Archiving Outlook PST Files Directly


This article is currently under revision.


With MailStore Server, PST files can be archived directly. Contrary to archiving emails from Outlook, here you can create and execute archiving tasks independently from users and user computers. The users' individual PST files should be made available centrally, e.g. through a network share.

Please note: The computer used for archiving PST files through the MailStore Client must have a version of Outlook installed that is compatible with the PST files selected. For example, to archive an Outlook 2007 PST file, the corresponding version of Outlook needs to be installed.

Setting up archiving processes for PST files is done using archiving profiles. General information about archiving profiles is available in the chapter Working with Archiving Profiles.

Archiving a PST file that contains emails of a single user

Please note: If you don't want to archive PST files in your personal user archive only, you'll have to be logged on to MailStore Client as a MailStore Server administrator. Only a MailStore Server administrator can archive emails for other users.

For each PST file, please proceed as follows:

  • In MailStore Server, click on Archive Email.
  • From the E-mail Files category in the Create Profile section select Microsoft Outlook PST files.
  • A wizard opens, guiding you through the setup process.
    Arch pst 00.png
  • Select Single User and click on OK.
  • The dialog window Archive Microsoft Outlook appears.
    Arch pst 01.png
  • Select Archive Email Stored in a PST File as source and specify the PST file to be archived. Click on Next.

Please note: If you work with an Outlook/Exchange environment, you get better results by first opening the existing PST file in Outlook and then using the Archive Email Stored in your Local Outlook option. This way you can ensure that all existing sender and recipient addresses are correctly archived.

  • If needed, adjust the settings for the List of Folders to be Archived, the filter and the Deletion Rules.
    Arch pst 02.png
  • If logged on to MailStore Server as a MailStore Server-administrator, the target archive can be specified in the next step of the wizard. Select the archive of the user for whom the selected PST file is to be archived.
    Arch pst 03.png
  • In the final step you can specify a name for the new archiving profile. After clicking on Finish, the archiving profile will be listed under Saved Profiles and can be run immediately, if desired.

Archiving a PST file that contains emails of multiple users

Please note: In order to be able to select this archiving method, you'll have to be logged on to MailStore Client as a MailStore Server administrator. Only a MailStore Server administrator can archive emails for other users.

In addition to archiving PST files that contain emails of a single user, MailStore Server can archive PST files that contain emails of multiple users, e.g. from a multidrop mailbox export.
To archive such emails please proceed as follows:

  • In MailStore Server, click on Archive Email.
  • From the E-mail Files category in the Create Profile section select Microsoft Outlook PST files.
  • A wizard opens, guiding you through the setup process.
    Arch pst 04.png
  • Select Multiple Users and click on OK.
  • The dialog window Archive Multidrop Mailbox (Filesystem) appears.
    Arch pst 05.png
  • Select the PST file to be archived.
  • Adjust any further settings such as how to handle emails with unknown addresses or asking MailStore Server to delete email files after they have been archived.
  • Click on Next.
  • In the final step you can specify a name for the new archiving profile. After clicking on Finish, the archiving profile will be listed under Saved Profiles and can be run immediately, if desired.

Includes:Starting the Archiving Process