How to Upload Outlook PST Data to Microsoft 365

Office 365 offers many subscription benefits that Microsoft offers, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, etc. Office 365 meets almost all international security standards such as HIPAA, GDPR, HITECH, and many more. On the other hand, Microsoft Outlook is an email client that uses the PST file to store all data elements such as emails, contacts, etc. As Office 365 is becoming increasingly popular due to its wide range of software, nowadays, users prefer it more than standalone applications like Microsoft Outlook. You can easily import or upload PST to Office 365 using a variety of methods. Read the below section to know more about it in brief:

PST and Office 365

PST stands for Personal Storage Table, which is a file format used by Microsoft Outlook to store email messages, contacts, calendar entries, and other items. PST files are typically used to back up or archive email data and can be quite large, making them difficult to manage and access.

On the other hand, Office 365 is a cloud-based suite of productivity tools that includes email, calendaring, file storage, and collaboration tools. It offers a range of benefits over traditional on-premise email systems, including greater accessibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.

Benefits of uploading PST to Office 365:

• Allows for easier access to email data from anywhere with an internet connection
• Reduces the risk of data loss due to local hardware failures or other issues
• Provides centralized data management and control, which can improve email security and compliance
• Enables users to take advantage of the advanced features and collaboration tools offered by Office 365, such as shared calendars, document collaboration, and real-time chat
• Can be more cost-effective than maintaining an on-premise email system
• Enables easier management of large email data sets, which can be difficult to manage and access in PST format
• Simplifies the process of migrating email data to a new system or platform
• Provides greater scalability and flexibility, allowing for easy expansion as the organization grows or changes.

So now you know the benefits of moving PST to Office 365, let’s move to the possible ways to import or upload PST into Office 365 mailboxes.

3 Verified Methods to Upload PST files to Microsoft 365

There are three manual ways and you can also use a third-party tool for this task. Below I’ve mentioned the process of all the manual methods and a third-party tool.

1st Method: Using Outlook to Uploading PST File into Office 365

1. Install and open Microsoft Outlook
2. Go to the File menu and click on the Open & Export button
3. Now on-screen Import and Export wizard will open
4. here, click on the “Import from another program or file”
5. Now choose the PST file and click Next to proceed
6. Select the desired .pst file
7. Click Finish to complete the process

2nd Method: Upload PST to Microsoft 365 Using Microsoft Purview

Microsoft 365 administrators can use the Microsoft Purview portal to import PST files directly into user mailboxes. This method is useful for organizations migrating multiple PST files.

Follow these Steps:

1. Sign in to the Microsoft Purview portal with the required administrator permissions.
2. Open the PST Import option and select the Network Upload method.
3. Upload the required PST files to Microsoft’s provided cloud storage.
4. Create the import mapping to specify the destination Microsoft 365 mailbox and folder.
5. Start the import job and wait for Microsoft 365 to process the PST files.
6. Verify the imported emails, folders, and attachments in the destination mailbox.

What’s wrong with Manual methods

Manual methods work but not all the time and also they have the risk of data loss. Due to this, many Microsoft MVPs and administrators suggest using a third-party tool suggest Regain PST to Office 365 migration. Besides this, manual methods have several loopholes and drawbacks.

Some potential drawbacks of using a manual method to upload PST files to Office 365:

• Time-consuming: Manually uploading PST files to Office 365 can be a time-consuming process, especially if there are a large number of files or a large amount of data to upload.
• Complex process: The process of manually uploading PST files to Office 365 can be complex and require technical expertise, which may not be available in all organizations.
• Potential for errors: Manually uploading PST files can be prone to errors, which can result in data loss or corruption.
• Lack of automation: Manually uploading PST files to Office 365 does not offer the benefits of automation, such as scheduling or incremental backups, which can help to streamline the process and reduce errors.
• Security concerns: Manually uploading PST files can raise security concerns, especially if the files contain sensitive information, as there is a risk of data exposure or theft during the transfer process.
• Limited scalability: Manually uploading PST files to Office 365 can be difficult to scale as the organization grows, which can result in additional costs and complexity.
• Compatibility issues: There may be compatibility issues with certain PST files, especially if they were created using an older version of Outlook, which can result in data loss or corruption during the upload process.

3rd Method: Use Professional tool to Upload PST to Microsoft 365

Regain PST to Office 365 Migration provides an alternative for users who want to migrate PST files directly to Microsoft 365 without relying on the lengthy administrative import workflow. It supports single or multiple PST files, mailbox mapping, selective migration and preservation of folder hierarchy and supported Outlook data.

Free Download100% Secure Buy NowPrice: $39

Benefits of Professional Method

• Migrates Outlook PST email to Office 365 and Live Exchange Server easily
• Complete migration of Outlook PST files including Emails, Contacts, Calendars, Tasks, journals, attachments, notes, etc
• Provides filter option to import selective Outlook PST files
• Allows preview of entire email folders before importing to Office 365
• Preserve the original folder hierarchy of the Outlook mailbox while importing
• No file size restriction when migrating Outlook emails to Office 365
• Support all the versions of MS Outlook and MS Exchange Server
• Self-intuitive and easy-to-use GUI for importing PST to Office 365

It also offers you a free trial version of this software which is free of cost. You do not have to pay for it; it is available on the software’s official website. Go and download it & try it once it helps you evaluate the features and working of the software. It also allows you to import 30 emails per folder at a free cost. If you like it, you can purchase its licensed version to import limitless files without any disturbance.

Steps to Move PST File into Office 365:-

• Step 1: Install PST to Office 365 Migration software
• Step 2: Now Choose the PST file that you want to import & click on start importing button to continue.
• Step 3: Login by entering User Name & Password and Upload Single or Multiple PST to Office 365. Click Connect to proceed
• Step 4: Finally the import process completes and your PST files are successfully imported to Office 365 Account at your desired location.

Video Tutorial to Upload PST files to Office 365 Using Regain Software – Watch Now!

Conclusion

To upload PST into Office 365, you can use various available methods. There are different procedures for this. You can use either a manual or an automatic approach. If you take my advice, then the intuitive way will prove to be beneficial for you because you just need to download the software and import PST files into Office 365; this is the easiest way compared to the manual method, which is long as well as time-consuming.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Can I Upload a PST file directly into Microsoft 365?
Ans. Yes. You can use Classic Outlook for individual mailbox imports or the Microsoft 365 Purview Import service for organizational PST imports.

Q2. Can I Upload PST to Office 365 without Outlook?
Ans. Yes. Administrators can use the Microsoft 365 Purview Import service to bulk-import PST files without using Outlook. Another option is the Regain PST to Office 365 Migration tool for direct PST-to-Microsoft 365 migration.

Q3. Can I Upload multiple PST files to Microsoft 365?
Ans. Yes. Microsoft Purview supports bulk PST imports, while Regain PST to Office 365 Migration supports migrating multiple PST files and mapping them to Microsoft 365 mailboxes.

Q4. Can I Upload PST files using New Outlook?
Ans. New Outlook provides some PST import and access capabilities, but Microsoft currently requires Classic Outlook for the traditional PST-to-mailbox import workflow.

Q5. What should I do if PST import fails?
Ans. Check the PST file, destination mailbox, permissions, connectivity and available storage. Microsoft also provides troubleshooting steps for common PST import problems. For an alternative migration method, you can use Regain PST to Office 365 Migration.

Q6. Can I Upload PST files into an Office 365 archive or other mailbox?
Ans. Microsoft 365 provides organizational PST import options for target mailboxes, while Regain PST to Office 365 Migration supports migration to supported Microsoft 365 mailbox locations, including primary and archive mailboxes.