Know How to Import PST to Office 365 Shared Mailbox – Complete Guide

Several potential users want to know how to import PST to Office 365 Shared Mailbox. But, Why it is required?

Office 365 Shared mailboxes are a special type of mailbox that is not connected to an individual user. Majorly they are configured by administrators to grant access to various users such as the Sales department, Support department, etc. It means many users can send and receive emails from the same email address. Thus, the data received in the shared mailbox can be automatically viewed by its associated members.

Therefore, if the organization wants to move PST files into several Office 365 mailboxes, then it is better to import .pst directly into shared mailboxes. This is the reason why users looking for a solution on how to import PST to Office 365 shared mailbox.

4 Simple Steps to Import PST to Office 365 Shared Mailbox

Try automated software Office 365 Import tool to migrate Oultook multiple PST files into Office 365 account.

• Step 1. Launch & Enter Credentials 
• Step 2. Add Local PST Files
• Step 3. Apply Required Filters
• Step 4. Click on Start Import 

A Technique to Import PST to Office 365 Shared Mailbox

The first and foremost thing is the complete procedure performed by the Office 365 administrator. It means no other user associated with Office 365 cannot use this method for the same. Now, to understand the entire migration process clearly, we take an example here. For the overall workaround, we need an Office 365 admin account, a shared mailbox ID, and an O365 mailbox that is a member of the shared mailbox.

• O365 Admin ID:- pavan@cloudsystoool.onmicrosoft.com
• O365 Primary Mailbox ID:- rennie@cloudsystool.com
• Shared Mailbox ID:- support@cloudsystool.onmicrosoft.com

Let’s check out the steps to import PST to Office 365 Shared Mailbox

Stage 1. Start With PST Files

It is advised to keep the PST folder or file name short and simple. Because many times naming conventions create issues during the import process. Here, we save the PST file as ‘1.pst’. Plus, if the PST files are available on a network server, so admin has to share the folder that consists of PST files.

Stage 2. Take Out SAS URL

Now, after preparing the PST file, it is time to generate the URL of Azure Storage Explorer. This step is very important because the Azure store works as temporary storage for the PST file. And, this data file will be further imported into the O365 cloud. Now to get the SAS URL, you have to perform the following steps sequentially.

1. log in to the O365 admin account. Here, we use pavan@cloudsystoools.onmicrosoft.com user ID. Then, click on Security & Compliance as shown in the screenshot.

2. You can either open the O365 Security & Compliance portal by pasting the following URL on the browser.

https://protection.office.com/#/homepage

3. From the Security & Compliance, click on the Data governance drop-down button and select the Import option.

4. Click on +New import job to proceed with the process.

5. After that, in Name your job section, enter a suitable name like ‘importpst’ and click on Next.

6. On the following window, select the Upload your data option and click on Next.

7. On the Import data page, click on Show network upload SAS URL to generate the URL.

8. Click on Copy to clipboard to copy the URL.

9. Next, paste the URL on the notepad as shown in the screenshot.

Stage 3. Download Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer

After getting the SAS URL, the next step is to download the Azure Storage application on the system in order to upload the PST file. To do so, use the below steps.

1. Paste the following URL on the search bar to open Microsoft Azure page.

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-in/features/storage-explorer/

2. Select the Operating system and click on Download Storage Explorer free.

3. After a few minutes, the application is installed on the machine.

4. In order to establish the connection, right-click on Storage Accounts and select Connect to Azure storage…

5. A new Connect to Azure Storage window appears, you need to select the radio button corresponding to Use a shared access signature URI.

6. Now, paste the SAS URL that was saved in notepad in the above step under the URI section.

7. After that, a Connection Summary page appears that provides information like Display name, SAS, URL Expiration date, etc. Then, click on Connect in order to link the Azure Active Directory store to the specified storage account.

Stage 4. Time to Load PST File to Azure Directory

Once the Azure storage account is set up, we have to upload the Outlook PST file using the below instructions.

1. From the left-side navigation pane, click on Storage Accounts >> SAS-Attached Services >> ingestiondata. From the detailed pane, click on the Upload button and either select Upload Folder or Upload File. Here, we select the Upload file option.

2. In the Upload files dialog box, click on ‘…’ to upload the .pst file. Then, select the ‘1.pst’ file and click on Open.

3. Next, click on Upload to start the process.

4. Wait until the file gets loaded on the Azure dashboard. Because the uploading time is directly proportional to the size of the .pst file.

Note: Sometimes files will not be seen on the detailed pane, so it is advised to Reload the page. By doing this, the PST files will appear on the pane

Stage 5. Prepare CSV File

This is the most crucial step where we define that PST file should import into Office 365 shared mailbox. For this, the admin needs to create a CSV or Comma Separated Value file that comprises all the information. To do so, use the steps below:

Steps to Create CSV File

1. Open the Excel application and create a new sheet.
2. This sheet must include the following column.

• Workload – Its value should be Exchange.
• File Path – Leave this blank (Optional)
• Name – Enter the uploaded PST name
• Mailbox – Type shared mailbox ID (support@cloudsystool.onmicrosoft.com)
• IsArchive – If the PST is archive type, then make it True. Else, type false.
• TargetRoot Folder – Leave blank

Note: Make CSV file as per the standard.

Stage 6. Upload the CSV File

Once you have made the CSV file, go back to the Import data window and upload the .csv file.

1. In the Import data window, select the following checkboxes and click on Next.

• I’m done uploading my files
• I have access to the mapping file

2. Click on the +Select mapping file and upload the previously created CSV (or PST Import Mapping file) file.

3. After that, click on Validate option. This will verify the CSV file information as per Office 365 standards. If there is an error in the CSV file, then the PST import process will not proceed further.

4. Finally, click on Save to add the file.

Stage 7. Initiate PST Import Process

1. Once the above steps are completed successfully, Office 365 starts to analyze the PST file. At the very first, the analysis process is in progress.

2. Once the analysis gets completed, the status becomes changed to Analysis completed. Finally, you are ready to import PST into Office 365 shared mailbox.

3. Now, select the PST file that is going to be migrated and click on Ready to import to Office 365.

4. After that, to start the PST migration process, click on Import to Office 365 option.

5. On the following window, you have the option to either apply ‘import selective data’ through a filter or migrate the entire data to a shared mailbox. If you opt for the ‘Yes, I want to filter it before importing’ option, then the following things can be performed.

• Can Migrate data items of specific age
• Can transfer specified type of message
• Remove the message of a specified people

6. Here, we select the ‘No, I want to import everything’ option to import entire data of PST file into Office 365.

7. After that, click on Import data from the Filter your data window.

8. Finally, PST to Office 365 Shared mailbox migration process gets started. And, once the task gets completed, the status of the PST file is displayed as Success.

Note: Make sure you have enough amount of time. Because the complete PST import method takes long hours for completion.

Stage 8. Check Imported PST Data into Office 365 Mailbox

When the entire process gets over, then verify whether the data is imported into shared mailbox or not. For this, go through these instructions.

1. Login into Office 365 as a user. Here, we are using renie@cloudsystools.onmicrosoft.com O365 ID.

2. Select the Outlook application. Here, you can clearly see the migrated PST file shown under the ‘Support’ shared mailbox and not in the primary mailbox.

Consequences Associated With Manual Method

As you see, the network upload method has lots of stages in order to import PST to Office 365 Shared mailbox and almost takes long hours to complete. Apart from this, the entire migration process is only performed by Office 365 administrator. In fact, many times, the process gets terminated without the completion of the import process.

The reason behind the unexpected termination can be anything like a weak internet connection or the presence of a bad item in the PST file. Due to this, the entire import process needs to start from the beginning point.

Don’t be Sad, An Alternate Solution is Available

To overcome the limitations of manual procedure, there is an automated software named as discussed above. This tool is developed to perform  PST to Office 365 migration of mailboxes, including shared mailboxes. The best functionality of the utility is it maintained the exact folder hierarchy in the mailbox that was available in the PST file. So, the user will receive the same data in a similar folder after the migration. Moreover, the user only needs to perform the following clicks and the entire process is done so fast and smoothly.

Download Tool Purchase Now

Let’s check out the steps-

Software Pre-Requisites to Import PST to Office 365 Shared Mailbox

1. Assign Admin Impersonation Permissions in Exchange Admin Center.
   • Assign Mailbox Import Export Permissions to the Discovery Management Role Group.
     
2. Then Allocate UserMailbox Permissions to the Respective Admin Account.
   

Step By Step Guide to Import PST to Shared Mailbox Office 365

Step 1. Begin by selecting Outlook as the source platform and Office 365 as the destination platform.

Step 2. In the interface, designate the specific categories you intend to transfer to Office 365 under Workload Selection.

Step 3. Utilize the Date-Range Filter feature to precisely import mailbox data based on preferred dates. Once done, proceed by clicking “Next.”

Step 4. Access the Source screen. Specify the folder path containing the Outlook PST files. Organize PST files within folders named after the target O365 email IDs. For instance:

   – Create folders in the root drive (e.g., E:/PST/user1@domainName.com/) and place respective PST files within each folder accordingly.

Repeat this structure for each user, assigning PST files to their corresponding folders (e.g., E:/PST/user2@domainName.com/, E:/PST/user3@domainName.com/, and so forth).

   – Select the main folder “E:/PST/” within our tool as the Import Folder Path.

Step 5. Validate to ensure necessary permissions are granted to the files. Once validated, permissions will be authorized from the source platform. Click “Next.”

Step 6. Enter the Office 365 admin email account and application ID for the destination. Validate these credentials. Following validation, permissions will be granted to the admin account. Proceed by clicking “Next.”

Step 7. Users are added to the source account in multiple ways:

• Fetch Users – Automatically retrieves users from the Source.
• Import Users – Imports users through CSV.
• Download Template – Obtain a CSV file template for user creation.

Select the appropriate method for user addition.

Step 8. The list of source users is displayed. Search for specific mailboxes and select users for data import. Utilize the Show Selected toggle bar to view only the chosen users, simplifying selective data import.

Step 9. For the destination user accounts, there are two options:

   – Use the User List Template: A sample CSV file for manually adding source users.

   – Import Users: Import users through CSV.

Step 10. Validate to authorize the selected user source and destination accounts. Once validated, proceed by clicking “OK.”

Step 11. Lastly, click the “Start Import” button to initiate the import process.

Also Read: How to Migrate Your Organization Data to Office 365 Enterprise

Bringing It All Together

In this write-up, we have covered the complete information on how to import PST to Office 365 Shared Mailbox. So, whenever an Office 365 administrator needs to migrate the .pst file into O365, just follow the above-described method for the same. However, the entire task consumes lots of time, so make sure you have a sufficient amount of time. However, if users are looking for an ultra-fast solution, then go with the above-mentioned user-friendly solution for the same process.