Steps to Export Exchange 2010 Mailboxes to PST

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The Exchange Administrator needs to export Exchange mailboxes into offline PST files to adhere to their business’s compliance standards. Additionally, this practice serves as a safeguard by creating backups for account protection. For individuals new to Exchange Server 2010, undertaking the export process entails extensive preparation and prerequisite knowledge.

Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 provides users with two convenient methods for exporting mailbox data to PST files. The first method involves the utilization of Exchange Management Shell commands, while the second method can be executed through the Exchange Admin Center. It is imperative to ensure that the Exchange mailbox is in a healthy, active, and accessible state for users before initiating the export process. Importantly, this export operation does not disrupt or impact the functionality of the existing mailbox; users can continue to work seamlessly while the export to PST takes place.

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We’ll delve into the tool aspect shortly. First, let’s explore the functionality of PowerShell cmdlets.

Using PowerShell cmdlets to Export Exchange 2010 to PST

If you possess a strong technical background and are familiar with Exchange commands, utilizing PowerShell represents the optimal approach for exporting Exchange 2010 mailboxes to PST files. This procedure comprises four key steps, which we will elucidate comprehensively below.

1. Grant ‘Mailbox Import Export’ Permissions to the User – As a user, you’ll have to get full rights to Exchange account to perform this procedure. By default, these rights are not assigned to any account, so you’ll have to provide them. Use the below command to get necessary permissions and roles.
   New-ManagementRoleAssignment –Role “Mailbox Import Export” –User Administrator

   In this command, the syntax ‘User’ is the username.

2. Create a Shared N/W to Store the Exported PST Files – There is often multiple client access servers in a network, and the export-mailbox request can be processed by any of them. So, you need to ensure that the path to store the PST file is valid. The best way to do this is to create a new Network Shared folder and grant Exchange Trusted Subsystem group read/write permissions to this folder.
3. Export Mailbox to PST – Once everything is configured, you can export Exchange 2010 mailboxes to PST using PowerShell cmdlets. However, using the PowerShell cmdlets depends on what type of mailboxes you want to export from Exchange 2010. For every mailbox type, there is a different cmdlet. We have mentioned all of them here.
   • For Primary Mailbox – You can use the below cmdlet to export primary mailboxes to PST.
     New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox <username> -FilePath <pstFilePath>

     The <pstFilePath> syntax refers to the location where the PST file will be stored. This command will not create a directory automatically, so you need to ensure that path you’re using exists.

   • For Personal Archive Mailboxes – Use the below cmdlet to export archive mailboxes to PST
     New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox <username> -IsArchive -FilePath <pstFilePath>

     However, you’ll need to recover archive mailbox in Exchange 2010 before exporting if they are deleted permanently.

   • For Specific Data from User Mailbox
     New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox <username> -ContentFilter {<filter>} -FilePath <pstFilePath>

     In this cmdlet, the {<filter>} syntax can be any value that is required.

   • For Specific Mailbox Folder – A mailbox folder in Exchange includes many folders like Inbox, sent items, calendar, contacts, deleted items, journals, tasks, etc. The specific folder is denoted with opening and closing # markers. For example, if you want to export sent items, then it will be denoted as #sentitems# in the below command.
     New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox <username> -IncludeFolders “#Sentitems#” -FilePath <pstFilePath>

     Here we exported only the Sent items folder to the PST file.

     When the export request is running, and you want to make some amendments in it, then you can modify the running commands in a limited way. But, remember that you cannot modify the basic information of the export command like the source mailbox, destination PST file, destination folder for the PST. Here is an example of request modification –

     Set-MailboxExportRequest -Identity ‘ValeriaBarnes\mailbox’ -BadItemLimit 15

     The command will set the bad item limit to the 15 for the selected mailbox.

     When you need to pause the request, you can use another cmdlet to halt it.

     Get-MailboxExportRequest -Status InProgress | Suspend-MailboxExportRequest -SuspendComment “Please resume the migration after Friday at 10 P.M.”

     It is a fine example of suspending an in-progress migration process, and the comment asks to resume the migration after a definite time.

     To resume the export process after some time.

     Get-MailboxExportRequest -Status Suspended | Resume-MailboxExportRequest

     The command will resume any suspended process.

     Here are the points you need to remember while running the export command in the Exchange Management Shell –

     1. You can apply the filters on the emails present in the mailboxes. The available criteria are sender, recipients, attachments, folder, message content, message size, importance, etc.
     2. You can include or exclude specific folders by their name.
     3. You can mention the destination folder for the PST file.
     4. When you have created multiple requests, you can put a priority value for them to specify the order.
4. Cleaning Up – Once the export to PST is complete, you need to clean up the export process to make sure everything is working fine, and there is no data loss.You can check the status of all active export jobs with the following command:
   Get-MailboxExportRequest | Get-MailboxExportRequestStatistics

   Now, remove all the assigned permissions to clean up the Exchange 2010 export process with the following command:

   Remove-ManagementRoleAssignment “Mailbox Import Export-<username>”

   Similarly, you can remove the mailbox export request from the Exchange Server.

The export process for Exchange 2010 mailboxes to PST involves four essential steps. However, this procedure can prove to be quite intricate and daunting, particularly for novices and inexperienced administrators. Thankfully, there exists a more efficient alternative: employing an EDB to PST converter. This tool facilitates the swift conversion of Exchange mailboxes into PST files, simplifying the entire process significantly.

An alternative and user-friendly method for exporting Exchange mailboxes to PST files is through the Exchange Admin Center’s graphical user interface (GUI). While it may not offer the extensive range of options available in Exchange PowerShell, it provides a straightforward and efficient means of exporting mailbox data. To export Exchange mailboxes to PST using the Exchange Admin Center, please follow these steps:

1. Go to Exchange Admin Center and login as an administrator
2. Now, go to Recipients>>Mailboxes
3. Here click the three dots (More options), and select Export to a PST file from the drop-down menu.
   
4. In the opened wizard, select the mailbox that you want to export to PST and click ‘Next.’
   
   Note: While exporting mailbox data to PST, make sure you select the appropriate option to ensure what mailbox content you want to export.
5. Provide a location on the server where you want to save the exported file, enter the name for the PST file, and then click ‘Next.’
   
6. Now, click Browse to select the user account to which you want to send notifications.
   
7. After making a selection, click Finish to start the PST export on Exchange 2010 mailbox server. Once the process is complete, you will receive an email from Exchange.

Let’s tell you that this progress of the Export cannot be checked or verified unless it is complete.

This remarkable utility streamlines the process of converting Exchange 2010 mailboxes to PST effortlessly. Packed with distinctive features such as bulk EDB file conversion, selective mailbox migration, and the option to export EDB files to Office 365 or Live Exchange, it caters to a wide range of user needs. Furthermore, the software boasts an intuitive user interface, ensuring that even non-technical users can easily convert EDB files to PST with utmost simplicity.

Wrap Up

When the Exchange Server 2010 database becomes corrupted, you face the risk of being unable to export crucial data to a PST file, potentially jeopardizing your entire professional dataset. To tackle this issue effectively, it is imperative to employ a reliable solution for exporting Exchange data to PST, such as the Kernel for Exchange Server software. This robust tool not only facilitates the recovery of entire mailboxes from a corrupt EDB file but also offers the convenience of saving them to either a new or existing PST file.

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