How to import PST to Office 365 without data loss?

IT administrators manage all the data within the organization, be it Outlook PSTs or inactive mailbox data of employees who have left. Sometimes, when a user from the team asks to access data from an old PST file within an Office 365 account, they have to import PST in Office 365. If you also have users looking to access the PST file data in Office or planning to shift from Outlook to Office 365, this article is for you.

It will explain to you some effective reasons and best methods to import PST to Office 365 without data loss. So, without further delay, let’s begin!

Why do you need to migrate PST to Office 365?

To find a solution to the problem, you need to first understand the actual reason for doing it. Here are some reasons that explain why you need to perform a PST to Office 365 migration.

Users switch to Office 365 from Outlook because of the easy accessibility it provides from anywhere.
Office 365 is known for its advanced data protection, which means your mailbox data will be secured against breaches and losses.
Since Office 365 regularly updates itself, there’s no need to wait years to get a new release of the platform to access new features.
Promotes collaboration among team members without the need to send multiple emails to keep track of the process’s progress.

How to upload PST file to Office 365?

To learn about the methods to upload PST to Office 365 environment, follow the processes explained below:

Method 1: Use Import/Export feature of Outlook

In this method, we’ll use the Import/Export feature of the Outlook application to upload files to Office 365.

Step 1: Open Outlook and go to the File tab, then click Open & Export > Import/Export.

Step 2: Select Export to a file and then Outlook Data File (.pst) in the next window. Click Next.

Step 3: Provide a location to save the file using the Browse button, then select the desired options.

Step 4: Once the data is exported to a PST file, open the Import/Export window.

Step 5: Choose Import from another program or file from the wizard and click Next.

Step 6: Select Outlook Data File (.pst) and then click Browse in the next screen to provide location of the file saved in previous steps.

Step 7: Select the file, then click Open and mark the option Do not import duplicates. Click Next and then Finish to complete.

Limitations of manually uploading PST to Office 365

High chances of human errors during the process.
Migrating multiple PST files will take a lot of time.
No support for selective data transfer or preview before migration.

Network upload method to upload PST to Office

Another method that supports migration of PST files is the network upload, for which you’ll need a shared folder to store PSTs; the maximum message size should be 35 MB. It will need the users to stay organized and prepare the Office 365 environment before uploading an effective PST file mapping. Create a PST import job and perform the migration to Office 365.

Significant tips to avoid data loss during migration

Here are some basic but essential tips that will help you escape the data loss during PST migration to Office 365:

Always perform a thorough cleanup of the unnecessary data from the source before migration.
Do not forget to create backup copies of the data beforehand to avoid data loss during migration.
Plan migration according to the Office 365 mailbox quotas to avoid errors in the transition.
You can split large PST files into multiple smaller PSTs before migrating to Office 365 to minimize migration failures.

Conclusion

Even though the manual method allows you to upload the PST file, there is a chance of losing data due to errors in the process. Moreover, this method is not suitable if there are multiple PST files to migrate. This will waste a lot of your time as an administrator and eventually result in lower productivity. This is why it is a smart move to choose a professional tool like Kernel Import PST to Office 365 tool, which simplifies the transfer irrespective of the data volume.

Best Methods to Migrate PST to Office 365 Without Data Loss