Migrate PST files to Microsoft Office 365

Question

I need a free method to quickly and easily migrate our PST files to Microsoft Office 365 without having to use CLI-based tools like Azcopy or paid GUI tools like Sharegate and Gs Richcopy 360.

CLI is a headache for me and also I need to do this job with no cost or suggest paid tools like the mentioned ones.

Answer 1

Hi @Sarah.brag ，

If you only need to cope with a small number of users' PST files, exporting/importing the PST files using the Outlook desktop client could be an option:

• Export or backup email, contacts, and calendar to an Outlook .pst file
• Import email, contacts, and calendar from an Outlook .pst file

Otherwise, although I can understand that you are looking for other alternatives which is free and doesn't involve Azcopy.exe, but for the sake of reliability, personally I'd still recommended using either of the officially offered ways to quickly bulk-import PST files to Exchange Online mailboxes in your organization. You can go through the following document to learn more about both method and choose a compromised one based on your scenario:
Learn about importing your organization's PST files

• Network upload - Upload the PST files over the network to a temporary Azure Storage location in the Microsoft cloud. Then you use the Microsoft 365 Import service to import the PST data to mailboxes in your organization.
• Drive shipping - Copy the PST files to a BitLocker-encrypted hard drive and then physically ship the drive to Microsoft. When Microsoft receives the hard drive, data center personnel upload the data to a temporary Azure Storage location in the Microsoft cloud. Then you use the Microsoft 365 Import service to import the data to mailboxes in your organization.

Drive shipping is simpler, but it's not free. The cost to use drive shipping to import PST files to Microsoft 365 mailboxes is $2 USD per GB of data, see this link for information about pricing.

Network upload is free, but as you may have already known, the AzCopy.exe tool is used to upload and store your PST files. If you are not sure about the whole procedure, you can refer to the step-by-step instructions in the article below:

Use network upload to import your organization's PST files to Microsoft 365

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Answer 2

If you are looking to migrate your PST files to Office 365 without using command-line tools like Azcopy and paid GUI tools. Try the below methods:

Step 1: Enable "Use Cached Exchange Mode" in Outlook:

• Open Outlook, and go to File > Options.
• Check "Use Cached Exchange Mode" under the "Cached Exchange Mode" section in the Advanced tab.
• Click Ok to save the changes.

Step 2: Create a new Outlook profile connected to Office 365:

• Open the Control Panel, and search for "Mail" or "Mail (Microsoft Outlook)."
• Open the Mail Setup window, and click "Show Profiles."
• Create a new profile and set it up with your Office 365 account.
• Ensure you select the "Prompt for a profile to be used" option.

Step 3: Import PST files into the new Outlook profile:

• Open Outlook using the newly created profile.
• Go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
• • Select "Import from another program or file," and click Next.
• Choose "Outlook Data File (.pst)" and proceed with Next.
• Browse and select the desired PST file.
• Configure duplicate handling options and continue with Next.
• Select the destination folder (e.g., Office 365 mailbox) and click Finish.

If you find the above steps helpful, then pay back to the community by helping others who have the same issue.

Answer 3

You can confidently import PST file to Office 365 using the free manual process provided by Yuki Sun-MSFT and Jennifer Smith. But as you can see above, this process is a bit tedious and lengthy. If you are facing any problem with these processes or you are looking for a straightforward way then you can directly go with MailsDaddy PST to Office 365 Migration Tool. It can upload one or more PST files to one or more Office 365 accounts at the same time without losing any information.