You can export Microsoft 365 mailbox data from Cove to a .pst file and save it locally. Use this capability to offboard users when you don’t need regular backups but must keep mailbox data for compliance, disaster recovery, or long-term storage.
Exporting to .pst for local storage also reduces reliance on cloud backups and helps lower costs.
Cove supports exporting only the primary mailbox. Export of In-Place Archive (Online Archive) mailboxes is not supported.
Support for exporting calendar and contacts will be available soon.
Supported User Roles
Exporting the mailbox data to a .pst file and downloading the exported file are available only to these roles:
- Super User with the Security Officer flag enabled.
- Manager with the Security Officer flag enabled.
However, you don’t need a Security Officer (SO) flag to cancel a .pst file export. A Super User or a Manager can cancel the export.
Manage Export Jobs
You can export Microsoft 365 mail, view the export progress, download the exported file, and audit export jobs.
To export a user’s Microsoft 365 mail to a .pst file
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Sign in to the Management Console with an account that has Security Officer permissions.
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Open the Microsoft 365 Backups dashboard, and then select a customer to view the associated Microsoft 365 tenants.
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The export action is available from multiple locations. Do one of the following:
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Right-click the device name, and select Export Exchange to .pst.
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From the Action menu, select Export Exchange to .pst.
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You can also drill-down to select a device on the dashboard, and then choose Export Exchange to .pst from:
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Select the user’s mailbox to export, and then select Next.
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Choose the folders and emails to include, and then select Next.
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Do one of the following:
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Edit your selections, then review and select Export.
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Review your selection, and then select Export.
When a .pst file export is initiated for a preselected user from the Exchange & OneDrive tab, the Edit option is unavailable for mailbox selection.
A confirmation message appears, and the file is queued for export.
To view the export progress
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Go to the Active Jobs tab to view the progress of export jobs.
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Export time depends on the size of the Exchange data and may take several hours.
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View percentage complete and number of items (x/y) exported.
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If the export exceeds 5 GB, the system creates multiple .pst files.
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You can cancel an export job by selecting the Cancel (×) icon next to the progress bar.
To download the exported .pst file
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Go to the History tab to see the completed export jobs.
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Filter by export jobs, if required. You can view the export file size, the expiry date, and the number of remaining download attempts.
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Select the link to download a .zip archive of the exported .pst file.
If the download is interrupted, you can resume it within one hour.
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Files are retained for 7 days, regardless of download attempts.
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Each file can be downloaded up to 5 times. After 7 days or 5 downloads, whichever comes first, you must start a new export.
Exported .pst files are deleted after 7 days. This helps prevent storage issues and ensures compliance with retention policies.
To open the exported .pst file
Make sure you have the classic desktop version of Microsoft Outlook installed. If you're using the New Outlook, switch to Classic Outlook. Opening .pst files is fully supported in Outlook for Windows. Outlook for Mac has limited support, and Outlook on the web doesn't support .pst files.
For the most current information, see the official Microsoft documentation.
To audit export jobs
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Go to the Audit tab to monitor or view the export activity, such as detailed logs of export requests, downloaded files, cancellation of exports, and more.
