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How to Import PST to Shared Mailbox Office 365 Account?

  author
Rollins Duke   
Published: May 10th, 2024 • 13 Min Read

Essence: This article explains the complete steps to import PST to shared mailbox Office 365 with proper guidance. You can execute below mentioned top 4 techniques to import PST files to Office 365 shared mailbox accounts. If you are facing problems, while handling multiple PST files then don’t worry and continue reading and understanding the ways with details.

Recently several users connected to BitRecover Support team world widely to take guidance to import PST to shared mailbox Office 365 using PowerShell and other methods. Thereafter, we have decided to publish this informative write-up with detailed instructions.

Table of Content Hide
  1. Overview of PST File, Office 365, and Shared Mailbox
  2. Method #1: Import PST Files to Shared Mailbox Using Import/Export Wizard
  3. Method #2: Import PST File to Office 365 Shared Mailbox Using Network Upload Method
  4. Method #3: Import PST File to Shared Mailbox Microsoft 365 Using Drive Shipping
  5. Method #4: Expert Solution to Import PST to Shared Mailbox Account
  6. Conclusion
  7. Frequently Asked Questions

Overview of PST File, Office 365, and Shared Mailbox

PST: MS Outlook allows you to export its data to PST (Personal Storage Table) files including emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, notes, journals, to-do lists, and other crucial information. Even if you configure your email account with Outlook using POP3 protocols then it also generates PST files at the default storage location.

Microsoft 365: Nowadays Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) as being much more popular and become the first choice of professional users for emailing. Users prefer to use Office 365 due to its cloud benefits and bundle applications. This is a subscription-based cloud email service that is available with several productivity applications.

Shared Mailbox: Microsoft 365 allows its users to create shared mailbox accounts that can be accessed by multiple users. Users prefer to use shared mailbox accounts because these accounts can use to send and receive emails free of charge. If you have an active Office 365 subscription plan, then you should take the benefits of shared mailbox accounts.

Let’s start discussing the process to import PST files to Microsoft 365, first, we are assuming that you have PST files on pc that you have exported from your Outlook desktop. If in case, you don’t have PST files but are using Outlook then export PST files using the inbuilt Import/Export feature.

Recommended: Best Techniques to Export Office 365 Emails to PST File

Method #1: Import PST Files to Shared Mailbox Using Import/Export Wizard

  1. Configure Office 365 shared mailbox account in Outlook.
  2. Import PST files to Outlook desktop client.
  3. Synchronize imported PST file with a shared mailbox.

If you are aware of these 3 simple steps, then complete them to import PST files to shared mailbox Office. If you don’t have much knowledge to complete these steps, then follow these steps in detail.

Step1- Configure Office 365 Shared Mailbox Account in Outlook

  1. Download, install, and run Outlook desktop client.
  2. Choose File >> Add Account option to continue.
  3. Enter your Office 365 shared mailbox address and press Connect.
  4. Type your shared mailbox password and select Sign In.
  5. Complete the account configuration and press the Ok button.
  6. Now you can receive and view shared mailbox emails in Outlook.

Step2- Import PST Files to Outlook Desktop Client

  1. Start Outlook desktop and choose File >> Open & Export.
  2. Select Import/Export option to open Import and Export Wizard.
    open and export
  3. Choose Import from another program or file and hit Next.
    import from other data file
  4. Select Outlook Data File (.pst) and press Next.
    outlook data file
  5. Click the Browse button, choose PST file, and press Open.
    browse location
  6. Select the Do not import duplicates option and press Next.
    select the pst file
  7. Enable the Include subfolder option to maintain the hierarchy.
  8. Check Import items into the same folder in a shared mailbox.
    select the email profile
  9. Choose configured shared mailbox account and Finish.

Step3- Synchronize Imported PST File with a Shared Mailbox

  1. Launch Outlook and choose Send/ Receive option.
  2. Choose Send/ Receive All Folders to start syncing.
  3. Thereafter, PST file data will be imported to configured shared mailbox.

Note: After completing these 3 simple steps the process to import PST to the shared mailbox has been completed. As experts know that IMAP configuration always keeps the same data on local and remote server accounts that is the logic behind this technique.

Import/Export Wizard Technique Drawbacks

  • Microsoft Outlook desktop client should be installed on your machine which is a paid personal information manager program.
  • Users should have complex knowledge of IMAP account configuration, settings, email protocols, and security settings.

Recommended: Easiest Way to Open PST File in Office 365 Account

Method #2: Import PST File to Office 365 Shared Mailbox Using Network Upload Method

  1. Create Import Export Role in Office 365.
  2. Create SAS URL using compliance.
  3. Download Microsoft AzCopy executable file.
  4. Generate a CSV mapping file and complete mapping.
  5. Import PST file to shared mailbox Office 365 with filters.
  6. Access imported PST file data to a shared mailbox.

You can complete these 6 quick steps to import PST files to shared mailbox using Network Upload Method. If you want to know more about these steps, then continue to read these steps in detail.

Step 1- Create Import Export Role in Office 365

  1. Login to your Microsoft 365 account and choose Admin.
    click admin
  2. Choose Role >> Role Assignment option as shown in the figure.
    click role option
  3. Thereafter, select Exchange >> Add role group option.
    click add role group
  4. Add the role group name & description and hit the Next button.
    enter name and description
  5. Under permissions choose Mail Recipients and press Next.
    select mail recipients permission
  6. Enter your shared mailbox address under Admins and choose Next.
    select mail id
  7. Review and finish your role and click the Add role group to finish it.
    click add role group option
  8. See Import PST Files into Office 365 Role group has been added. Click Done.
    click done

Important Note: After assigning a role group to import PST to Office 365 shared mailbox, you need to wait for 24 hours to reflect its effects. This is Microsoft’s internal process due to security reasons and authentications so please keep patience.

Step 2- Create SAS URL Using Compliance

First, you need to generate SAS URL for Azure Storage Explorer, as Azure Storage works as temporary storage for PST files. So, later it will use to import temporarily stored PST files to shared mailbox Office 365.

  1. Log in to your Office 365 account and choose the Compliance option.
    select compliance option
  2. Choose Data lifecycle management >> Microsoft 365 option from Microsoft Purview.
    click data lifecycle managements
  3. Select the Import button available under the Overview section of Data lifecycle management.
    import pst to shared mailbox microsoft 365
  4. Afterward, choose +New import job to continue.
    click new import job
  5. Enter the Name of your job and hit the Next button.
    enter job name
  6. Choose the Upload your data option and press Next.
    select upload your data
  7. Now select Show network upload SAS URL to create a URL.
    download azure azcopy

Step 3- Download Microsoft AzCopy Executable File and Connect

After creating SAS URL, you need to download AzCopy executable file. This utility allows you to import PST files to Microsoft 365 shared mailbox account.

  1. Now download AzCopy according to computer specifications.
    select windows bit
  2. Extract the AzCopy ZIP file and extract it to get the executable file.
    extract downloaded file
  3. Double-click on azcopy.exe to complete its setup.
    double click azcopy exe file
  4. Now open command prompt and enter these commands like
    cd <source of azure.exe file path>. After that Press Enter key on your keyboard and enter this mentioned command like
    azcopy.exe copy "<Source location of PST files>" "<paste SAS URL>".
    cmd prompt
  5. Go to Microsoft Purview to complete this task. Enable I’m done uploading to your file and I have access to the mapping file option. Press Next.
    click next

Step 4- Generate a CSV Mapping File and Complete Mapping

Now you need to create a CSV file with comprises specific information to import PST file to Shared Mailbox Office 365

  1. Open Microsoft Excel and choose an option for creating a new Excel Sheet.
    create csv file
  2. Create these mentioned columns including specific values like Workload – Exchange, File Path – This is optional so leave it empty, Name – Enter the name of the source PST file, Mailbox – Types a shared mailbox address ([email protected]), IsArchive – type FALSE for normal PST and type TRUE for archived PST, Target Root Folder – leave it blank.
  3. Thereafter, select File >> Save As option as shown in the respective screenshot.
    save as
  4. Choose CSV UTF-8 (Comma Delimited) (*.csv) option from the drop-down menu and select Save and generate CSV.
    select csv option

After creating CSV (Comma Separated Values) file, come back to the Import Data window for uploading and mapping the CSV file.

  1. Choose the Upload file option to upload the CSV mapping file.
    click upload file option
  2. Select CSV PST Import Mapping file and press the Open button.
    browse csv file
  3. Hit the Validate button to validate the mapping file.
    click validate
  4. CSV file validation process completed successfully, press Next.
    click next
Step 5- Import PST File to Shared Mailbox Office 365 with Filters
  1. Now review your entire process with details and click on Submit.
    click submit
  2. See your PST file is uploaded to AzCopy cloud storage to import. Now press Done to continue.
    click done
  3. Now wait to complete the PST analysis process, select PST file, and choose Import to Office 365.
    click import to office 365 option
  4. Thereafter, choose one option to import filtered data or import everything and hit the Next button.
    select filter option
  5. See message like the specific size PST file will be imported, Choose the Submit option to continue.
    click submit
  6. Thereafter, the process to import PST to shared mailbox Office 365 will be begun, at last, it will show you a popup message like Success. It will take a few hours to complete this task.
    imported pst to office 365 shared mailbox
Step 6- Access Imported PST File Data to a Shared Mailbox
  1. Now login to your Office 365 account and choose Outlook application.
  2. See the imported PST file data in Office 365 shared mailbox account.
    output data
Network Upload Technique Limitations
  • You will need to complete various stages to complete Microsoft 365 import PST to shared mailbox processing.
  • This is a lengthy and time-consuming technique, even it requires technical knowledge to perform all the phases.
  • The network upload method is suitable to import a maximum of 20 GB PST file to a shared mailbox in Microsoft 365.
  • You may face difficulties to import PST to shared mailbox Office 365 using PowerShell scripts and commands, even your data may be got corrupted.
  • You cannot use the Network Upload Method to instantly import PST to shared mailbox Office 365 account. After assigning admins roles, it requires you to wait for 24 hours to continue to complete the process.

Recommended: All Steps to Backup Office 365 to Local Server

Method #3: Import PST File to Shared Mailbox Microsoft 365 Using Drive Shipping
  1. First, create +New Import Job using the inbuilt Security & Compliance option.
    security and compliance
  2. Enable Ship hard drives to one of our physical locations option.
    upload your data
  3. Ship and send your source PST file to Microsoft Corporation.
  4. Ask Microsoft to upload PST to Azure Storage.
  5. Thereafter, Microsoft will validate your PST file.
  6. After validating, Microsoft will charge 2 USD for 1 GB of data storage.
Drive Shipping Technique Limitations
  • Microsoft offers a drive shipping method that is available in limited countries, so this is not useful for all users worldwide.
  • If you are importing multiple large PST files to a shared mailbox in an O365 account, then Microsoft will charge a giant amount of $2000 for 1 TB of data.
  • The Size of the source PST file should not be more than 20 GB to import them into a shared mailbox account.
  • If your source PST file has more than 300 folders and subfolders, then Microsoft doesn’t allow you to import them using the drive shipping technique.

Read Also: Steps to Migrate Outlook.com Account to Office 365

Method #4: Expert Solution to Import PST to Shared Mailbox Account

BitRecover PST to Office 365 Migration Tool is an excellent software that asks only account credentials to complete this task easily with 100% accuracy. This software is available with a free demo version for Windows and Mac OS users. The freeware version gives permission to import the first 25 items from each PST folder to a shared mailbox account. Let’s check its working process in the upcoming section.

How to Import PST into Office 365 Shared Mailbox?
  1. Launch the software and use Select Files or Select Folders button to add PST files.
    add files
  2. Now select the required PST folders according to your need and press the Next button.
    mark required folder
  3. Choose Office 365 as a saving option as shown in the screenshot.
    select saving office365
  4. Enter the credentials of your Office 365 shared mailbox and press Connect.
    email password
  5. Microsoft 365 import PST to shared mailbox process is running, wait for completion.
    microsoft 365 import pst to shared mailbox
Unique Features of Software
  • The software has the option to repair PST files before importing them to Office 365 shared mailbox account. Enable the Use Recovery Mode option to perform with damaged files.
  • There is no size and quantity limitation for importing several PST files to shared mailbox in M365 account. Even users can map PST files with associated shared mailbox accounts.
  • You can check or uncheck specific PST folders for importing them under Office 365 shared mailbox account. This is useful to avoid unnecessary folders for importing.
  • The tool provides various advance filter options to import PST file to Office 365 shared mailbox by date range, from email address, to email address, subject, exclude folders, add event organizer, and rename root folder name.
Conclusion

We have discussed the complete information to import PST to shared mailbox Office 365 account using the top 4 techniques. You can go with any method according to your choice to finish this task. However manual ways have some major drawbacks, so this is advisable to use professional software to do this task effortlessly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ques 1: Which manual method is easy to use to import PST files to shared mailbox in Office 365?

Ans: Use Import/Export Wizard to import PST files to shared mailbox accounts, this is the easiest manual way to complete this task easily.

Ques 2: How can I create a shared mailbox account in Microsoft 365 cloud?

Ans: Follow these instructions to create a shared mailbox account:

  1. Login to Microsoft 365 using an admin account.
  2. Go to Exchange Admin Center.
  3. Navigate to the Teams & Groups option and choose Shared Mailbox.
  4. Select Add a Shared Mailbox and provide the required information like Display Name, Email Address, etc.
  5. Press Add to generate a shared mailbox in O365 account.

Ques 3: What are the required permissions to use PowerShell for importing PST files to shared mailbox?

Ans: Import Export role should be assigned to perform the steps to import PST files into Microsoft 365 shared mailbox using PowerShell.

Ques 4: Does your software allow to import of more than 20 GB PST files to a shared mailbox in Microsoft 365?

Ans: Yes, don’t worry software is suitable for importing large PST files to a shared mailbox, however, enough quota space should be available in O365.

Read Similar: Fastest Method to Remove Duplicate Emails from Shared Mailbox

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