PST to Exchange Migration Step-by-Step Guide

Create mailboxes on the Exchange server

• Before migration, it's important to ensure that mailboxes are created on the target server. You can choose the option to allow EdbMails to automatically create mailboxes on the target server. However, if you prefer to create mailboxes manually, refer to the link below.

    See how to create mailboxes in Exchange server

• If you want to migrate to the Exchange Public folder, refer to the link below to create a public folder on Exchange server and assign the required permissions to the admin user.

    Steps to create Public folder in Exchange server and assign admin permissions.

Review Exchange throttling and message-size limits

• If the selected on-premises Exchange connection uses EWS, review the applicable throttling policy before a large migration. Avoid indiscriminately disabling throttling; tune only what is necessary and monitor server health.

   Exchange throttling policy guidance

• On-premises Exchange message-size limits can apply at the organization, connector, server, and mailbox levels. Configure the target according to your organization's requirements rather than assuming one universal maximum.

   Microsoft Exchange Server message-size limits

• • Step 1: Download and Install the EdbMails application

    • Download and install the EdbMails application on the computer having Windows operating system.

      

       See the EdbMails PST system requirements for PST migration.

    • Launch the EdbMails application.
    • Enter the email address & password and click ‘Login’ or ‘Start Your Free Trial’.

      

    • Select ‘Outlook PST Recovery and Migration'

      

    • Select ‘PST to Live Exchange’.

      

    • You can either keep the default job name or click the ‘New Job’ button to change the job name.

      

  • Step 2: Select the offline PST file

    • Click ‘Browse for PST file’.

      

    • Select the offline PST file from your local drive or an accessible network location. Ensure the computer running EdbMails can reliably read the source file and that the PST is not being actively modified by another process. Click ‘Next’ to proceed.

      

    • EdbMails scans the PST and displays mailbox data it can read. If the PST is damaged or corrupted, recovery depends on what remains present and readable in the source file.

      

    • After scanning, the available folder structure appears in the left pane. Expand folders to preview supported emails, attachments, contacts, calendars, tasks, notes, journals, and other mailbox items before migration.

  • Step 3: Select mailbox /folders for migration

    • Choose the mailbox or folders you wish to migrate, then click the ‘Next’ button to proceed with the process.

      

  • Step 4: Connect to target Exchange server

    • Click on the ‘Add New Connection’ button to set up a connection to the target Exchange server. If you want to use a previously established connection, simply select it from the list and click ‘Connect to Existing’ to continue.

      

    • Choose the connection option supported by your target Exchange version and EdbMails build. If the selected on-premises connection method requires Exchange impersonation, configure the required role for the migration account before continuing.

       Exchange Server connection options in EdbMails

    • Click the ‘Next’ button.

      

    • Enter the target Exchange server details and click the ‘Login’ button.

      

    • Load the target Exchange mailboxes using the available method in EdbMails. For large environments or when the required mailboxes are not returned by automatic discovery, use the CSV mailbox-loading method.

      

  • Step 5: Map mailbox from PST to Exchange server

    • Select the required mailbox mapping option.

      

    • If your Exchange environment and EdbMails deployment meet the documented prerequisites, you can use the supported automatic mailbox-creation option; otherwise create the target mailboxes beforehand.

       See How to automatically create mailboxes on target Exchange server?

       Once the mailboxes are created on the target server, EdbMails automatically maps the mailboxes and folders between the source and target servers. For greater flexibility, you can also manually map source folders and subfolders to specific target locations as needed.

      

  • Step 6. Migrate from Outlook PST to Live Exchange server

    • Verify the mailbox mapping.
    • Click the ‘Settings’ button to customize your migration process. For example, the date filter lets you migrate only the items received after, before, or within a specific date range. Similarly, you can apply filters based on subject, sender, recipient, or read and unread status of the messages.
    • Click ‘Start Migration’ to begin the migration process.

      

    • Monitor the migration progress. When the run completes, click ‘View Logs’ to open the migration report. Review folder and item status, then verify representative mailbox data directly on the target Exchange server.