Overview: It is a hardship to learn how to backup Office 365 mailbox if the correct methods are not used. This article suggests different methods that can use to export data from the mailbox in Outlook data file format. Learn the reasons for saving data files offline for clarity.
Most of the end-users and admins of Microsoft 365 do not create a backup of their data in general. Believing that data is safe on the cloud is alright but not saving the important data in another location is not so wise.
You might want to backup Office 365 email account for it is not always secure on the cloud servers.
Everybody knows that cloud is accessible by everyone and users can try to get into your account easily if they’d want to.
This is why the cyber-crime rate has been rising for a few months. Also, for those users who do not have a backup of their data stored someplace safe, it is even more difficult to get the data back.
If you do not want to face such troubles of losing your important stuff permanently, it is suggested you download it on your device.
In What Way Can We Answer How to Backup Office 365 Mailbox?
Initially, there are plenty of ways but to archiving your data files on the local storage system but not every one of them will help in exporting it in bulk.
You can use the Content Search eDiscovery Tool provided by Microsoft which will also help you to export your data files in bulk has quite a few drawbacks.
For bulk transfer of data, use the Office 365 Backup Tool, highly capable of downloading all items from the mailbox without any failure and in a single shot.
Let’s get going!
Method 1 – Manual Solution to Backup Office 365 Email Account
As mentioned above, this method uses the Content Search eDiscovery Tool to search for the data from mailboxes or public folders of Microsoft 365.
After exporting the search, you can transfer it in Outlook supported file format to access it in the future. Start by following the given steps:
- Sign in to your Office 365 account and navigate to the Exchange Admin Center.
- If you are not a member of the eDiscovery Manager Role Group, add yourself.
- Create a New Search in the Content Search section to learn how to backup Office 365 mailbox.
- Here, you can choose the mailboxes from which you want to export the data and filter them before exporting.
- When the search is created, copy the Export Key and paste it when prompted.
- Export your search and download it to your device for later use.
The data will export and you can access it on your device whenever required.
However, there are some limitations to this procedure.
Disadvantages of Using Manual Method for Backup
- Prior technical expertise is required for a successful process to backup Office 365 email account.
- If you are new to this arena, it will become a difficult operation and can cause a lot of errors.
- Also, completing this task takes up a lot of time leading to a tedious and lengthy process.
- There is no guarantee that your data will be safe or the data integrity will be maintained throughout the procedure.
- Any error can cause you to start the entire operation again and can, at times, lead to data loss or corruption.
Method 2 – Highly Advanced Solution on How to Backup Office 365 Mailbox
To overcome all the above-stated limitations, the software comes in handy and provides a successful backup with no signs of data loss or damage.
The tool ensures data safety and makes no changes to the structure or data integrity during the backup procedure.
It is a top-notch solution that allows creating a backup of specific data according to a specific time zone and creates a quick archive.
Also, for batch export, you can use the Concurrent Backup feature and set the order of transfer as per requirement.
How Does the Software Backup Office 365 Email Account?
Following are the steps:
- Run the tool and hit the Activate button on the bottom-left corner of the window. Choose the Setup tab and set Source as Office 365 and Destination as Outlook.
- Choose the categories you want to export your data from in the Workload Selection Mark the checkbox beside the Date-filter for each item you want to download selective data from.
- Enter the credentials for your Office 365 admin account and hit the Validate Click on the Next button to move further to know how to backup Office 365 mailbox.
- Fill in the details for the outcome in the Outlook application and press Validate for permissions. Hit Next.
- Select the Fetch Users or Import Users option to set the user ids in the software for mapping.
- Click on the Start Backup option to complete the procedure.
After completing the procedure, the tool provides three different modes to run the backup procedure again like:
- Retry Failed Items: Use this feature to download failed or skipped items (if any) during the first procedure to backup Office 365 email account.
- Re-Run Full Backup: To run the entire backup operation again if the need be.
- Delta Backup: Use this feature to export the only newly arrived items after the first procedure by scanning the mailbox and avoid creating duplicates.
We know how to create a backup of your data but not the reasons for it. Well, let’s make it clear for all the users.
What Are the Reasons to Take a Backup of the Online Data?
One of the most popularly used email services i.e. Microsoft 365 offers various functions yet why do experts suggest learning how to backup Office 365 mailbox? This is why:
- Data stored on the cloud is accessible by everyone and is not so safe from cyber-crimes.
- Hackers easily get into user’s accounts and delete their data or cause damage to it.
- Virus attacks can lead to data corruption or loss. Malware like ransomware attacks can encrypt your data files making them inaccessible.
- If data is lost due to accidental deletion, a backup can always bring it back.
- For the second layer of protection, having data stored locally is important.
Final Observation
The procedures on how to backup Office 365 mailbox are explained here. The manual method provided by Microsoft can be a complex procedure if you are not technically inclined.
Whereas, the software keeps it simple and doesn’t have any cascading which might lead to confusion among the users. It has a simple interface that can easily be understood by non-techies also.
