Outlook users are well aware of the OST file format that Outlook uses to store emails, contacts and other items in offline mode. Nowadays, most organizations import OST to Office 365 for various reasons. This write-up will teach us the steps for importing OST files into Microsoft 365.
Microsoft 365 is widely popular in large and small organizations due to its advanced features and easy accessibility. Moreover, we all know that On-premise Exchange is also Microsoft’s product. Sometimes, users need to migrate their On-premise Exchange data to Office 365. In such cases, users need to export their OST files into Office 365. However, we all know that Office 365 is not allowed to open the OST file directly, so users need to import OST to Office 365 environment to complete this process.
Reasons why users move OST to Office 365
Microsoft 365 is easily accessible from anywhere at any time, so the task of working remotely from anywhere becomes easy for users.
Users do not need to think about data security because Office 365 provides better security to its users.
It offers various productivity applications such as Skype, Yammer, Team and many more.
Users can easily use Office 365 as it doesn’t need of any setup.
Besides these, there could be more factors that motivate users to import OST to Office 365 environment. As we discussed the reasons, so now let us talk about the solutions to perform this task.
Methods to import the Outlook OST file into Microsoft 365
This process can be done manually or professionally, but with the manual method, it is not possible directly. For this, users need to convert the OST file into PST format and then import the Outlook PST file into Microsoft 365. If you go professionally, you need to find a professional OST to Office 365 Converter tool that makes this process in a single go.
Manual procedure to do OST file importing task
As we mentioned earlier, first, we need to convert the OST file into PST format to accomplish this importing process.
Step1: Run the Microsoft Outlook email client in your system.
Step2: Go to the File menu.
Step3: Then, choose the Open & Export option and click the Import/Export option.
Step4: Afterwards, select the Export to a file option and click the Next button.
Step5: Now, choose the Outlook data file (.pst) from the options. Then, hit Next.
Step6: Choose the mail account or individual mailboxes that you want to convert.
Step7: Tick the Include subfolders option and tap Next.
Step8: Go to the Browse button and provide the location where you want to save the PST file.
Step 9: At last, press the Finish button.
Step10: After completing all the above steps, it will create the PST file that includes all data of the OST file.
Now, users need to upload the created PST file into the Office 365 environment to import OST to Office 365 successfully. For this, users can take help from the Microsoft Drive shipping method.
Drive shipping method
The drive shipping method will help users to move the created PST file into Microsoft 365. It gets rid of users from the long method. To process with this method, users only need to copy the PST file into the Drive and contact Microsoft. After that, a Microsoft official will collect your PST file and ship the drive directly to Microsoft 365. But most users do not prefer this method because it takes about 10 days to complete this process.
Limitations of the manual method
This method takes up to 10 days to import OST to Office 365 completely.
As this is not a direct method, it becomes lengthy for the users to go with this task.
Users should have good technical skills to handle the manual method.
There are no advanced features available to ease the process.
To complete this process in a simple and quick manner, users can look for a professional OST to Office 365 Converter tool. For this, users can look for the Shoviv professional third-party automation. This software will help users to ease their tasks, and also it directly moves the OST files into Microsoft 365.
A professional way to import the OST file into MS Office 365
Shoviv OST to Office 365 Migration Tool is the best method if you are looking to move the OST file directly into Microsoft 365. Users do not need to follow the multiple steps to complete this process. This software offers so many features that help users to make this process easier. It has a filter option as well that allows users to select particular items to import the desired items into Office 365.
This tool maintains the original hierarchy of the folder and data integrity even after importing OST into Microsoft 365. It also provides a simple user interface, which permits all users to import OST to Office 365 without having any kind of issue. Users can use its free demo version as well to learn more functionality of this software. Below we also mentioned the steps that users could follow to complete this process using this software.
How to upload an OST file into Office 365 using Shoviv software?
Step1: Download the Shoviv OST to Office 365 Migration Tool.exe.
Step2: Install and open the software.
Step3: Go to the Add OST/PST file option and select the desired OST file.
Step4: Choose the Office 365 tab from the ribbon bar.
Step5: Check/Uncheck the subfolders list and tap the Next button.
Step6: Now, select the Outlook profile to fetch all mailboxes of Office 365. Then, click Next.
Step7: Here, include or remove items of your choice using the filter option. After that, tap Next.
Step8: Thereafter, use the email translation and folder mapping options according to your need. Press the Next.
Step 9: The process will start after completing all the steps.
Step10: Finally, click Finish
Wrapping up
We have discussed the manual and professional ways to import OST to Office 365 environment. And we learned that the manual method couldn’t process this task directly, so that users can choose the Shoviv professional third-party software for a direct approach. It is a quick method and provides a better working experience to its users.
