How to Export Exchange Mailbox to PST (PowerShell & EAC)?

Prerequisites: Prepare Your Exchange Environment

Exchange administrators are not granted permissions to perform the mailbox export operation out of the box. The configuration must be done before you can execute any export commands in the versions of Exchange like Exchange 2019, Exchange 2016, Exchange 2013, or SE.

Step 1: Grant Mailbox Import Export Role

1. Access the Exchange Management Shell (EMS) as an administrator.
2. Then, give the following command to give the rights to your user:

   New-ManagementRoleAssignment -Role "Mailbox Import Export" -User "Administrator"

3. Then restart the EMS program in order to get the phone number system to take effect.

Alternative: Through the EAC, go to Permissions >> Admin Roles and click the Edit option in your Role Group to add the Mailbox Import Export role.

Step 2: Create a Shared UNC Network Folder

The Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Replication Service (MRS) manages exports and needs a UNC path for storing PST files.

1. Create a folder on your server or network share (e.g., C:\PSTFiles).
2. Right-click the folder, go to Properties > Sharing > Advanced Sharing, and turn on Share this folder.
3. Click Permissions. Add the Exchange Trusted Subsystem group and grant it Change and Read (or Read/Write) permissions.
4. Add the SYSTEM account with Full Control permissions and click OK.
   

Method 1: Export Exchange Mailbox to PST Using PowerShell

Using the Exchange Management Shell (EMS) is the most efficient way to export User, Shared, Archive, and Room mailboxes.

Step 3: Run the Export Command

Simply run the New-MailboxExportRequest cmdlet, while specifying the user’s alias and the destination UNC path:

New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox "username" -FilePath "\\SERVER01\PSTFiles\username.pst"

Advanced Switches for Exporting Mailbox Data Selectively:

• Export an Archive Mailbox: Add the -IsArchive switch.

  New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox "username" -FilePath "\\SERVER01\PSTFiles\username_archive.pst" -IsArchive

• Filter by Content (e.g., Date): Use the -ContentFilter switch.

  New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox "username" -ContentFilter "(Received -lt '01/01/2026')" -FilePath "\\SERVER01\PSTFiles\username_filtered.pst"

• Exclude specific folders: Use -ExcludeFolders "#DeletedItems#", "#JunkEmail#".

Step 4: Monitor and Clean Up Requests

Because the MRS queues exports asynchronously, you must monitor the status and clear completed requests.

• Check export status:

  Get-MailboxExportRequestStatistics -Identity "username\MailboxExport"

  • Remove the completed request from the queue:

    Remove-MailboxExportRequest -Identity "username\MailboxExport"

Method 2: Export to PST via Exchange Admin Center (EAC)

If you prefer a GUI over PowerShell, administrators with the Mailbox Import Export permission can use the EAC.

1. Login to the Exchange Admin Center (EAC).
2. Navigate to Recipients and then Mailboxes.
3. After that, select the target mailbox, click the More options (…) icon, and choose Export to a PST file.
4. Choose to export the primary mailbox or the archive mailbox of Exchange to PST.
5. Now, enter your UNC path and the target PST filename.
6. At the end, click on Finish button.

Method 3: Single User Exchange Mailbox Export to PST Using Outlook

Users can export their Exchange mailbox information to PST without requiring administrative rights for Exchange using the Import/Export Wizard of Outlook.

1. Run Outlook on your configured Exchange account.
2. Open File >> Open & Export >> Import/Export.
3. Select the appropriate options to export to a PST format.
4. Choose which Exchange mail folders should be exported, making sure to check the option “Include subfolders”.
5. Choose a folder on your PC to save the PST file and click Finish.

Challenges with the Manual PowerShell Method

The Automated Solution for Exchange to PST Export

BitRecover Email Backup Tool is a secure, automated solution that allows to export Exchange Server emails, attachments, contacts, calendars, and other mailbox data into PST without complex PowerShell scripts, UNC path networking, or 50GB file size limitations.

1. Simply download and install the Exchange Server to PST Export Tool on Mac or Windows.
   
2. Select Exchange Server from the available email sources and login to your Exchange account.
   
3. After login, preview the Exchange mailbox folders and select the required ones.
   
4. Select PST from the Saving option. (Users can also customize their output PST with multiple settings available in the tool).
   
5. Use Advanced Filters to export only the desired Exchange Mailbox data into a PST file.
   
6. Finally, select the destination path and hit the Backup button.
   

Note: If you want to export multiple Exchange Server mailboxes or accounts to PST in bulk, then check the “I am Admin” option or use the “Batch Mode” option.