Microsoft is one of the renowned email clients for both cloud and desktop users. They have created the email service for offline (Outlook) as well as online(Office 365) users. Although, the Office 365 platform is more secure and userfriendly, due to some reasons Office 365 users ask a query "how to migrate email from Office 365 to Outlook". There could be many reasons which vary according to the user's needs. One of the top reasons we have found is to take their important Office 365 emails as a backup into the Outlook account.    
  In this guide, we will discuss multiple methods to migrate Office 365 mailbox to PST, including manual as well as an automated third-party solution to solve the user query.    

Topics Covered

1. Reasons to Migrate Office 365 to Outlook
2. How to Migrate Office 365 Mailbox to PST, Manually
3. Problems – Related to Manual Solution
4. Limitations of Manual Method
5. Best Automated Tool For Migration– Microsoft MVP Recommended
6. Advantages of Professional Solution
7. Steps to Import PST file in Outlook
8. Conclusion

Top Reasons to Migrate Email From Office 365 To Outlook  

Below are the list of few reasons which we get from various Office 365 users who wish to migrate Office 365 mailbox to PST:    

1. Taking Backup of Office 365 emails: Security, Offline-use are few of the reasons for taking backup Office 365 account.  
2. Share Office 365 mailbox with others: To share mailboxes of Office 365, users need to migrate Office 365 mailboxes in PST file format.  
3. Reduce the size of Office 365 Online mailbox: To save the Office 365 server space, users mostly download less important mails on the local computer.    

Method to Migrate Office 365 Mailbox to PST, Manually  

The manual method for migrating emails from Office 365 mailbox to Outlook PST is by using the eDiscovery export tool. This method is an integrated method of Microsoft Office 365 which is free but complex. It requires proper knowledge and in-depth details of steps for migration.    

Following are the steps to perform the migration:  

1. Login Office 365 Admin account  

2. Now, Go to Admin Center and then Choose "Security & Compliance" from left panel.  

3. In the next step, Go to permissions and edit the eDiscovery manager role.  

4. Add your account to eDiscovery Administrator using edit option.  

5. Go to Search & investigation >> Content Search option .  

6. From next window, choose New Search option  

7. Now in location option choose specific location >> Save and Run  

8. Now, from Exchange email, choose user group >> Save 

9. Go to Content search again and click on refresh and choose your search option  

10. Choose More option >> Export result >> Export  

11. Now click on Download Result and copy the Export Key  

12. Now in eDiscovery PST export tool, paste the key and browse the location for export data >> Start to migrate email from Office 365 to Outlook PST.  

Problems Faced While Using eDiscovery Method  

1. Downloaded PST file is corrupted  

2. Some items are missing  

3. Cannot filter the category of the data need to be exported  

4. Require high technical knowledge for understanding each step  

5. If the Export key is lost or changed, need to perform the whole method again  

Limitations of eDiscovery Export Tool  

1. No Category or Date Filter    

2. Migration is possible using Admin account only  

3. Migrate data into only PST file format  

4. Sometimes migration stuck as 99%.  

Note: The method to migrate email from Office 365 to Outlook PST is quite tricky, but if you still want to see the in-depth working, then see eDiscovery method to export Office 365 mailbox to PST  

MVP Recommended Solution to Migrate Office 365 Mailbox to PST  

Microsoft MVPs and professionals understand the troubles faced by Office 365 users when they have to use eDiscovery method to migrate their data. So they suggest professional tools like SysTools Office 365 Export Tool. This automated tool takes all the burden of the migration on itself and helps users to easily migrate email from Office 365 to Outlook PST. User doesn't have to make any projects and copy & paste keys for migration. The automated solution is very simple, in just a few clicks users can get some or all Office 365 users mailbox into PST file.  

Simple Working Of Professional Solution    

1. Download & Launch the SysTools Software  

2. Login via Admin or User account credentials  

Note: If login via Admin account, then the tool will enable us to migrate all user's account data as well as migrate Office 365 shared mailbox to PST file also.    

3. If login via Admin, then choose the user accounts which you wish to migrate >> Next.  

4. Choose the email format as PST, Category of Office 365 data and Apply filter for each selected category. 

 5. Browse the destination location for the migrated PST file and Click on Start button.

Benefits of Professional Solution 

1. Migrate Office 365 mailbox to PST, EML & MSG file formats 

2. Category and Date Filter for selective migration  

3. Admin and User login options  

4. Migrate Office 365 shared mailbox via Admin login  

5. Transfer multiple users mailboxes simultaneously  

6. Migrate Office 365 archive emails to PST   

Note: After getting PST file, user can now import PST file into Outlook    

Steps to Import PST file Into Outlook  

1. Open MS Outlook and go to File 

2. Now, click on Open and Import/ Export  

3. Choose "Import from another program or file" option >>Next  

4. Now, choose "Outlook data file (.pst)" option and Next  

5. Select the destination Outlook ID where you wish to import PST file >>Next.  

6. Browse the saved PST file from your computer and Finish.  

Related Post: How to Import Multiple PST Files into Office 365 Account?

Conclusion

In this guide, we have explained two methods to migrate email from Office 365 to Outlook, firs by using eDiscovery method and second by using an automated solution. Additionally, problems faced by users during the migration are also explained in this guide. Now, it's up to the users to choose the solution to migrate Office 365 mailbox to PST which suits their needs.