Common Problems when Migrating Outlook Emails to Office 365

Many companies are migrating from Outlook to Office 365 as it offers enhanced features and data security. Migrating Outlook emails to Office 365 manually is a tedious and lengthy process. Sometimes, you face several challenges and issues when migrating Outlook emails to Office 365. This article addresses the common problems and issues encountered during the Outlook to Office 365 (Microsoft 365) migration process and provides solutions to ensure a smooth and successful migration.

Common Challenges with Outlook to Office 365 Migration

Migrating emails from one platform to another can be a complex task. Thus, it’s crucial to anticipate and address potential challenges beforehand for an error-free smooth migration. Understanding the associated challenges will help you and your organization prepare better and minimize any disruptions or data loss during the migration process.

Problem 1: Data Loss or Corruption

Data loss during the migration process is one of the most significant concerns. Losing emails containing critical information can have severe consequences on business operations.

The migration process involves uploading large PST files from local storage to Azure Storage for import. If the PST files are not handled carefully, they may get damaged or corrupt leading to further issues at the time of import.

To prevent data loss, it’s recommended that you create a backup copy of the mailbox data on another volume, drive, or folder. This will help ensure that all emails are successfully transferred without any risk of permanent loss.

Problem 2: Performance Issues

Whether you use the Network Upload or Drive Shipping method, you must ensure that the PST files are smaller than 20 GB. Microsoft recommends uploading PST files smaller than 20 GB to avoid performance issues, such as slow import. In case you have large PST files (larger than 20 GB), split the file into smaller files to ensure it remains within the recommended limits.

Problem 3: PST Import Stuck

The Office 365 import service has a limited ingestion rate that prevents importing of PST files larger than 24 GB per day per mailbox. Additionally, the import service runs in an environment that is shared among other tenants, which can impact the import job and cause it to get stuck or progress slowly.

This problem is particularly occurs when the PST files you are trying to upload and import are larger than 20 GB. Furthermore, attempting to import multiple PST files into the same mailbox simultaneously can also result in the PST import process getting stuck.

Problem 4: Skipped Mail Items or PSTs

When using the manual PST upload method, whether it's Network Upload or Drive Shipping, corrupted or problematic mail items, also known as bad items, are skipped during the PST import process. As a result, the import job status shows the skipped mail items.

You can utilize the Get-MailboxImportRequest cmdlet to identify corrupted or skipped (BadItemsEncountered) mail items found in the PST files during migration. After the import, you can download the detailed report to view more details regarding the import job.

Problem 5: Import Job Failure

Certain errors may occur when the storage on the destination server is insufficient or low to store any more data. In such cases, if the PST file size exceeds the available mailbox size, the import job in Office 365 may encounter the MapiExceptionShutOffQuotaExceeded error.

Thus, it is important to check the available storage in the mailbox before initiating the import job.

Solution for a Successful Outlook to Office 365 Migration

To overcome the challenges associated with email migration, you can employ a reliable solution. Select the right migration tool that can help in smooth and efficient migration from Outlook to Office 365 without compromising data integrity or productivity. Stellar Migrator for Outlook offers a comprehensive email migration solution that addresses all the challenges mentioned above. The software provides a user-friendly interface, ensuring a seamless migration process.

By choosing Stellar Migrator for Outlook as the migration tool, you can mitigate the risks and challenges associated with email migration and achieve a successful transition to Office 365.

Conclusion

The process of migrating Outlook emails to Office 365 has its fair share of challenges that organizations can overcome by adopting best practices and reliable Outlook to Office 365 migration tools, such as Stellar Migrator for Outlook. By addressing the mentioned potential issues and risks, such as data loss, compatibility issues, slow migration, user resistance, and technical difficulties, organizations can ensure a smooth and successful transition.