Import Emails into Outlook & Bring All Old Data to New Platform

The entire process of importing emails into Outlook is a pure consumption of messaging subjects presented in the external environment in a Messaging Application Programming Interface, also known as MAPI. It is an information operation that takes place for numerous intangible purposes such as compliance, business continuity, accessing old archives, and many more. Plenty of users tend to look for a simple way on how to import emails into Outlook. However, due to the complex infrastructure inside Outlook restricts importing emails directly in very few formats. Read the blog till the end to understand the working mechanism of Outlook through both manual and automated solutions and why the process is essential to take place.

Outlook was originally constructed as an email client rather than a universal import system. Not popularly known among users, they try to import old emails into Outlook, only to find there is no direct method in Outlook to access archived or emails of other formats. Due to the confusion, the forced import procedure leads to data loss, partial imports, and disrupted folder hierarchy. This is why it is crucial to understand the correct ways to safely import emails into Outlook without such unforeseen scenarios.

Why is Importing Emails into Outlook Necessary?

Users tend to search for how to import old emails into Outlook when accounts haven’t been active for a while, but are used as a backup account to store confidential information required occasionally. The following are some of the high stakes situations where importing emails into Outlook is very important:

• Professional users from IT teams, legal discovery, and forensic departments often import archived emails into Outlook selectively, like date, subject, Bcc, Cc, etc., to execute discoveries and minimize chances of being ruled as inadmissible in court.
• After the shutdown or dissolution of a company, all local archives must be imported into cloud storage to ensure that all data is in favor of transparency.
• The need for a specific tool or manual method arises when users shift from one Microsoft 365 tenant to another for purposes like corporate acquisition.
• Users need to paste multiple emails into Outlook for data consolidation, as many of them as orphan or damaged files divided across external drives, which requires consolidation in a live environment, enabling users to search for them globally.

Preparation for Importing Old Emails into an Outlook Platform

If you are a web-only Outlook user then there is bad news. While the Outlook web version has a dedicated export mailbox mechanism, there is no way to add email files. Moreover, Microsoft removed the ability to connect new third-party accounts a few years back. So no Gmail, Yahoo, or any other email ID.

The only way out is to set up an Outlook client, most modern Windows machines have an Outlook client pre-installed. So you have your work cut short. However, if you are using a Mac first you have to set up an Outlook Desktop application on your own.

Incase you operate a Linux machine then unfortunately there is no official Outlook app, you must use a VM (with a Windows that has Outlook) or switch away from Outlook permanently.

Nowadays every Outlook account has a reverse sync with the cloud, so even when you use a desktop client the emails are still present in Microsoft Servers.

That’s why it becomes important to check that your current plan has enough storage space before you import emails into Outlook and still retain functionality.

Depending on the amount of data you might have to upgrade your plan. If your storage fills up after or during the import, Microsoft will freeze all incoming and outgoing facilities for your Outlook account. So you risk losing out on essential information.

Import Emails into Outlook Using Manual Techniques

Method 1: Classic PST File Import

1. Go to “File”
2. Click on “Open & Export”
3. Next: Import/Export
4. Afterwards, choose “Import from another program or file”
5. Select “Outlook Data File (.pst)”
6. Search for files
7. Finally, click on “How to handle duplicates.”

Outlook has two file formats, Unicode and ANSI, which the tool uses in the form of PST file. Importing archived or old ANSI emails in a new version of Outlook often shortens or skips users’ data without notifying them.

Method 2: Syncing Files through IMAP

1. Click on Files and add your account.
2. Let the emails sync on the system
3. Add a new account the Outlook
4. Drag and drop files and folders from the old to the new

Users can also paste multiple emails into Outlook for easy access. Beneficial for processing small batches of emails to eliminate any contingencies of the application from crashing or freezing mid-process.

Issues Faced by Users While Using Manual Techniques

• While importing emails into Outlook, the application often crashes or freezes as the app’s engine and the user interface work on the same thread, causing uneven corruption of the users’ database.
• The barriers between Modern Outlook and the versions before 2003 still stand tall as if the user import old emails into Outlook of today’s era, then it could easily fail during the process, as the new version tends to ask for old files to grow up to the current limit.
• Importing emails into Outlook manually does not alert users to the number of files that have been missed, leading them to lose crucial data without ever knowing unless they inspect the files individually.
• Such methods do not guarantee the preservation of metadata like date, sender/receiver’s details, subject, Bcc, Cc, and folder hierarchy during the import process, hindering the chronological order of the original information and partial generation of data.
• Due to technical steps, users from a non-technical background cannot execute importing emails into Outlook.
• Users with thousands of emails who are required to process all the emails simultaneously cannot avail such methods as they do not support bulk import, leading them to import emails in sections, which could take hours.

Bulk Import Archived Emails into OutlookProfessionally

Whenever there is a merger/acquisition, or there is a bulk restructuring within the organization, admins usually have to add a lot of old emails to live accounts. If the company uses Outlook, this usually means that the data needs to be deposited in the M365. For that, the best way is to use the SysTools Microsoft Office 365 Import tool.

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It can process multiple different email formats like MBOX, EML, PST, etc, and put them in the Outlook mailbox of specific users. With date filtering, priority marking, multi-mapping options, and end-result reports. This tool is a complete package. If your starting location is an email account then you can use another sister tool which is the IMAP migrator.

Steps to use the Tool

1. Launch the tool and select the endpoints. The destination should be Microsoft Office 365.

2. Scroll to the Workload area and Select emails. Apply the Date filter if need be.

3. Perform source validation.

4. Perform Destination Validation.

5. Map the Users.

6. Preview, Select, add Priority, Validate and Start the process.

Comparison Between Manual and Automated Solutions

Conclusion

Importing emails into Outlook is indeed not an easy process. While traditional methods may work well for fewer PST files, it does not come suitable for importing emails into Outlook in large size. For precise, secure, and reliable import of heavy email files it is highly recommended to go with advanced software solutions like ours which not only offers batch import, but also provides 3 types of import process according to users’ requirements, minimizing risk of data loss, saving hours of manual work, and guaranteeing complete transfer of information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What options do I have if the imported emails fail to show up in the Outlook client?
Do the following immediately :

• Step 1: Recheck whether or not the PST file was sent to the correct folder.
• Step 2: See if the email client is in sync with the server or not.
• Step 3: If necessary, repair the PST file using Outlook’s Inbox Repair Tool or any other solution.

Q2. Is there an official upper limit on how large of an email file I can deposit into Outlook?
Yes, Microsoft states it explicitly that Outlook has the following file size limits for PST files:

• ANSI PST: 2GB
• Unicode PST : 20GB (Outlook 2003/2007), 50GB (Outlook 2010 and later).

To bypass this limit you can split large files into smaller & more manageable sections.

Q3. How can I safely import emails into Outlook from backup files?
To do that with 100% safety and security, you can use the best Automated Import Tool mentioned above.

Q4. How can I transfer all my emails to Outlook for free?
You can use some of the proven methods, like drag and drop, classic PST import, and IMAP syncing, if you have fewer files to import, as such methods are not suitable for heavy import.

Q5. Is this a professional solution guaranteed to preserve data integrity?
As a matter of fact, it does! One of the tools’ specialities is that it ensures to sustain every single element of the email during and after the import process is completed.

Q6. How many types of imports can this tool do to import emails into Outlook?
You can re-run the process. Re-run the failed items, and also use Delta Import, which enables the import of all newly received emails after the completion.