After taking backup of Office 365 mailboxes, it’s the duty of the Admin to protect the user account data from hackers or data breaches. So that when needed, that data can easily be restored back into Office 365 accounts. There are multiple ways to restore files in Office 365.
One way to restore data to Office 365 is by using Import Wizard of MS Outlook. This is the appropriate technique when only a small number of .pst files need to be restored, or if users are restoring data themselves.
Another way to restore data is by Network Upload and Drive Shipping. Both of these features come under Office 365 Import Service that is available in Azure Admin Center.
On the other hand, the best way to restore files in Office 365 is using an automated tool that can overcome the limitations of Microsoft Outlook, Network Upload, and Drive Shipping.
In this article, we will discuss steps of Outlook Import Wizard and automated tool only. Whereas, to understand Office 365 import service you can visit the Microsoft website to get a detailed explanation. Here, we will only discuss the limitation of it only, so you can read them first, and then choose whether you want to use that method or not.
About Network Upload & Drive Shipping
Network Upload: As the name suggests “network upload” – uploading data on some network. It can be an organizational network or Azure storage location. Here, first you need to upload your data at a network location, and then you can restore files in Office 365 accounts.
Drive Shipping: If the network upload method is quite complicated for you, then you can use the drive shipping method to restore data. Here, you only need to store the data into Hard Drive and encrypt it in a bit locker and then send it to nearby Microsoft data center. Microsoft itself restores the data for you and cost you $2 per GB of PST file data.
The reason why Network Upload is not recommended by experts – It’s quite complicated to perform. It requires good command on Admin Center, PowerShell Commands, Azure storage, etc. Moreover, small mistakes can lead to big data loss that can affect your business.
Drive Shipping method is cost quite more than the other workarounds or third-party tool. Because, in Drive shipping, every time you need to restore files in Office 365 you need to pay $2 per GB of PST file data. Whereas, third-party tools are one-time purchases only and based on licenses.
Technique #1: Using Import Wizard to Restore Files to Office 365
As we have explained in the intro section that MS Outlook’s Import Wizard is best suited when user themselves are restoring files into their Office 365 account. For this technique to work, first, install the MS Outlook on your system and then follow the below steps:
Note: Make sure to Sync your Office 365 account into MS Outlook before proceeding with the below steps.
1. Open the MS Outlook application.
2. In the Outlook App, click on the File tab (at top-left corner)
3. Then go to the Open & Export tab and select the “Import/Export” option.
4. Now to import/export wizard will open, here select “import from a program or a file” >> Next
5. In the next window, select “Outlook data file (.pst)” option >> next.
6. Browse the .pst file path that needs to be restored >> Next
7. Finally, select the Office 365 mailbox and click Finish to restore .pst file into it.
Now the MS Outlook application will start restoring .pst file data into Office 365 account and once done, it generates a popup.
Technique #2: Restore Multiple File(s) Into Multiple Office 365 Accounts
Technique 1 is best suited for few files and single account data. But, when Admin needs to restore files in multiple Office 365 accounts, then technique 1 fails. So, to perform such a complex task, it’s best to take the help of automated SysTools Import PST to Office 365 tool.
This automated tool is specially programmed to make such complex tasks quite easier. This tool does all the complex tasks in backed and you need not worry about anything.
A user or Admin just needs to add the PST file path using tool UI and enter the Office 365 account to restore it. Then you can select what type of items you want to restore from the .pst file and start the restore process. The tool will preview the live status for each file restoring into Office 365 account.
Steps to restore files in Office 365 account:
1. First visit the official website for downloading the tool
2. Enter the Office 365 Admin id & password to log in with Admin Mode.
Note: In Admin mode, the tool allows to restore .pst file into Office 365 shared mailboxes. Moreover, the tool doesn’t require a User account password, just an email id is required. Or, you can skip using User mode (requires User passwords).
3. Use the Add File(s)/Folder option to add the .pst file path.
4. To map .pst file(s) with a user either perform directly in UI or create a CSV and import it.
5. In the next window, select the category of items to restore & set date filter.
6. Finally, hit Import button to start restoring file in Office 365 account.
Once the restore process started, you can preview the live status of the process inside the tool window. And once the process is completed, the tool will generate the prompt.
Final Words
It’s quite necessary to pick a prominent method to restore files back after exporting them from Office 365. The right method can help you perform the process quickly and without any errors. In the above sections, we have explained various ways for restoring .pst file into the Office 365 account. You can compare all the methods and test the tool (free demo) before operating it on all user accounts.