Do you want to export your important contacts and calendars from Exchange Server to PST? If yes, you can try multiple methods to perform this job. Based on the selection of your export method, the process can be tiring or quick. For example, using manual methods will be cumbersome, especially in the case of exporting multiple contacts or calendars.
Similarly, using an automated EDB to PST converter can do the same export job quickly and with extreme precision. We will discuss all these methods in this content. To start with, let us try to find out the reasons that may prompt your IT Team to perform the Exchange export task securely.
What is the Need To Export Calendars and Contacts to PST?
Various reasons may prompt you to export Exchange calendars and contacts to PST. These include:
- Data Backup and Recovery: Restoring the complete database backup can consume a lot of time. Instead, backing up only significant contacts and calendars will be quicker. You can restore them easily as well.
- Data Export: When you are about to export mailbox data to Exchange Online or a new Exchange Server, you may need to separately export calendar and contacts.
- Merging mailbox items: When you have multiple shared mailboxes, you may need to merge the contacts and calendars in a single group or a shared mailbox.
- Compliance: The Government may ask companies to provide it with the requisite data for legal purposes. This makes it crucial for organizations to comply with the regulations and maintain all the records, including contacts and calendars.
- Archiving old entries: Exporting old and obsolete mailbox data, such as contacts and calendar entries, to PST can create more free space for new mailboxes. You can still retain legacy information offline and gain access to it.
Method to Export Contacts to PST
Creating a backup of the contacts will help you export Exchange contacts from specific mailboxes to PST at the target location. The PowerShell cmdlet New-MailboxExportRequest can assist you in this task. You may also import the PST file into the Exchange Server database or an Outlook profile to access contacts. Here are the steps to export Exchange contacts to PST depending on the Exchange Server version you are using.
Major Prerequisites
Make sure your Exchange user account has the import/export role and permission to use the Exchange Management Shell. The following cmdlet will assign the Import/Export role in Exchange 2007.
Add-MailboxPermission -Identity “MailboxID” -User “UserName” -AccessRights FullAccess -InheritanceType All
Consider the example below:
Add-MailboxPermission -Identity “Michael Adams” -User barry -AccessRights FullAccess -InheritanceType All
This example assigns the delegate Barry Jones the Full Access permission to the mailbox of Michael Adams.
When using Exchange Server 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019, the following PowerShell cmdlet will assign the requisite permissions:
New-ManagementRoleAssignment -Role “Mailbox Import Export” -User
This will assign the mailbox import export role to the user.
Steps to Export Exchange Contacts to PST
After assigning the necessary role, now is the time to export contacts to PST.
1. In Exchange 2007, run the command below to serve this task:
Export-Mailbox -Identity <MailboxUserID> -IncludeFolders ‘\contacts’ -PSTFolder_Path <Path\filename.pst>
In this command, replace:
- <MailboxUserID> with your mailbox user ID
- <Path\filename.pst> with your –PSTFolder_Path location
- The Parameter –IncludeFolders with the Contact folder that you want to export to PST
2. If you are using Exchange Server 2010, 2013, 2016, or 2019, use New-MailboxExportRequest cmdlet as shown here:
New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox UserName -IncludeFolders “#Contacts#” -ExcludeDumpster -FilePath \ExchSrv\FolderName\FileName.pst
In this command, UserName refers to the mailbox from which you wish to export Contacts to PST
Using these cmdlets correctly in the Exchange Management Shell will export your mailbox contacts to PST. However, you can make this task simple by using an EDB to PST converter, like Stellar Converter for EDB. We will discuss it later. For now, let’s find out how to export Exchange Calendar entries to PST.
Methods to Export Calendars to PST
Usually, two different methods can help you export calendars to a PST file. One of them is by using PowerShell commands, and the other method is via the Outlook Application.
1. Use PowerShell Commands to Export Calendars to PST
Before proceeding with this method, make sure to have administrative access to the Exchange Server. In addition, you should also have the requisite roles and permissions to execute the PowerShell cmdlets, as given below:
Required Roles: Organization Management, Recipient Management, and Mailbox Export
Run the PowerShell cmdlets as shown here in the Exchange Management Shell to create the Import Export role.
New-RoleGroup “Mailbox Import-Export Management” -Roles “Mailbox Import Export”
You can use this command to assign the role to a specific user as well by using the command below:
Add-RoleGroupMember “Mailbox Import-Export Management” -Member
After the completion of the command, check the proper implementation of the user permissions. At times, it may take time for the changes to take place. Here is the command for the same:
Get-ManagementRoleAssignment -RoleAssignee “Administrator”
This will ensure that the user has the required permissions to perform the calendar export. Next, set up a shared folder that can act as a destination for the export task. This is important, especially when you are executing the export job through PowerShell. Follow these steps after you create the shared folder.
- Select the folder you just created and click the Properties option.
- Click Sharing > Advanced Sharing.
- Next, enable Share this folder option > click Permissions
- Remove all the users from the list and add an Active Directory Group
- Name the group – Exchange Trusted Subsystem
- Tick the mentioned permissions under the group to allow it full control
- Click OK > Close.
Now is the time to export the Calendar by using the New-MailboxExportRequest cmdlet in the Exchange Management Shell. Use the command below:
New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox “” -IncludeFolders “#Calendar#” -FilePath “”
The request may take some time to complete based on the calendar size. To check the progress of the command, you can run Get-MailboxExportRequest in the EMS.
Depending on the size of the calendar, it may take some time to complete. You can see the progress by running the Get-MailboxExportRequest command in the Exchange Management Shell (EMS). In case you have to export multiple calendars from varied sources, you can create scripts.
2. Using the Outlook Application to Export Calendars to PST
For this calendar export method to work, you need to have full access to resources or the mailboxes. You should also have a properly configured MS Outlook profile. Once you are sure of these two prerequisites, follow the steps below:
- Open MS Outlook on your system
- Navigate to File > Open & Export > Import/ Export > Export to a file > Next
- Choose the Outlook Data File (.pst) option > Next
- From the Export Outlook Data File dialog box, choose Calendar > Next
- Select the file destination > Next > Finish
- Select the destination of the file, click Next, and then click Finish. This will export the file to the selected destination.
Challenges in the Manual Export Methods
Whether you export contacts or calendars to PST by using EMS PowerShell commands or export Exchange calendars through MS Outlook, all the manual methods have respective pros and cons. For instance, you can export multiple calendars in one go in the Exchange Server through PowerShell cmdlets. Likewise, here are some of the demerits:
- You can export only to PST and need to configure special export permission.
- The method can work with only an Online Exchange Server or a mounted database.
- It has limited functionality and will need scripting skills to perform the export.
In case of exporting calendars to PST via Outlook, you won’t face any hassle, as the steps are obvious. You simply have to keep clicking Next. However, yet again, this method allows you to export only to PST. In addition, you need to set up your Outlook Profile, and in case of multiple mailboxes, the process can be cumbersome.
To avoid such cons and ensure hassle-free export, you can try Stellar Converter for EDB, a widely recommended EDB to PST converter.
Using Stellar Converter for EDB to Export Contacts and Calendars to PST
The popular EDB to PST converter works effectively in converting hosted or offline EDB files into PST with a high degree of accuracy. This 100% secure tool performs the mailbox conversion without leaving any adverse effect on the server performance. No wonder the IT teams in your organization can use it to secure export Exchange calendars and contacts. Here are some of the prominent features of this EDB to PST converter:
- No limitation of file size to convert EDB to PST
- Exports public folders and offline EDB files to Microsoft 365 or Exchange Server
- Parallel processing, up to 8 mailboxes to process simultaneously
- Extract mailboxes from old EDB files and save them in PST
- Free enhanced preview of mailboxes and their items, including emails, contacts, calendars, attachments, etc.
- Allows saving contacts to CSV, enabling their storage in a single database
- Exports to many formats other than PST, such as EML, MSG, PDF, HTML, and RTF
Conclusion
Several reasons may prompt you to export Exchange contacts and calendars to PST. For instance, you would want to move mailbox data, merge mailbox items, comply with rules, or archive old entries. To perform the export, the use of PowerShell commands in Exchange Management Shell is common.
You will need to use cmdlets like Export-Mailbox, New-MailboxExportRequest, etc., to export your contacts and calendars to PST, depending on the Exchange Server version. But before that, you should have the required permissions and role groups to perform the export.
For this, cmdlets like Add-RoleGroupMember, Get-ManagementRoleAssignment Add-MailboxPermission, etc., would help. While all these cmdlets form a part of the solution to export contacts and calendars to PST, your IT team needs to have in-depth knowledge about their practical use.
Often, these processes take considerable time, especially when exporting multiple contacts and calendars. Perhaps using an EDB to PST converter will be an easier way to sort things out. This is where Stellar Converter for EDB fits the bill.
Highly recommended by MVPS and admins of renowned organizations, this software will ease your task appreciably. Buy any of its three available versions today and add convenience to your Exchange processes.
