How to save all emails from a user

Question

I need to save all emails in a users account before I delete the user.

Answer 1

Good day Dawna,

Thank you for sharing your concern.  

Based on your requirement, here are the recommended options: 

Note: If you are an end-user or don't have the required administrator permissions, please contact your organization's Global administrator for assistance with these steps.

Option 1: Export the mailbox to a PST file using Microsoft Purview eDiscovery 

If you need a full copy of the mailbox before deleting the account, the recommended approach is to export the mailbox, which preserves emails, folders and other mailbox data for long term storage outside Microsoft 365. 

Sign in to the Microsoft Purview portal. 

Ensure your account has the required eDiscovery permissions. 

Create a Content Search or eDiscovery search. 

Select the user's Exchange mailbox as the search location. 

Run the search without filters if you want to capture all mailbox content. 

After the search completes, export the search results. 

Download the exported PST package and store it in a secure location. 

Note: Download the export package within 14 days. Export packages expire after that period and cannot be recovered once expired. 

Option 2: Preserve the mailbox as an inactive mailbox 

An inactive mailbox allows the organization to keep and retain a former user's mailbox content for compliance and record keeping purposes, even after the account has been removed. This option is intended for retention purposes rather than active mailbox access. 

Apply a Microsoft 365 retention policy, retention label, Litigation Hold, or eDiscovery hold to the mailbox. 

Confirm that the hold or retention configuration has been successfully applied. 

Delete the user account. 

The mailbox will become an inactive mailbox and the content will remain preserved according to the configured retention settings. 

Notes: 

Authorized administrators and compliance personnel can later search and export content from the inactive mailbox through Microsoft Purview. 

Inactive mailboxes cannot receive new email messages. 

Additional information is available in the following resources: 

Create a search for a case in eDiscovery | Microsoft Learn 

Export search results in eDiscovery | Microsoft Learn 

Learn about inactive mailboxes | Microsoft Learn 

Step 2 - Save the contents of a former employee's mailbox - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn 

As a community moderator, I kindly ask for your understanding that I have limited visibility into internal development details and backend investigations. My role is to help guide users to the most appropriate resources and support channels. While I may not have access to perform deeper backend analysis, I will continue to do my best to assist within the scope of my role and available resources. 

I hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions or need further support, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

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