Move Exchange Server Public Folders to Office 365 – Free Guide

Updated On - July 12, 2023 by Nasir Khan | Reading Time: 3 minutes

With so much riding on successfully migrating Exchange public folders to Office 365, it’s important to find a reliable method. Administrators are looking for a foolproof method to move Exchange Server public folders to Office 365 due to the sensitive and crucial nature of the information stored there.

This article will explore the options available to facilitate public folder conversion. Here we’ll go over two options: the first is to do it yourself, which is free but requires some work, and the second is to use an automated solution that will handle your public folder quickly and easily.

The manual approach may tempt many customers because it is free to use, but they should weigh the benefits against the difficulties of public folder conversion without cost to Office 365. A highly skilled individual is needed to complete the procedure because starting again from scratch is an option in the event of any error. Therefore, if a rapid and trouble-free migration is desired, the automated approach is strongly suggested.

3 Ways to Move Exchange Server Public Folders to Office 365

1st method: As a first option, you can employ the Microsoft Public Folder Migration Script.

To move your Public Folders to Office 365, you can utilize the Microsoft-provided Public Folders Migration Scripts. The procedure entails the following steps:

• To begin, Download the Public Folder Migration Scripts on your computer and store them in the same folder as where PowerShell will be executed.
• Then, get the directory sync script forMail-enabled Public Folders. There are two files included; get them both as shown in the image.
• The SourceSideValidations.ps1 PowerShell script should be downloaded as well. Scripts should be saved in the same directory as their predecessors.
• To see if there is a problem with the Exchange, you should run the SourceSideValidation.ps1 PowerShell script. If there is a problem, try using the suggested solution.  .\SourceSideValidations.ps1
• Verify that no email objects have been left behind in the Public Folder.
• Verify that there aren’t any identical items in the Public Folder.
• Check the Public Folders’ Active Directory SMTP email address.

When you’re ready to move your Public Folders from Exchange to Office 365, use this comprehensive tutorial from Microsoft’s recommended reference library.

2nd method: Using Outlook to Save Public Folders as a Personal Folders File

In addition, the Outlook Import Export wizard can be used to export the Public Folders to PST. However, Public Folders that are less than 30 GB or more are not encouraged to try this. The procedure entails the following steps:

• Click File>Open>Import (Outlook 2010)
• Go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export(Outlook 2013, 2016, or 2019).
• Now choose the Export to File, click Next.
• Then, choose the Outlook Data File (.pst) format and click Next.
• Then, choose the Public Folder from the folders and press Next.
• To include the selected Public Folder subfolders, click the checkbox next to that option.
• Choose where you wish to store the PST file, you’re about to export by clicking the “Browse” button.
• In order to complete this task, press the Finish button. The Public Folder will be save as a PST file in your chosen destination.

Now you have to move the converted PST into Office 365 mailboxes

Using the following procedures, you can now manually import this PST into Office 365:

• Download the Migration scripts to move your Public Folders here.
• Finally, to produce a CSV file, run the following script:
  • .\Export-PublicFolderStatistics.ps1 MyServerName.csv
• Connect your existing Public Folders to Office 365.
  • MailboxSize PublicFolderToMailboxMapGenerator.ps1 ImportFilePathExportFilePath
• Build a Public Folder in Office 365 using the corresponding mapping file.
• The next step is to make the primary Public Folder in each Public Folder mailbox using the New-PublicFolder cmdlet.
• After that, use the Outlook Import Export Wizard to transfer your PST files into Office 365.
• To conclude, use the Exchange Administration Center to set access to the Public Folders (EAC).

3rd method: Professional Solution

As you can see, the manual process is quite complicated and needs technical expertise. I don’t recommend the manual procedure to anyone, as Exchange public folders keep sensitive data, and you can afford to lose and mess it up.

Regain EDB to PST converter is a professional tool specially design to migrate Exchange Public folder to office 365. This tool is integrate with several advance features and is easy to use even a non-technocrat can use it without any technical knowledge or assistance. Let me describe the step-by-step process to migrate Exchange Public folder to Office 365 using this tool.

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• Step1: Install and open the software in your system.
• Step2: Now click on the Open button on the ribbon bar.
• Step3: Add the EDB file from which you want to move the Public folder.
• Step4: Select the Public folder from the added EDB file.
• Step5: Click on the Export button and select Office 365 mailboxes.
• Step6: Provide Office 365 credentials and map the Exchange public folder.
• Step7: The moving process will start, and you can access your public folder in Office 365.

To Sum Up

The above shows that a reasonable amount of time is require to complete the migration. In addition, there are many potential weak spots. The Exchange Server must be in good working order, and the Public Folders databases must be online and mounted to perform the migration to Office 365 for Exchange Server 2010.

To save time, money, and resources during the migration from Exchange 2010 Public Folders to Office 365, consider employing a solution that converts EDB files, such as Regain’s conversion tool for EDB. Open and navigate any EDB file from any version of the Exchange Server with Regain Converter for EDB. The data in an EDB can be export to a PST or other file type in its entirety or in discrete chunks.