How to Import PST to Office 365 Account?

Jenny Lowrence | February 15th, 2024 | Email Migration, Office 365

Quick Overview: In this article, we will discuss how you can import PST to Office 365 account. Whether you are migrating from Outlook or need to centralize your emails, this guide has got you covered. Discover easy methods including manual approach and automated software to transfer emails from PST file to Outlook 365 account.

Importing PST files to Office 365 ensures all emails, contacts, and calendar items are accessible from anywhere. Also, users get leverage of Office 365’s advanced security and collaboration features. This centralizes your data to manage and secure easily. Thus, there could be other reasons that force users to switch to Office 365 depending upon the user’s specific needs.

Now are going to learn how to upload PST file in Office 365 archive folder safely. Below are a few workable solutions discussed. Follow this detailed guide to simplify the process and avoid common issues.

Methods to Migrate PST to Outlook 365 Webmail

  • Manual Method via Outlook: Add Office 365 account, and import PST using the Import/Export wizard.
  • Network Upload Method: Use Azure Storage Explorer and AzCopy tool, upload and map files.
  • Automated Tool: Use AdvikSoftware for a easy & bulk import process.

Go through each one of them and choose the best solution that fits your needs and requirements.

How to Import PST to Office 365 Manually Free?

  1. Click on File and choose Add Account.                                                                                                            add office 365 email account
  2. Enter your Office 365 webmail account and click Connect.                   enter office 365 email address
  3. Type in the password for your Microsoft 365 account and click Sign In.provide office 365 email password to sign in
  4. Follow the instructions to set up your account and click OK when you’re done.click done to complete
  5. Again, open Outlook on your computer and go to File.choose file tab
  6. Click Import/Export to open the Import and Export Wizard.                                  open & export feature
  7. Choose Import from another program or file and click Next.                      choose import from an other program
  8. Select Outlook Data File (.pst) and click Next.                                                   outlook data file
  9. Click browse to find the PST file select options; click Open.                           browse options to import pst to office 365
  10. Choose the folders of PST files and click Finish.                                     choose mailbox folders to 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.

Drawbacks

  • Outlook is a paid email client application that will charge a subscription fee.
  • Requite to have IMAP server settings knowledge to set up Office 365 account in Outlook.

How to Import PST File to Office 365 Webmail?

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 that’s 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.

Step 1. Create SAS URL

Start by creating a SAS URL for Azure Storage Explorer, which will be used to temporarily store PST files for later import into your Office 365 shared mailbox.

  1. Log in to your Office 365 account and go to the Compliance section.
  2. Click on Data Lifecycle Management and select Microsoft 365 from Microsoft Purview.
  3. Under the Overview section of Data lifecycle management, click on Import.
  4. Now, choose +New import job to proceed.
  5. Provide a name to your job and click Next.
  6. Select the option to Upload your data and press Next.
  7. Lastly, choose Show network upload SAS URL to create a URL.

Step 2. Download the Azure AzCopy Tool

After creating the SAS URL, you’ll need to download the AzCopy executable file. This tool helps you import PST files into your Microsoft 365 account.

  1. Download AzCopy based on your computer’s specifications.
  2. Unzip the AzCopy ZIP file to get the executable file.
  3. Double-click on azcopy.exe to finish setting it up.
  4. Now, open the command prompt and enter these commands:
  5. Type cd <source of azure.exe file path> and press Enter.
  6. Then, enter azcopy.exe copy <Source location of PST files> <paste SAS URL>.
  7. Now, go to Microsoft Purview to complete this task. Enable “I’m done uploading” and “I have access to the mapping file” options. Click “Next.”

Step 3. Generate and Upload Mapping File

Now, let’s create a CSV file with specific information needed to import PST files into your Office 365 account. You can download a copy of PST import mapping file through this link – https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=544717.

  1. Run the Microsoft Excel application and open the downloaded copy of the mapping file.
  2. Now, edit it as per your requirement and fill in the details.
  3. Next, click on “File” and select “Save As” as shown in the screenshot.
  4. Choose “CSV UTF-8 (Comma Delimited) (*.csv)” from the dropdown menu and click “Save” to generate the CSV file.
  5. Once you’ve created the CSV file (Comma Separated Values), go back to the Import Data window for uploading and mapping the CSV file.
  6. Select “Upload file” to upload the CSV mapping file.
  7. Choose the “CSV PST Import Mapping file” and click “Open.
  8. Click “Validate” to check the mapping file.
  9. Once the CSV file validation process is successful, click “Next.

Step 4. Filter Data to Import PST to Office 365</h4>

  1. Review the entire process with all the details and click on “Submit.
  2. You’ll notice that your PST file is uploaded to the AzCopy cloud storage for importing. Click “Done” to proceed.
  3. Now, wait for the PST analysis process to complete, select the PST file, and click “Import to Office 365.</li>
  4. Next, you can choose to import filtered data or import everything and then click “Next.
  5. You’ll see a message indicating the specific size of the PST file that will be imported. Choose “Submit” to continue.

After that, the process to import the PST file into your shared mailbox in Office 365 will begin, and eventually, you’ll receive a popup message saying “Success.” It may take a few hours to finish this task.

Limitations of Using Network Upload Method;

  • The complicated and lengthy method involves several stages.
  • This method takes a long time and can be quite complex, requiring technical expertise to manage all the steps.
  • The network upload technique has a maximum limit of 20 GB to import PST files into Microsoft 365.
  • Using PowerShell scripts and commands to import PST files into Office 365 can be challenging and may lead to data corruption.
  • You cannot use the Network Upload Method to transfer PST files into your Office 365 shared mailbox account instantly. As it’s time taking you need to have patience to complete the whole process.

Therefore, to overcome the challenges of the manual solutions we have described the best way to import PST to Office 365 Webmail. It is the best-recommended approach that seamlessly solves all the problems faced by manual methods and provides an instant way to complete the process.

How to Import PST file to Office 365 Online Securely?

Download and install the Advik PST Converter in your local system. This software is specially designed to transfer PST to Office 365 email account. It will directly export PST emails into Outlook Online with attachments. Thus, no data loss will take place. The software will maintain folder hierarchy and email attributes in same format.

Click below to download this software for free. The freeware or trial edition will migrate 25 emails for free.

Steps to Transfer PST to Office 365 Webmail

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

choose PST files

2. Select PST file mailbox folders and click Next.

select PST mailbox folders

3. Select Office 365 as a saving option from the list.

select office 365 as a saving otion

4. Enter your Microsoft 365 account credentials in the respective field.

enter office 365 email details

5. Press the Convert button to initiate the process.

click convert to import PST to Office 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 to Upload PST File to Office 365

In addition, the software does more than that. Below are the additional benefits you will get from this software.

  • Fully Automated and user-friendly software.
  • Requires only your Hotmail login details (email and password).
  • Imports PST files to Office 365 with complete mailbox folder items.
  • No size or quantity limits based on your license.
  • Lets 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 transfer PST emails to O365 selectively.
  • It works well with all versions of MS Outlook and Windows OS.

Comparison Table: Manual vs. Automated Methods

Aspect Manual Method Automated Solution
Ease of Use Requires technical knowledge User-friendly with step-by-step guidance
Time Required Time-consuming Faster, especially for large PST files
Accuracy Prone to errors High accuracy with professional tools
Data Integrity Possible data loss or corruption Maintains data integrity
Batch Processing Limited Supports multiple PST files

Final Words

Thus, the blog with 3 different solutions to attach PST file to Outlook 365 comes to an end. We hope that we were able to provide you with the best approaches to import Outlook 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 upload PST to Office 365 without Outlook?

Ans. Yes, you don’t need to use Outlook or any external application to import PST to Office 365 account. The software is a standalone utility that doesn’t require the assistance of any other.

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

Ans. Of course, this tool allows you to import PST contacts to Office 365 account in just a 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 offers dual ways to the best way to import PST to Office 365 in batch.

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

Ans. Yes, the software has an Advance Filter option. 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 permission to complete the import process.