Most of the Office 365 users post similar kinds of queries related to “import PST file into Office 365 webmail” on multiple forums. Most of the Outlook users are migrating from Outlook to Office 365, due to unique features and accessibility of Office 365 accounts over the web. Many users who want to import PST File to Outlook Web Access, didn’t find a reliable solution for it. So, in this blog, we are going to explain a few best methods to Import Outlook PST file into Office 365 Webmail.
Difference Between PST & Office 365
PST: PST is the extension of the MS Outlook database and known as Personal Storage Table. It allows users to use data of accounts that are configured to Outlook via POP / IMAP. So, every time an email comes it will be stored in PST file format.
MS Office 365: MS offers a cloud platform of its users to access mailboxes from anywhere & anytime using the internet.
What are the Methods to Import PST File into Office 365 Webmail, Manually?
If you have a PST file stored into your system, then you can easily migrate the PST file to Office 365 account using MS AzCopy Tool.
But, if you want to migrate Outlook emails to Office 365, then first need to export Outlook emails in PST format using the Import/Export option in Outlook.
In this blog, we are going to discuss how to import PST file into Office 365 webmail, which can be performed using the Network Upload method. Below is the complete explanation to Import via Network upload method
1. First, Download & Install MS Azure AzCopy Tool
- Go to https://protection.office.com/ and login via Office 365 Admin credentials.
- After you logged in, visit Security and Compliance Center >> select Data Governance >> then click Import.
- Now, Open Import wizard, click on the New Import Job >> enter a name to the import job.
- In the next step, choose between “Upload your data” and “Ship hard drives to one of our physical locations”. Choose Upload your data and click Next.
- On the Import Data page, follow the written steps
- After that, select Show Network Upload SAS URL >>then copy the URL displayed on the screen. As it is very important, paste it into a file and keep it as a backup.
- Now as you have already downloaded the Azure AzCopy, you can directly continue, but if not, download the Azure AzCopy to continue.
- Choose the Upload option >> Azure AzCopy option to download Azure AzCopy software.
- Now, you have to run the MS Azure AzCopy software to import PST file into Office 365 webmail.
- AzCopy is a command-line tool and it should be installed in the default location, go to %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft SDKs\Azure\AzCopyAzCopy has a lot of parameters that can be found in the help file:C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Azure\AzCopy>AzCopy.exe
- Let us know about the important parameters for uploading PST files :
- /Source:, the UNC path to the folder containing the PSTs
- /Dest:, the secure upload URL provided by Microsoft
- /V:, specifies the file name to output logging information
- /S, tells AzCopy to also upload any files contained in subfolders of the source path
- /Y, allows the use of write-only SAS tokens when you upload the PST files to a storage location
- Execute the below command in CMD to run the AzCopy tool:
C:\ProgramFiles(x86)\MicrosoftSDKs\Azure\AzCopy>AzCopy.exe/Source:”\\localhost\pst\”/Dest:”SAS_URL” /V:C:\Users\domin\AzCopy.log” /Y
2. Generate A CSV file for Mapping
After the PST file uploading is finished to Azure location, you have to transfer it to Office 365. The Office 365 Import Service allows us to specify a target folder in the mailbox to import the PST file data to, and also we need to specify whether the data should be imported to the archive mailbox or somewhere else.
Create a CSV file with information related to user mailboxes and their PST files. After that use CSV file while creating an import job.
3. Steps to create a PST Import Job
After successfully creating a PST file, you need to validate it.
- Go to Import Data wizard >> Now, check the options “I’m done uploading my files” & “I have access to the mapping file.”
- After that, you need to upload the CSV file generated in Step 2 >> Validate CSV file.
- After validation is finished, Office 365 will analyze the data using filters option before importing the PST to Office 365
- Finally, click on the Import to Office 365 & start the import job button.
After this, all the data will be imported to Office 365 successfully.
Best Easy Way to Import PST File into Office 365 Webmail
The better solution to migrate Outlook PST file data to Office 365 online is by Import PST to Office 365. Using the software once can migrate emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, notes. The advanced algorithm of the tool makes the import process simple and user-friendly. Following are the steps to import PST file to Office 365 without any hassle:
1. Step1: Download and Install Office 365 Import tool
2. Step2: Enter the Office 365 Admin credentials
3. Step3: Click on Add File(s) or Folder option to Import Outlook PST files
4. Step4: Choose the Sample CSV option to create a CSV file containing the user ID and PST file name
Note: This step is to create a mapping between a user and PST file that will be allocated to its office 365 mailbox.
5. Step5: Now, select the Category (Email, Calendars, Tasks, Contacts) & Set Date filter for each selected category.
6. Apply addition filers such as:
- Include Folder
- Attach Outlook PST File
- Incremental Import
- Exclude Deleted Items
- Exclude Sent Items
7. Finally, Click on the Import button to finish the import process
Note: The Automated approach to the Import PST file into Office 365 Mailbox is faster and better solution than MS AzCopy Tool.
Conclusion
Importing Outlook data file to the Office 365 account is easy to implement if done using the right method. It is recommended to use SysTools Office 365 Import tool over Azure AzCopy for the better migration process. If you want to import the PST file into Office 365 webmail for multiple users for free then use the second method. Free download the tool to import 100 emails and 25 other items to Office 365 mailbox.