Can I use an external hard drive?

Yes, where the drive is accessible to the Windows computer and is a supported writable location. Ensure adequate capacity and secure handling.

Can I use a network or shared drive?

Yes, where the location is accessible and supported. Verify permissions, capacity and network reliability before large jobs.

Does local backup mean SharePoint is not accessed during backup?

No. The source content is still read from SharePoint Online over an authorized connection. Local only refers to where the protected copy is stored.

Is the local SharePoint backup kept only on one computer?

It is stored where you choose. You can keep it on one computer, on network storage, or design a secondary/offline copy under your own storage policy.

How much storage will the backup need?

Plan for current SharePoint size in scope plus growth, recurring incremental data and operational free space, and monitor capacity before recurring runs.

How does local backup fit the 3-2-1 rule?

The live SharePoint content is one copy, the EdbMails local backup is a second independently controlled copy, and a replicated or offline duplicate can serve as the off-site copy.

Should I use a local disk or a network share?

A local disk suits controlled environments with reliable storage; a network share suits centralized administration but adds a network-availability dependency.

Can the local backup be restored to another tenant?

Yes. The supported restore workflow can target the same or a different Microsoft 365 tenant.

How do I keep the local backup secure?

Restrict repository access, patch and control the backup computer, protect the running account, and keep a secondary or offline copy for critical data.

Does the backup computer need to be available for recurring runs?

Yes. Scheduled or repeated runs depend on the backup computer being available and able to reach SharePoint Online at the chosen time.

Is a local copy enough on its own?

For critical data, a single writable local copy is not ideal. Combine it with access controls and a secondary or offline copy so one incident does not affect every copy.

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EdbMails

All-in-one Recovery and Migration
- EDB Recovery and Migration
- OST, PST, MBOX, NSF, EML, MSG
- Office 365, Exchange Migration
- SharePoint, OneDrive & Teams
- Google Workspace Migration
- IMAP Migration
- Duplicate Remover
- EdbMails Data Recovery
- Backup Solutions
All Products
EDB Recovery and Migration

EdbMails lets you recover corrupted, damaged, and offline Exchange EDB files, convert EDB mailboxes to PST format, and directly migrate mailbox data to Office 365 and live Exchange Server.

EDB to PST

Recover corrupted, damaged, offline EDB files and convert Exchange EDB mailboxes to PST file format

Public Folder to Exchange

Migrate public folders from an Exchange offline EDB file to live Exchange Server

EDB to Live Exchange Migration

Directly migrate offline Exchange database (EDB) files to live Exchange server

Archive Mailbox to Office 365

Migrate archive mailboxes from offline EDB files directly to Office 365

EDB to Office 365 Migration

Directly migrate offline Exchange database (EDB) files to Office 365

Public Folder to Office 365

Migrate public folders from an offline Exchange EDB file to Office 365

OST, PST, MBOX, NSF, EML, MSG Export and Migration

EdbMails lets you to recover OST and PST files, export OST, PST, MBOX, NSF, EML, and MSG files to PST files, and directly migrate OST, PST, MBOX, and NSF mailbox data to Office 365 and live Exchange Server.

OST Recovery and Migration

Recover offline OST files, convert OST to PST, and migrate OST to Office 365 and Exchange Server

PST Recovery and Migration

Recover Outlook PST files , Export PST to PST, migrate PST to Office 365 and Exchange Server

MBOX Export and Migration

Export MBOX to PST, migrate MBOX to Office 365 and Exchange Server

NSF Export and Migration

Export NSF to PST, migrate NSF to Office 365 and Exchange Server

EML to PST Export

Convert EML files to Outlook PST files

PST to MSG Export

Convert Outlook PST file to MSG file format

MSG to PST Export

Export MSG files to Outlook PST files

Office 365, Exchange Migration

EdbMails lets you securely migrate mailboxes across Microsoft 365, Exchange, Google Workspace (G Suite), and IMAP-supported servers such as Outlook, Gmail, Zimbra, Zoho Mail, and cPanel, ensuring zero downtime.

Office 365 Migration

Migrate between Office 365 tenants, Office 365 to Exchange, Office 365 to PST, PST files to Office 365.

Exchange Migration

Migrate between any Exchange Servers, Exchange to Office 365, Exchange to PST, PST files to Exchange.

Tenant to Tenant Migration

Migrate Mailboxes, Public Folders, Archive Mailboxes between Office 365 Tenants.

Exchange to Office 365

Migrate Mailboxes, Public Folders, Archive Mailboxes from live Exchange server to Office 365.

Office 365 to IMAP

Migrate Office 365 to IMAP, Office 365 to Gmail, Office 365 to Outlook, Office 365 to Zoho etc.

Exchange to IMAP

Migrate from live Exchange Server to IMAP servers such as Gmail, Outlook, and Zoho Mail.

Public Folder to Office 365

Migrate Public Folders between Office 365 tenants with complete folder hierarchy and mailbox data integrity.

Exchange to PST

Export live Exchange Server mailboxes, public folders, and archive mailboxes to Outlook PST files.

SharePoint, OneDrive & Microsoft Teams Migration

EdbMails lets you migrate SharePoint sites, OneDrive data, Microsoft Teams, teams, channels, chats, permissions, and documents between Microsoft 365 tenants while maintaining the existing folder structure and data integrity.

SharePoint Online Migration

Migrate documents, lists, files and folders from SharePoint sites.

OneDrive for Business Migration

Migrate documents, lists, files, folders, private chats from OneDrive.

Microsoft Teams Migration

Migrate Teams, chats, channels, documents, files and folders etc.

Google Workspace / G Suite Migration

EdbMails offers secure Google Workspace migration to Office 365, Exchange, or IMAP, and export to PST covering emails, contacts, calendars and tasks.

Google Workspace Migration

Migrate emails, calendars, contacts, tasks from Google Workspace to Google Workspace, office 365, Exchange and IMAP. Export to PST

Google Workspace to Office 365

Migrate emails, calendars, contacts, tasks from Google Workspace / G Suite to Office 365

Google Workspace to Exchange Server

Migrate emails, calendars, contacts, tasks from Google Workspace / G Suite to on-Premise Exchange Server

Google Workspace to IMAP

Migrate emails, calendars, contacts, tasks from Google Workspace / G Suite to IMAP, Outlook, Zimbra, Zoho etc.

Google Workspace to Google Workspace

Migrate emails, calendars, contacts, tasks between two Google Workspace / G Suite tenants

Google Workspace to PST

Export emails, calendars, contacts, tasks from Google Workspace / G Suite to Outlook PST files

IMAP Migration

EdbMails IMAP Migration tool lets you easily migrate emails from IMAP servers such as Outlook, Gmail, Zoho Mail, Zimbra, cPanel, and more. Supports IMAP to IMAP, Office 365, Exchange Server, PST, and bulk PST to IMAP migration.

IMAP Email Backup & Migration

Backup and migrate emails from IMAP servers to PST, Office 365, and On-Premises Exchange Server

IMAP to Office 365

Migrate emails, folders, and attachments from IMAP servers to Office 365

IMAP to Exchange

Migrate emails, folders, and attachments from IMAP servers to on-premises Exchange Server

IMAP to PST

Export emails, folders, and attachments from IMAP servers to Outlook PST files for backup

PST to IMAP

Migrate emails, folders, and attachments from bulk PST files to IMAP servers

Duplicate Remover

EdbMails Duplicate Remover lets you easily remove duplicate items from Office 365 and Exchange Server, and from IMAP, Outlook, Gmail, Zimbra, Zoho Mail, etc., ensuring a clean and organized mailbox.

Remove Duplicates

Easily clean up your Office 365, Exchange, Outlook and IMAP accounts by removing duplicate emails.

Remove Duplicates from Office 365

Remove duplicate emails, calendars, contacts, journal tasks, etc. from Office 365.

Remove Duplicates from Exchange Server

Remove duplicate emails, calendars, contacts, journal tasks, etc. from live Exchange Server.

Remove Duplicates from IMAP, Outlook

Remove duplicate emails, attachments from IMAP, Outlook, Gmail, Zimbra, Zoho Mail etc.

Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams and Office 365 Backup

EdbMails enables secure, automated backup and recovery for Microsoft 365 services including Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and Live Exchange Server with complete data protection and restore flexibility.

Office 365 Backup

Incremental, Granular, Encrypted and Compressed Office 365 Mailboxes Backup

Exchange Server Backup

Incremental, Granular, Encrypted and Compressed Exchange Mailboxes Backup

SharePoint, OneDrive & Teams Backup

Backup Online site collections, Team sites, Office 365 groups, all documents etc.

EdbMails Data Recovery

EdbMails Data Recovery Software lets you recover permanently deleted data, including photos, videos, documents, and archived files, from partitions on hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, SD cards, and external storage devices.

EdbMails Data Recovery

Recover and restore permanently deleted data from hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, SD cards, and etc.

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SharePoint Backup to Local Storage

Compare SharePoint recovery capabilities and backup storage models

Back up supported SharePoint Online content to a local or network location chosen by your IT team. EdbMails enables organizations to maintain a separate backup repository under their own storage and access policies.

Just $299 for 100 sites

Restore SharePoint Sites OneDrive Backup Restore OneDrive Data Office 365 Groups Backup Office 365 Backup Exchange Server Backup

SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams Backup Tool Now on Azure Marketplace!

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SharePoint Backup to Local Storage

EdbMails backs up SharePoint Online to storage controlled by your organization. Instead of keeping the protected copy only in a vendor-managed cloud, EdbMails stores the SharePoint backup on a supported local disk, external drive or network/shared location you select. For the main product page, see SharePoint Online Backup.

Local disk External drive Network storage Customer controlled

What does SharePoint backup to local storage mean?

The live SharePoint source stays in Microsoft 365. "Local" refers to where EdbMails writes the protected backup copy. The source content is still read from SharePoint Online over an authorized connection, and the resulting protected copy is placed on storage your organization owns and manages.

Why choose customer-controlled backup storage?

Control the repository

Administrators choose the storage location and apply their own access, redundancy and retention controls, rather than depending on a vendor's repository.

Use existing infrastructure

Organizations can use supported local disks, external drives or network storage already managed by IT, without purchasing separate vendor-hosted backup capacity.

Keep an independent recovery copy

A copy stored outside the live SharePoint service gives another recovery source if content is deleted, a site changes, or historical content must be retained.

Apply the 3-2-1 backup principle

A customer-controlled SharePoint backup fits the widely used 3-2-1 principle: keep at least three copies of important data, on two different types of media, with at least one copy off-site or offline. The live SharePoint content is one copy, an EdbMails backup on local or network storage is a second independently controlled copy, and a replicated or offline duplicate of that backup serves as the off-site copy. Native recycle bins and version history are convenience recovery features, not an off-site copy, so they do not by themselves satisfy the principle.

Copy	Example in this model	Purpose
Copy 1 (production)	Live SharePoint Online content	Day-to-day access
Copy 2 (local backup)	EdbMails backup on local/network storage	Independent, organization-controlled recovery source
Copy 3 (off-site/offline)	Replicated or offline duplicate of the backup	Protection against site or storage failure

Choosing between local disk, external and network storage

A local disk is simple to deploy but concentrates the backup on one computer. External storage can provide physical separation, while network storage centralizes repository management at the cost of a network dependency. The right option depends on data volume, IT operations, availability requirements and security policy.

Option	Best for	Main dependency
Local disk	Controlled environments with reliable storage on the backup computer	Local disk health and capacity
External drive	A physically separable copy that is securely managed	Secure handling of the drive
Network storage	Centralized capacity and shared administration	Network availability and permissions

Local backup vs cloud-hosted backup

Local / network (EdbMails)

You own the repository, size the capacity, run it on your own desktop or local infrastructure, and design any secondary or offline copy yourself.

Cloud / SaaS backup

The vendor manages the repository and capacity, delivers it as a hosted service, and any secondary copy depends on the provider's own features.

Area	Local/network (EdbMails)	Cloud/SaaS backup
Repository control	Customer managed	Vendor managed
Capacity responsibility	Customer	Provider
Operational model	Customer-run desktop/local	Hosted service
Secondary/offline copy	Organization designs its own	Depends on provider features

How to back up SharePoint to local storage

1
Create the backup job
Create a SharePoint backup job and choose the local or network repository.
2
Connect to SharePoint Online
Connect to SharePoint Online with the required administrator access.
3
Select sites and content
Load and select the sites and content to protect.
4
Start and review
Start the backup and review the logs.
5
Run recurring incrementals
Run recurring incremental backups to keep the local copy current.

Planning repository capacity

Do not size the repository only for today's SharePoint volume. Capacity planning should include future growth, recurring incremental data and the number of protected jobs.

Measure current SharePoint size for the sites in scope.
Allow for future growth over the intended retention period.
Reserve operational free space and monitor it before recurring runs.
If a network share is used, monitor both free capacity and network availability.
Plan secondary storage if the backup is business critical.

Securing the repository and the backup computer

Do not assume a local repository is automatically isolated. If the storage is continuously writable from compromised systems, it can be at risk during a security incident, so access controls and a secondary copy matter.

Restrict file-system access to authorized administrators.

Use reliable storage with health monitoring and appropriate redundancy.

Keep the Windows computer running EdbMails patched and access-controlled.

Protect the account used to run backups and reach any network share.

Maintain a second or offline copy for critical data, and test restores periodically.

Repository resilience

A backup is most useful during a destructive incident when it is not simply another writable copy exposed to the same credentials and endpoints as production. Repository access restrictions and secondary copies reduce this shared-risk problem. For ransomware-specific guidance, see SharePoint backup for ransomware recovery.

Restore from a locally stored backup

When recovery is needed, open the EdbMails backup, browse the protected SharePoint content and select the required scope. Supported restore destinations include the same or another Microsoft 365 tenant. See SharePoint Online backup and restore.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use an external hard drive?
Yes, where the drive is accessible to the Windows computer and is a supported writable location. Ensure adequate capacity and secure handling.
Can I use a network or shared drive?
Yes, where the location is accessible and supported. Verify permissions, capacity and network reliability before large jobs.
Does local backup mean SharePoint is not accessed during backup?
No. The source content is still read from SharePoint Online over an authorized connection. "Local" only refers to where the protected copy is stored.
Is the local SharePoint backup kept only on one computer?
It is stored where you choose. You can keep it on one computer, on network storage, or design a secondary/offline copy under your own storage policy.
How much storage will the backup need?
Plan for current SharePoint size in scope plus growth, recurring incremental data and operational free space, and monitor capacity before recurring runs.
How does local backup fit the 3-2-1 rule?
The live SharePoint content is one copy, the EdbMails local backup is a second independently controlled copy, and a replicated or offline duplicate can serve as the off-site copy.

Should I use a local disk or a network share?
A local disk suits controlled environments with reliable storage; a network share suits centralized administration but adds a network-availability dependency.
Can the local backup be restored to another tenant?
Yes. The supported restore workflow can target the same or a different Microsoft 365 tenant.
How do I keep the local backup secure?
Restrict repository access, patch and control the backup computer, protect the running account, and keep a secondary or offline copy for critical data.
Does the backup computer need to be available for recurring runs?
Yes. Scheduled or repeated runs depend on the backup computer being available and able to reach SharePoint Online at the chosen time.
Is a local copy enough on its own?
For critical data, a single writable local copy is not ideal. Combine it with access controls and a secondary or offline copy so one incident does not affect every copy.

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SharePoint Backup to Local Storage

Compare SharePoint recovery capabilities and backup storage models

Just $299 for 100 sites

SharePoint Backup to Local Storage

What does SharePoint backup to local storage mean?

Why choose customer-controlled backup storage?

Control the repository

Use existing infrastructure

Keep an independent recovery copy

Apply the 3-2-1 backup principle

Choosing between local disk, external and network storage

Local backup vs cloud-hosted backup

Local / network (EdbMails)

Cloud / SaaS backup

How to back up SharePoint to local storage

Create the backup job

Connect to SharePoint Online

Select sites and content

Start and review

Run recurring incrementals

Planning repository capacity

Securing the repository and the backup computer

Repository resilience

Restore from a locally stored backup

Frequently asked questions

Related SharePoint Backup resources