Export Shared Mailbox to PST Office 365 PowerShell - Detailed Guide

Companies have changed their mode of communication using emails and collaborative efforts forever ever since Office 365 was introduced. The shared mailbox feature, which allows several users to access and manage emails through one inbox, is one of the key features of Office 365. Normally, these shared mailboxes must be exported to a PST (Personal Storage Table) file for migration, archiving, or backup purposes.

In this comprehensive guide, which every IT professional dealing with Office 365 should have, we will examine the process to export shared mailbox to PST Office 365 PowerShell. From understanding the basics to troubleshooting common issues; everything will be encapsulated here.

What is a Shared Mailbox?

Through Office 365, many people can read and send email messages to a common mailbox. For instance, if the company is providing a shared mailbox, several employees can use the same generic email addresses. This is especially helpful to departments such as sales, support, or customer service in nature.

Features of the Shared Mailbox:

For multiple users to get into a shared email account, there is no separate login or password required. Shared calendars and contacts also found in the mailboxes allow team members to work in collaboration with each other. Since there is no need for a distinct license, it becomes an economical solution for organizations using a shared mailbox. In addition, in some customer service scenarios, it can be arranged that shared mailboxes send out automatic replies. Before we carry on with the process, we are going to discuss some of the limitations of the shared mailbox.?

Limitation of the Shared Mailbox:?

• Limited Storage: There is limited storage in shared mailboxes. It is generally around 50 GB unless it is increased to 100 GB due to the assignment of the Exchange Online License.?
• No Option to Login Directly: Users have no option to log in directly to a shared mailbox. The access is only granted through user permissions.?
• Limited Features: Many features are not available for shared mailboxes as compared to the regular user mailboxes.?

Why Should You Export Mailboxes that are Shared for Use to PST??

It’s crucial to back up shared mailboxes since they contain important business information. PST helps in storing archives of old email messages thus reducing the size of mailboxes and improving performance as well. PST is a common migration strategy when moving shared mailboxes from one email service provider to another. Shared mailboxes may need exporting for legal reasons, audits, or compliance with regulations like GDPR and HIPAA among others.

Benefits of PST Files

• Portability: PST files can be easily copied or moved between diverse systems or platforms.?
• Local Access: Users can still have access to PST files locally even when using Microsoft Outlook offline.?
• Management of Storage: One of the efficient ways to manage storage in Office 365 is exporting old mail into a PST file.

Prerequisites for Exporting Shared Mailboxes

Before beginning with the export shared mailbox to PST Office 365 PowerShell process, it is important for you to ensure that you have all the prerequisites:?

Access Permission

• Administrator Account: In order to carry out the export procedure, you need to have an Office 365 administrator account.
• Mailbox Import/Export Role: Add the Mailbox Import/Export role to your account to grant the required rights. It is necessary to manually configure this position because it is not assigned by default.

Software Requirements?

• PowerShell: You should ensure that PowerShell is on your machine and has the latest updates.?
• Exchange Online Management Module: You should install this module to enable interaction with Exchange Online using PowerShell.

Considerations for Network and Security

• Secure Network Connection: To access Exchange Online, you must have a dependable, secure internet connection.
• Security and Firewall Configurations: Set up security and firewall configurations so PowerShell can connect to Office 365 services.

A Step-by-Step Guide for Exporting Shared Mailboxes in PST with PowerShell?

In this section, we will go through a detailed procedure for carrying out the export shared mailbox to PST Office 365 PowerShell process.?

• Step 1: Link to Exchange Online PowerShell?

To connect to Exchange Online PowerShell, follow the steps given below:

1. Launch PowerShell: Start your PowerShell as administrator. Set up Exchange Online Management Module (if not already done):
2. Enter the following command — “ Install-Module -Name ExchangeOnlineManagement “
3. Import the Module — “ Import-Module ExchangeOnlineManagement ”
4. Connect to Exchange Online — “ Connect-ExchangeOnline -UserPrincipalName <[email protected]> ”

Replace <[email protected]> with the admin and the email address. You will then have to enter the credentials.?

• Step 2: Choose Mailbox Import/Export Position?

To begin the process of exporting a mailbox, you are to give yourself the Mailbox Import/Export function:?

1. Make a New Role Group if it has not been done already — “ New-RoleGroup -Name "Import-Export Management" -Roles "Mailbox Import Export" -Members <[email protected]> ”
2. Verify the Assignment of Roles — “ Get-RoleGroupMember "Import-Export Management" ”

You should ensure that the administrator is listed as a member.?

• Step 3: Get Ready to Export

Decide which shared mailbox to export:

1. List Every Shared Mailbox — “ Get-Mailbox -RecipientTypeDetails SharedMailbox ”
2. For the export procedure, determine the email address or display name of the shared mailbox.

• Step 4: Create a New Search for Content

To indicate the specific objects you wish to export, create a content search:

1. Make a Content Search — “ New-ComplianceSearch -Name "Export Shared Mailbox" -ExchangeLocation <[email protected]> ”. Replace <[email protected]> with the email of the shared mailbox.?
2. Initiate the Search — “ Start-ComplianceSearch -Identity "Export Shared Mailbox" ”
3. Check the Status of the Search — “ Get-ComplianceSearch -Identity "Export Shared Mailbox" ”

• Step 5: Launch PST file exportation of searched results?

Transfer your search results into a PST file:?

1. Make an Export Request — “ New-ComplianceSearchAction -SearchName "Export Shared Mailbox" -Export -Format PST ”
2. Monitor the request of the export — “ Get-ComplianceSearchAction -Identity "Export Shared Mailbox_PSTExport" ”

• Step 6: Get the PST file downloaded.

Download the PST file after the export is done:

1. Get the Results for the Export — “ Get-ComplianceSearchAction -Identity "Export Shared Mailbox_PSTExport" | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Results ”
2. Download Link: The output will contain a secure download link for the PST file. You should use this link to download the PST file onto your local device.

Common Issues Users May Face

Here are some of the common issues that users may face during the export shared mailbox to PST Office 365 PowerShell process:?

1. Inadequate Permissions: Make sure that your account carries the Mailbox Import/Export title.?
2. Connection Problems: Verify the network connection and see if PowerShell can reach Exchange Online.?
3. Export Errors: Verify that the mailbox does not exceed the upper limit on size. Examine recordings for error messages that are directly connected with any particular subject. Search.
4. Search is Unable to Complete: Run another search and ensure proper syntax is utilized. Check on Office 365 for downtimes.

Tips for Exporting Shared Mailboxes?

Here are some of the best practices to export a shared mailbox PST Office 365 PowerShell:?

• Preparing and Planning for the Move

You should plan for regular exports so that backups remain current. Users should also clean up and organize mailbox data before export to ensure a streamlined process.?

• During the Export Process

Users should continuously monitor the process to export shared mailbox to PST Office 365 PowerShell status and address any issues promptly. Also ensure the PST files are stored securely, with access limited to authorized personnel only.?

• Verify Files Post-Export

Open the PST file in Outlook to verify data integrity and completeness and maintain documentation of the export process, including timestamps, mailbox details, and storage locations.

Considering the Security and Compliance Aspects

Security of the Data

1. Encryption: To avoid unwanted access, make sure PST files are encrypted both during transmission and storage.
2. Access Control: To monitor access to exported PST files, impose stringent access rules, and keep audit logs.

Compliance

You should ensure that export procedures adhere to applicable laws, such as GDPR or HIPAA, which may specify the handling and storage of data. Users should also keep an eye out for any legal holds on mailboxes, as these could prevent data exports.

Using an Automated Tool

Since the manual methods are very complex and need a certain degree of expertise to correctly perform the process, they can use a simple automated tool to perform the export shared mailbox to PST Office 365 Powershell query in just minutes. You can use the SysTools Office 365 Export Tool which is a very easy-to-use tool that can automatically carry out the process for you.?

Moreover, users can export the archive as well as their own mailboxes without the need for an admin account. This tool ensures to protect the integrity of the data as well as its security. Here are some of the features of this tool:?

1. Helps users export emails in PST, MBOX, EML, PDF, and MSG formats.?
2. Users get an option to split PST into parts to generate the variable size .pst files.?
3. You can export the archive mailbox to PST from the user account in Office 365.?
4. Users can export the shared mailbox to PST. This is done through Admin impersonation.?
5. You can download the emails in bulk using the admin account to carry out the process to export shared mailbox to PST Office 365 PowerShell.?
6. This tool allows you to export the mailboxes to PST using a date range.?

Steps to use this tool:?

1. Download and install the tool on your device.?
2. Choose the source and Office 365 and Outlook as the destination.?
3. Select the workload from the list of mailbox items and apply the date filter to select specific files based on the date range.?
4. Log in with the source Office 365 credentials for the admin and then click on the validate option.?
5. Choose the path to save the PST file.?
6. Add the users and then select the users whose data needs to be exported.?
7. Now, You can start the export process by clicking on the start button.?

Conclusion

It is always important for IT administrators to conduct vital activities of exporting shared mailboxes to PST in Office 365 using PowerShell. Among others, data backup, archiving as well as compliance with regulations are some of the benefits associated with this process. The steps in this article will help you manage and export shared mailbox to PST Office 365 PowerShell more efficiently. The Automated tool suggested in this article, will allow users to very easily perform this entire process in just minutes with no expertise required.