Best Way to Backup Office 365 Email – Preserving Emails Locally

Summary: From the plethora of methods to take backup, we have here the best way to backup Office 365 email explained in detail. Go through the methods to completely download your data on the local device and access it later when required.

Office 365 Suite which is Microsoft’s cloud-based SaaS provides various user-oriented services that allow performing only so many activities.

The emailing facility of Microsoft 365 has certain functions that make it the best suite for business growth.

However, the question that arises is why do users feel the need to create a backup of their data if Office 365 is so user-oriented, and what is the best way to backup Office 365 email to PST?

A known fact is that there is no method provided by Office 365 to download the data on local storage. This is why users go looking for third-party tools that can be used for exporting data from the mailbox to the user’s storage system.

So, for those who want the data on the system, we will be explaining the expert solution which can be used for bulk transfer as well.

Also, find the reasons for creating a backup of your data in the latter section. Let’s get started!

Which is the Best Way to Backup Office 365 Email?

There are two methods to export your data from Office 365 mailboxes. Most of the users prefer downloading data in Outlook data file format which can later be accessed in Outlook easily.

Now, what are these methods?

The first one will be a professional’s recommendation which can be used even by the non-technocrats without any complications.

Another method is the manual solution which is rather difficult to perform due to the complicated steps involved.

Certain drawbacks of this method are also explained for a clear understanding on your part.

The Best Way to Backup Office 365 Email to PST Explained

Using the Office 365 Backup Tool, the data can easily be downloaded from the mailbox in Outlook-supported format at the desired location.

If you want to export your emails in bulk or selectively, both cases are possible and can be performed with ease.

For bulk emails, you just have to mark the folder you need to take a backup from. For selective emails, you can set a specific time duration and download your data from the mailbox from selective folders.

The best way to backup Office 365 email also permits you to send your emails in batch mode using the Concurrent Backup feature.

You may also find it helpful: How to Convert an OST File to a PST File?

Also, set the priorities to send certain files earlier than others as per your requirement.

Moving towards the steps.

Instructed Guidelines to Create Backup of the Data

1. Download and launch the software and from the Setup tab, choose Office 365 as Source and Outlook as Destination.
2. Move further to the Workload Selection section and mark the Email category to export files from emails. The best way to backup Office 365 email to PST selectively is by choosing the Date-Filter and setting dates in the “from” and “to” sections.
3. In the next step, you have to enter the login credentials for the admin account in Office 365 Source window and Validate your account. Hit Next for further steps.
4. Set the destination and size of the end results in Outlook in the Destination Choose Validate to get permissions and press Next.
5. Select the Fetch Users option to insert the user IDs for mapping.
6. Hit the Start Backup button to initiate the transition.

Is Manual Way the Best Way to Backup Office 365 Email?

This method makes use of the eDiscovery Content Search method which is capable of exporting the data from a user’s mailbox in PST format.

To perform this operation, you should have the following:

• Windows 7 or above with 32 or 64-bit versions
• Requirement of Microsoft.NET framework 4.5
• Should have Internet Explorer version 8 or above

Once you fulfill all the requirements, follow the steps given in the coming section. But, remember that this method is full of complexity which is not entirely the best way to backup Office 365 email to PST since it can cause errors if not performed carefully.

Manual Steps for Exporting Emails to Outlook Data File

1. Log in to your Office 365 admin account and open the Admin Center. Hit the Security
2. After that, choose the Permission option and click on the eDiscovery Manager from the list.
3. In the new window that opens up, select the Edit button against the eDiscovery Administrator option.
4. Click on the eDiscovery administrator that you want to choose and hit Save.
5. Unlike the best way to backup Office 365 email, here you have to perform a new search by going to the left pane & choose the Search option
6. After that, choose the New Search option in the Content Search
7. Select the location or search the mailboxes you want to create a backup of and hit the Next
8. Now, choose the keyword and make use of the conditions as required. Preview the search and hit Submit.
9. Then, go to the search list and open your search. Press the Action
10. Hit Export to download the data to move further to find if it is the best way to backup Office 365 email to PST.
11. Here, you have to choose the Export tab and press the Download results
12. Then, copy the Export Key and paste it into the eDiscovery Export Tool. Browse the location to save the end results.
13. Tap on the Start button to complete the process.

This way the data files will be exported to your chosen location in Outlook data file format. As you can see, there are a lot of steps to this procedure leading to certain limitations for the operation.

What Makes the Manual Method Not the Best Way to Backup Office 365 Email?

The disadvantages of using this workaround are listed here:

• Manually the procedure becomes more complex and time-taking.
• Selective data cannot be exported using this process.
• Prior technical knowledge is needed before executing this operation.
• Novice users cannot perform the task without any external help.
• High chances of data being altered and an accurate backup is not guaranteed.

What are the Reasons to Download Your Data?

The simple and main reasons for finding the best way to backup Office 365 email to PST are:

• To reduce the size of the mailbox, users tend to download their data on the local storage as backup and delete the exported files from the mailbox.
• Due to the cyber-crimes like hacking, virus attacks, malware attacks, etc., users prefer having a backup of their data.
• For avoiding accidental deletion or data loss due to any reason, backup is important using which they can retrieve their data.

Final Observation

Due to the rising numbers of cyber-attacks, users of the cloud are always recommended to create a backup of their data no matter what. A lot of Office 365 users have understood the same & want the best way to backup Office 365 email since Microsoft itself suggests users backup their data.

The methods explained in the article for the same are both useful and successful. However, the manual method has certain limitations that are mentioned here for clarity for users.