Import PST to Office 365 without Outlook

Learn How to Upload PST to Office 365 Without Outlook - Top 3 Ways to Follow

Microsoft allows users to perform PST to Office 365 migration (Exchange Online) and also, encourages small as well as large-sized organizations to perform cloud migration operations. However, it is quite challenging for the users to move from the on-premises environment to the cloud as they might face various challenges during the process.

Today many organizations are transferring their on-premises PST data to Office 365. According to the organizations maintaining data on cloud storage is more cost-effective than storing data on-premises, which is the main reason behind the on-premises to cloud transition. However, Organizations can not make this transition to the cloud lightly as it involves huge planning and processes to make a transition from an established infrastructure to a cloud environment.

When we talk about any organization to migrate Exchange to Office 365, admin can use various manual as well as automated methods. In this article, we will discuss the need and different approaches that would help the users to import PST to Office 365 without Outlook.

Upload PST to Office 365 / Exchange Online: The Challenges

  • Importing PST data file to Microsoft Office 365 account is not an easy task as it involves huge planning to make the transition from an established infrastructure to the cloud.
  • Before uploading Outlook data file emails to Exchange Online, one needs to start over with spam filtering.
  • When a user upload PST to Office 365 then, the outbound email addresses might get change and it makes default email address that ends in onmicrosoft.com.
  • Once the on-premises data uploaded to Office 365, the organization admin will not have any control over the management process, software upgrades and on other administrative tasks.
  • The user may face DNS issues and need to reset file server permission.

What are the Needs to Import PST Files to Office 365?

  • It offers an efficient way to upload / export an organization's email to the Microsoft cloud.
  • On-premises PST migration to Office 365 saves infrastructure and maintenance cost.
  • It offers additional mailbox storage space by enabling mailboxes archiving.
  • Importing PST file to Office 365 enables users to stores entire email mailbox data of an organization in a centralized way.
  • Moving PST Files to O365 without Outlook enables the users to keep their mailboxes on hold to preserve content.
  • It offers a better searching option to search any content within a mailbox, as it offers Microsoft eDiscovery tools to search for data in mailboxes.
  • Enables users to impose retention policies to control how long mailbox data is retained.
  • The user can check or audit all mailbox related events with the help Office 365 audit log.
  • It protects crucial data against any intentional data loss.
  • By uploading PST files to Office 365 mailboxes makes data highly available, users can easily access Outlook emails and other mailbox data from anywhere with the mere availability of the network. Also, cloud data is always available to all users of the organization from all devices.

Upload PST to Office 365 without Outlook - Top 3 Methods Described


Step 1. Copy SAS URL then Download AzCopy Tool

  • Browse https://compliance.microsoft.com and log in with valid credentials.
  • Go to Data Lifecycle Management and select Microsoft 365 from the dropdown list. In the new screen click the Import button.
  • Follow the Import >> Add button to add a new import job.
  • Entered required details in the Import Data panel such as Name Your Job, Select Import Job Type, Import Data, Select Mapping File, and Review.
  • After this, select Upload your Data in Do you want to upload or ship data? window.
  • Then Network Upload Import Job is created. In the Import Data wizard, click the Show network upload SAS URL option and Copy the SAS URL displayed.
  • Then click the Download Azure AzCopy button to download the AzCopy tool.

Step 2. Import Respective PST Files to Outlook 365

  • After downloading the AzCopy tool, run the command prompt.
  • Locate the directory of the azcopy.exe file that has been downloaded.
  • Run the PowerShell command: azcopy.exe copy “Source location of PST files” “SAS URL”.

Step 3. Verify Uploaded PST Files to Microsoft Azure Storage

  • After downloading, install and open the Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer tool.
  • Locate the Select Resource page from the Connect to Azure Storage dialog >> select Blob Container.
  • In the Select Authentication Method screen >> go to Shared Access Signature (SAS) >> click the Next button.
  • Paste the copied SAS URL on the Enter Connection Info screen >> click Next. The pasted SAS URL will automatically autopopulated the Display Name with ingestiondata >> click the Connect option.
  • The Ingestiondata Container screen will open, find all the PST files that are uploaded in Step 2. It is located under Storage Accounts > (Attached Containers) > Blob Containers.

Step 4. Create a CSV Mapping File to Import Multiple PST Files

  • Download a copy of the PST Import mapping CSV file.
  • Edit the file using Notepad or MS Excel and entered the required details in the following order:
    Workload,FilePath,Name,Mailbox,IsArchive,TargetRootFolder,ContentCodePage,SPFileContainer,SPManifestContainer,SPSiteUrl

Step 5. Create a PST File Import Job Accordingly

  • Browse https://compliance.microsoft.com and log in with valid administrator credentials.
  • Open Data Lifecycle Management option and select Microsoft 365 from the drop-down list. Then a new screen will open, then click the Import.
  • In the Import tab, click the Add button to add a new import job.
  • An Import Data Wizard will now open with tabs such as Name Your Job, Select Import Job Type, Import Data, Select Mapping File, and Review.
  • Entered the required details in these tabs and select whether you want to upload data, then click the Next button.
  • Now, check the two options: I’m done uploading my files and I have access to the mapping file then click the Next button.
  • In the Choose Map File screen, click on it to submit the created CSV file.
  • When CSV file is attached, click the Validate button to validate the submitted CSV file to ensure that the data is organized without errors.
  • After the successfully verification, see the file name in green color. After that check the terms and conditions file and click the Submit button. So far, the job has been created successfully.
  • Check the status popup page to analyze the progress and see the new import job in the list of Import PST file pages.
  • Click the Refresh button to view the latest status information in the Status column. Once the status changes to Analysis Complete, import the PST file into Outlook 365.

Step 6. Apply Filters and Start the PST Import Job

  • In the Import tab of the Compliance Portal, click the created Import job.
  • If you want to filter the data, click the Yes option.
  • For sorting the data, apply different filters based on age, type, and user. Alternatively, if you want to import all the data, click the No, then click the Next button.
  • Check the status of the import job to analyze the progress and see new import jobs.
  • Click the Refresh button to view the latest status information.
Upload PST to Office 365 Cloud

Limitations of the Manual Method to Upload PST to Office 365 Account without Outlook

The shortcomings of these manual procedures are as follows:

  • The uploading will consume lot of your time.
  • Cannot upload Items larger than 150 MB.
  • Might face trouble in importing PST files larger than 20 GB.
  • Cannot filter the data that need to be exported from PST file
  • Cost of importing PST file using Drive Shipping is 2$/GB which is quite high.
  • Complete technical knowledge is required to upload PST to Office 365 using Network Upload.
  • Data loss or corruption might occur if any step is missed.

Automated Tool to Import PST to Office 365 Account

To import Microsoft Outlook PST data items such as emails, contacts, and calendars to Office 365 account then you can use PST to Office 365 Import Tool. This software helps you to import multiple PST files to Office 365 cloud accounts. The manual method that includes Azure Azcopy or drive shipping or network upload would lead you to waste a lot of time and is a very lengthy process. So, we would recommend you to use an automated tool that can easily help you to upload PST file to Office 365 account without Outlook.

System Specifications

  • Hard Disk Space: 500 MB of free hard disk space
  • RAM : 8 GB of RAM (8 GB is recommended)
  • Supports : Windows 10 & 11 (64 & 32 bit) & Windows 2012 / 2016 Server
  • Processor : Minimum 8 core Processor

Software Features

  • Transfer Emails, Contacts, and Calendars from PST to Office 365
  • Upload Multiple PST Files to Office 365 Using Admin Account Credentials
  • Apply "Date Filter" for Uploading Selective Mailbox items to Cloud
  • Import Mulitple PST files to Microsoft 365 accounts without Size Limit
  • Skip Previously Imported items using the Incremental Import Option
  • Sustains All Attributes & Structure of PST file Data at Post Import
  • Compatible with Latest Windows OS 10 & 11 (64-Bit)
Import PST to Office 365 Tool

Conclusion

Uploading PST file to Office 365 without Outlook is always cost-effective for the users, if they follow a reliable and automated approach. In addition, it also offers many other advantages such as data availability, centralized data, and security, etc to the user. In this article, we have discussed how to import PST file to Office 365 without Outlook. With the above mentioned tool, an organization can easily move its on-premises email data to the Office 365. However proper planning and execution is needed to perform migration from established infrastructure to the cloud.