PST files or lets you browse and add from any location.
  • Offers advanced filters to import PST email to Office 365 selectively.
  • Fully Automated and user-friendly PST to Office 365 migration tool.
  • It works well with all versions of MS Outlook and Windows OS.

Comparison Table: Manual versus Professional Solution

Features Manual Method Professional Method
Ease of Use Technical knowledge needed Easy to use with step-by-step guidance
Time Needed Time-consuming Faster, particularly for large PST files
Accuracy Error prone  High accuracy
Data Integrity Risk of data loss or corruption Preserves data integrity
Batch Processing Limited Multiple PST files Support

Concluding Words

This is the end of the blog with 4 different solutions to attach PST file to Outlook 365. We hope that we were able to provide you with the best approaches to import PST to Office 365 account. You can use any of these methods as per your needs and convenience. However, two of them are a bit lengthy and require some technical assistance. Hence, it is advised to choose only if you have the proper knowledge to avoid data loss.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Can I import PST file to Office 365 mailbox without Outlook?

Ans. Yes, there is no need to use Outlook or any other external application to import Outlook PST to Office 365 account. The software is a self-describing utility that doesn’t require the support of any other.

Q2. Is it possible to migrate PST Contacts along with Emails to Office 365?

Ans. Of course, with the help of this tool, you can import PST contacts to Office 365 account in just few simple steps.

Q3. I have multiple PST files to import into Office 365, Can I do this with this tool?

Ans. Yes, the program has dual options to import PST files to Office 365 in batch.

Q4. Is it possible to transfer only specific emails and exclude unwanted emails?

Ans. Yes, the software has an option for Advanced Filter. You can apply email filters according to your requirements.

Q5. What are the limitations of PST migration in Office 365?

Ans. You can upload and import PST files up to 20 GB. Moreover, you need lots of permissions to complete the import process.

Q6. Can I import PST to Shared mailbox Office 365 group?

Ans. Yes. Both the Network Upload and PowerShell method support targeting a shared mailbox by entering its email address in the Mailbox field. The professional solution also lets you select shared mailbox to import.

Q7. How long does it take to import PST file to Office 365?

Ans. It depends on the file size and method. Outlook Import Wizard is slow for large files. Network Upload takes several hours. While PST to Office 365 migration tool can complete the process quickly.

Q8. What is the actual PST file size limit for import?

Ans. Network Upload method caps individual PST files at 20 GB. This limit applies to Microsoft
native methods, not to third party software.