Complete Guide to Export Office 365 Mailboxes to PST

Rollins Duke
Published: May 14th, 2025 • 12 Min Read

Having Office 365 emails into PST format help you in so many situations. That’s why, this guide is here to explain how you can export Office 365 mailboxes to PST. In addition, we will also explore the situation where you need your data in PST format and other related information. So, buckle up and get ready to secure your Microsoft 365 data.

Today, every business is increasing their productivity and email communication to reach their goal. To help them Microsoft 365. Developed by Microsoft, Office 365 is a cloud-based suite which contains various Microsoft products. This suite gives you all the advanced features and functions to enhance their productivity. But, when it comes to securing your data, relying on cloud service is not enough.

PST file, a Microsoft proprietary file that stores the complete mailbox of Outlook in your local storage. Having a backup of your important data in your local machine is very beneficial. Which we are going to explain in detail in the next section of the article.

Reasons to Export PST File from Office 365

Saving Office 365 data in a PST file is a very common process. The main purpose of this is to make your cloud-based data offline. However, some users may have their own reason to download the data. Some of the common causes we explained below.

You are moving to another computer or device. So, migrating your complete Office 365 account is a difficult task. But, if you have the data in PST format, moving them becomes easier.
There is a risk of losing your data even though Microsoft 365 provides cloud facilities. Therefore, many professionals prefer to make a copy of their important emails. In this case, saving the emails in the PST file is a great option.
When someone is leaving the company, it is mandatory to store their ex-employee data. In that case, the PST file will act as a backup of the data.
If your Office 365 mailbox is full, then saving them to PST file helps to reduce the space for new data.
Downloading your data into PST also reduces the dependency of Microsoft.

These are some of the common reasons for backing up Office 365 email to PST. We are going to see the methods to convert your data. But, before that, there are some points that you must follow. We are going to first explain them, then we are going to see the different solutions to export Microsoft 365 data.

Preparations Before Exporting Office 365 Mailbox

When you are starting the process of saving Microsoft 365 emails to PST. There are prerequisites that you must consider before the process.

First of all, make sure that you have the appropriate permissions to export your Microsoft 365 emails.
Then, check the size of your mailbox and plan your backup according to that. If you have a large mailbox, then it will take time to export the complete data or you may need multiple PST files to save these emails.
If you are using Archived mailboxes, then, you will need the Exchange Admin center to export your items in PST file.
You must have access to the Discovery Management Group.
Use valid Office 365 subscription with compliance features enabled.

Once, you complete these checklists. You can now easily go through the methods to Export Office 365 mailbox to PST.

Download Microsoft 365 Emails to PST using eDiscovery

In the Microsoft Purview Compliance portal, there is an option of eDiscovery. This option helps you to search content and you can then export them. But, it only works on Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7 OS. and you need Microsoft .Net Framework 4.5 or later edition. Also, it applies on Edge browser and must have permission from the Exchange Admin Center. After that, follow the steps below.

Login to your Microsoft Office 365 account using global admin credentials. Click on the Admin option for launching Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
Thereafter, choose Security & Compliance option under Exchange Admin Centers.
Click on the Permissions option to drag it to eDiscovery Manager as shown on the respective screen.
Attention: It is mandatory to assign the eDiscovery Manager role to access all the eDiscovery features
Check the eDiscovery Manager option. After that, click on the Edit icon for assigning important roles that are mandatory for the Discovery Management group.
By default, the role group is assigned to mentioned roles such as Compliance Search, Case Management, Export, Hold, Preview, Review, and RMS Decrypt.
In case the Export role is missing then click on the Edit button for adding the role group.
Thereafter, hit on More Resources and open Microsoft Purview Compliance Portal. Now choose Content Search >> New Search option.
Attention: If you are unable to see the “Content Search” option, then make sure that you have successfully set the required eDiscovery permissions. Moreover, if you have done any changes in eDiscovery permissions. It may take up to 24 hours to reflect.
After clicking on the New Search option, a new Wizard will appear. This wizard will allow you to customize all components of content search options. Users can enter the search name and description. The location option permits you to specify mailbox data that you want to export.
After that, choose Conditions and set filters to export Office 365 mailbox to PST eDiscovery. Set the required filters on the basis of Date, Sender/Author, Size (in bytes), Subject/Title, Retention Label, Message Kind, Participants, Type, Received, Recipients, Sender, Sent, Subject, To, Author, Title, Created, Last Modified, and File Type.
After setting and applying the desired filters, click on the Submit button to continue. Now, click on Done to close the current window and start searching.
Now the search process is running in the background. Users can click on the Search option to check the search status.
Click the Actions button and select the Export Results option as shown in the following screenshot.
Under Export Results, choose the output option as All items including ones that have uncategorized format are encrypted or would not include for other reasons. Thereafter, click on the Export button.
After that, click on the Export tab and select search again to check whether the status is completed or not.
Once the export process is completed, you need to click on the Download Result tab. Do not forget to copy the Unique Key by clicking on the Copy to clipboard option. This is mandatory because the next step will ask for a unique Export Key.
Now, the eDiscovery Export Tool will start automatically after clicking on the Download Results. It will ask you to paste the export key that will be used to connect to the source. Browse the destination path to store the resultant PST file. Click the Start button to download the mailbox from Office 365 to PST.

Important Note

eDiscovery Export Tool supports only Microsoft’s Edge Browser, hence make sure you are trying to export PST from Office 365 using Edge. You may face a problem while completing the “Content Search” as discussed in Step 7.

However, there are separate browser extensions available for Chrome and Firefox that use the eDiscovery Export Tool without reporting any error or warning.

For Mozilla Firefox: Breez ClickOnce
For Google Chrome: Cegid Peoplenet ClickOnce launcher

Using this method is easier, but because of improper configuration you may face errors like eDiscovery Export Tool stuck on calculating, you cannot start the application in the end or unable to start the eDiscovery tool from the admin center. If that is the case, then choose the next method for downloading your emails into PST.

Export Office 365 Mailbox to PST with Desktop Outlook

Users can easily connect their Office 365 account into their desktop Outlook and then export them in PST format. This method is lengthy, so we divided them into two parts. First part of the procedure is to connect your account with Outlook.

Run Microsoft Outlook on your computer, laptop or PC.
Thereafter, choose File >> Add Account option to continue.
Enter your email address and select the Advanced options.
Check the box Let me set up my account manually and choose Connect.
After that, select POP3 as the account type.
Enter POP3 settings i.e., POP Settings, SMTP Settings, Port Number, etc.
Fill your password and choose Connect to continue.

Part 2: Export Office PST File from Office 365 with built-in Feature

Firstly, start MS Outlook and select File >> Open & Export >> Import/Export.
Thereafter, choose Export to a file and press the Next button.
Select Outlook Data File (.pst) and choose Next to continue.
Check the required email folders to export and hit on the Next button.
Click Browse to set the destination path, enter the file name, and choose Finish.
Lastly, get the exported PST file from the selected destination path.

Other than these two methods, there is an advanced solution that can backup Office 365 emails to PST. The next method uses PowerShell. So, let’s see how it’s done.

Save Microsoft 365 Mailbox to PST using PowerShell

First of all, you cannot directly convert Microsoft 365 emails to PST using the PowerShell. But, you can synchronize your account with desktop Outlook. Then, you can use the Import/Export feature to get your PST file. Also, there is no guarantee that it will work or not. But, if you want to try, follow the steps below.

First we connect the PowerShell to your Exchange Online.
“$UserCredential = Get-Credential”
Connect-ExchangeOnline -UserPrincipalName <userprincipalname> -UserCredential $UserCredentialin place of , type your actual principal name.
With the help of this command we convert our mailbox to PST New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox -FilePath\\Server\SharedFolder\mailbox.pst
To track the progress use this command Get-MailboxExportRequest
After the process is complete, use the below command to remove the export request.Get-MailboxExportRequest | Remove-MailboxExportRequest

So, here are the manual ways to export Office 365 mailboxes to PST. They are free, but there are also issues in them that can cause you a lot of trouble.

Limitations of the Manual Methods

You need appropriate permission to work with the manual methods. If you don’t get it then you are not able to use them.
To work with these methods, you need technical knowledge. So, non-technical users have difficulty following the process.
All the solutions are lengthy which makes them a time-consuming task.
There is a risk of losing your data during the process.

So, manual methods are not an effective way to backup Microsoft 365 data to the PST file. However, there is an alternative option which will make the procedure shorter and quicker.

Convert Office 365 Emails to PST with Alternative Solution

BitRecover Office 365 Email Backup Tool is a great solution to perform the process of exporting Microsoft 365 email to PST. This specialized utility is created to easily export all mailboxes from office 365. And directly convert them into PST without the help of any additional software. You can install the software in Windows and Mac OS and by following the steps below you can instantly save your data.

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Steps to Export Office 365 Mailbox to PST

Start the Tool on your Windows and Mac Computer. Then, click on the I am Admin option.
Enter your Office 365 user account email address in the given field and click the Login button.
Thereafter, it will open Microsoft’s official login window for secure log in to your O365 account. Here, enter the required password and details and sign in to continue.
Once it is connected, you can now get your data at the left-hand side. Click on the email and preview the content.
Now choose PST (Personal Storage Table) as a saving option from the listed options.
You can use the filter options to search specific emails and export them.
Press the Change button to browse a different destination path according to your choice. Lastly click on the Backup option.

The software not only converts your emails, but also provides various features that can help you.

Unique Features of the Professional Tool

Users can download their Office 365 emails into different files, like PDF, EML, MBOX, CSV, etc.
Throughout the process software carefully downloads your emails while preserving the attributes of the emails.
You can easily export your emails from primary, shared, in-place folders.
There is no need for technical knowledge to work with the software.
Users can preview their content before exporting them by clicking on them.
The interface of the utility is user-friendly, which makes it easier for you to navigate through the software.
There is a demo version of the software that you can download for free.
It is available in all the versions of the Windows and Mac OS including latest as well as older ones.

Regularly Asked User Queries

Ques 1: How can I export Exchange Online data to PST?
Ans: To do this, you have to first connect your account with the desktop Outlook. Then, by using the Import/Export option you can save them into the PST file.

Ques 2: Can I create a PST file from Office 365 Online?
Ans: Yes, with the help of Outlook desktop application, users can easily create a PST file from Office 365.

Ques 3: Does Office 365 support PST File?
Ans: No, Microsoft 365 does not support PST files.

To Sum Up

Many users may have problems saving Office 365 data into the PST file. But, after reading this article. Now, you can easily export Office 365 mailboxes to PST files. Here, we provided four different ways to convert your emails. Properly follow them and you can have the PST file containing Microsoft 365. Other than that we also explained the reasons to backup your data. Therefore, in this you will get all the answers of your doubt, so read the guide to the end.