How to Backup Office 365 Mailbox Data

Having a backup of your cloud data on a local system is always a wise decision, as it is an integral part of the 3-2-1 backup rule. Office 365, being a cloud-based software as a service, offers a lot of online facilities to users, but there is still always a need to backup Office 365 mailboxes locally. It is not only for data security purposes but also for the organizations data management policy.

In this write-up, we will discuss the need to backup Office 365 mailboxes and explore available methods for it.

Table of Contents

Why Office 365 Mailbox Backup is a Must-Do Task?

Various reasons prompt users to backup Office 365 mailboxes regularly. The exact reason for every individual may differ, but some of the common ones are described below.

For Data Security: Office 365 offers cloud-based data storage, but it also has some data security-related cons. However, Microsoft offers robust security; no one can deny the possibility of hacking and malicious attacks. A backup provides an extra layer of security to your data.
To Manage Storage and Cost-Cutting: Storage management reasons also initiate the backup. To archive ex-employees’ mailbox data, old mailbox data and free up space, many organizations practice it.
To Deal With Accidental Deletion and Retention Policy: Accidental deletion can happen to anyone, but users remain assured about the retention policy. But it is also true that the retention period has a validity, and after this period, your data will be permanently deleted from Microsoft’s server.
To Access Email Data Offline: Saving data locally allows users to access the email data locally by saving it in a preferred file format and opening it in a supported email client.
Open Office 365 Emails in Another Email Client: If there is any need to get Microsoft 365 mailbox emails in another email client, then it can be done by saving the data in a supported file format. E.g., to access mailbox data in Thunderbird, users can backup in MBOX file format.

Explore the Methods to Backup Office 365 Mailbox Data:

To export Exchange Online data, there are a few manual methods also available along with the professional solution. Here, in this blog, we will explore manual as well as professional solution.

Manual Method 1: Office 365 Mailbox Backup Using E-Discovery Method

Login Your Office 365 portal with the administrator credentials.
Visit the Microsoft 365 Admin Centre.
In the Microsoft 365 Admin Centre, expand the Admin Center and then click on Security.
In your Security & Compliance Center, click on the Permissions option and then edit the eDiscovery Management Group Role.
In the eDiscovery Manager properties of the role group, click Edit and then add your account to the eDiscovery Administrator list.
Here you can see the various categories of Assigned Roles
Now, you have to go to Search & Investigation >> Content Search.
Note: If the Content Search option is not available, it could be caused by the changes you made to your eDiscovery permissions. It could take 24 hours for the changes to take effect.
A new window will open on the screen. Make your selection of the New Search option, here you can choose “All locations” or “Specific locations”.
Then, in another window, you can choose Exchange mail or choose specific mailboxes with the Users, Groups, or the group’s option.
Apart from the local filter, you have additional filters you can use, such as time spans Keywords/phrases such as from/To fields for CC/BCC, and additional. If you’re required to save all the data, do not apply the filter.
Click Save and Run. You will be directed to the wizard, where you’ll need to type in the name and the description.
Now that you have returned to your Content Search Window, hit the refresh button and choose the search option.
On the next screen that displays on the screen, you can check if the search has been completed by selecting the Export Results option.
Nowhere can the user determine whether the user wants to add encrypted files. Users can also select how to export Exchange content. The standard options are ideal for backup. Once you’ve selected all of the options, just press Export.
This will begin the process of exporting data. You can monitor the progress on the Export tab.
You may also download the results by clicking your Download Results section. The export key needs to be copied. It will be required for the following steps.
Once you click,“eDiscovery PST Export Tool”, the application will begin. Copy the exported key here. Make use of an export program to point to the directory where you wish to store PST files.
After finalizing the process, the created search results will be shown. Click on the download button to save your PST files.

Manual Method 2: Using PowerShell Commands

Administrators can also use PowerShell and the Microsoft Purview Compliance Center to export Exchange Online mailbox data. Follow these steps to export a mailbox using a compliance search:

Step 1: Connect to the Microsoft Purview Compliance Center

Open PowerShell and connect to the Compliance Center using the following command:

Connect-IPPSSession -UserPrincipalName

Step 2: Create a Compliance Search

Create a compliance search for the mailbox you want to export:

New-ComplianceSearch -Name “MailboxExport” -ExchangeLocation

Step 3: Start the Compliance Search

Run the following command to start the search:

Start-ComplianceSearch -Identity “MailboxExport”

Step 4: Verify the Search Status

Before exporting the results, make sure the compliance search has completed successfully:

Get-ComplianceSearch -Identity “MailboxExport”

Wait until the search status changes to Completed.

Step 5: Export the Search Results

Once the search finishes, export the mailbox data by running:

New-ComplianceSearchAction -SearchName “MailboxExport” -Export

After the export request is processed, you can download the exported data from the Microsoft Purview Compliance portal.

Follow these steps to download the exported data:

Firstly, open the Microsoft Purview Compliance Portal.
Go to eDiscovery > Standard.
Locate your completed compliance search and open the Exports section.
Select the export job you created.
Copy the Export Key, then click Download Results.
The eDiscovery Export Tool will open. Paste the Export Key, choose the folder where you want to save the PST file, and start the process to backup Office 365 mailbox.

Manual Method 3: Export Using Outlook

Open the Outlook application and click on the File tab.
Now, click on Add Account.
Enter the Microsoft 365 credentials and wait for it to get verified.
Once the connection is established, Outlook will sync with the Exchange Online mailbox and display it.
Now, again go to File >> Open and Export >>Import/Export.
Select the “Export to a file” option and click Next.
Choose “Outlook Data File” (PST) as the file type to save the Microsoft 365 mailbox data. Click Next.
Select folders for the export as per the requirement.
Browse the location where the PST file will be saved. Moreover, you can select the scenarios for duplication.

Limitations of Manual Method:

Prior knowledge of technology is necessary for the manual process. This method is not recommended for novice users.
The data integrity and folder hierarchy may get compromised.
Manual workarounds are time-consuming and tedious. Not suitable if you have a large mailbox size.
Manual methods are not preferred for specific data, like contacts, email or calendar, for instance.
Users don’t get real-time data reports, which reduces monitoring over the correctness of data exporting.
Limited file formats are available as the target.

Professional Method: Regain Office 365 Backup Tool

No business wants to put its data at risk and does not have the time to do manual backups. Professional software is necessary for a perfect and reliable solution. Regain Office 365 Email Backup Tool is a one-stop solution for it. This Office 365 backup solution has an intuitive interface that makes the process of backup to be easy, so users do not need any technical skills to use it. It’s an ideal solution for quick, easy and precise backup.

Free Download100% Secure Buy NowPrice: $89

Have A Look At What This Office 365 Backup Software Offers:

Regain Office 365 Backup Tool offers PST, EML, MSG, PDF, MBOX, ICS, VCF, and PDF like popular file formats.
This professional utility can export multiple mailboxes without any data size or number limitations.
It can back up data from the Primary Mailboxes, Shared Mailboxes, and Archive Mailboxes.
The software offers an option to process only the fresh data, hence supports delta export and prevents duplication.
Users get a preview of the mailbox data before starting the export process.
Regain Office 365 Backup Tool can also back up data in other cloud servers like Gmail, AOL, Zoho, and other IMAP-based platforms.
If users are taking a backup in the PST file format, then this utility offers option to set the PST file size using the split facility.
It supports Basic Authentication as well as Multi-Factor Authentication to connect to Microsoft 365.

How Regain Office 365 Backup Software Works?

Using Regain Office 365 Backup Software is easy since it has an easy-to-use GUI. Here are the steps needed to backup Office 365 Mailboxes to PST.

Install and launch the Regain Office 365 Backup Software on your system.
Now, you need to choose the Office 365 option in the Server type, enter the login credentials of the Office 365 account to connect Office 365 user mailboxes and click the Connect to Server button.
After that, a dialog box will pop up, and you’ll be able to see a preview of all the folders that are available. You can then examine each one in depth, then click Next to continue.
Select Outlook PST file under Backup options and then create a backup folder to store backup information from Office 365 mailboxes into PST format.
Next, you must provide your directory’s name and specify the directory/folder path to where you would like to save the backup files for Office 365 mailboxes.
A new wizard is opened. This is where the software produces a state report of the whole procedure. You can save the report for later review.
Final Step: All of your Office 365 mailboxes are successfully transferred into the PST file format. You can access it from the location you prefer within your local system.

Conclusion:

There is always a need to backup Office 365 mailboxes, as backup is a boon when there is a tragedy. However, there are also some manual tricks to export Microsoft 365 mailbox data, but professionals do not recommend these manual workarounds. Professionals need an efficient and effortless method to execute the backup task. Regain Office 365 Export Tool is a fast and secure solution developed by professionals for professionals. A free demo of this utility is also available to download.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. What is the default retention period for items deleted from folders of Office 365 mailbox?

A. The default retention period is 14 days for items deleted from folders. However, by using an appropriate retention tag, users can increase it up to 30 days.

Q. In which file format should we take a backup of an Office 365 mailbox?

A. The answer to this question will differ from person to person. It depends on the email client you choose to access emails. If you choose the Outlook desktop client, then a PST will be a better choice. For users using the Thunderbird email client, MBOX should be the preferred choice.

Q. How is this demo version different from the licensed version of Regain Office 365 Export Tool?

A. The demo version is just a restricted version of the licensed one. The demo allows you to process 30 items per folder; however, there is no such limitation with the paid/license done.

Q. What will be the folder hierarchy of the mailbox data if I back up an Office 365 mailbox in PST file format?

A. The software developed by Regain Software retains and maintains the folder hierarchy, and users get a mirror copy of the mailbox. However, if you choose to go with the manual methods, then you may lose the folder hierarchy.

Video Tutorial to Backup Office 365 Mailboxes Using Regain Software – Watch Now!

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Need to Backup Office 365 Mailboxes: Explore All About Email Export