Import EML to Archive Mailbox in M365 for Better Email Management!

However, due to the unavailability of an accurate guide, most of the users don’t know how to migrate EML files to Archive Mailbox. That’s why we made this in-depth walkthrough to discuss the procedure for importing EML to archive mailbox in a few minutes. Let’s start this informative journey with an introduction to EML files. 

What is an EML File?

When we export data from email clients e.g. Gmail, we receive that content in EML file format. These file formats are email messages that are saved in the MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) format. EML files contain all the information of a single email such as subject, body, sender, recipient, and any attachments. However, EML files do not maintain a hierarchy of the email data. This means it saves an individual email as standalone files, including metadata, and other content, but it does not capture the folder structure. 

EML files are mainly used in various scenarios like email backup, data migration, and archiving in programs like Outlook, Thunderbird, and others. In the next section, we will learn these scenarios in detail.

Why You Might Have EML Files?

In various scenarios we saved emails locally and want to import EML to Archive Mailbox:

1. When need to back up email messages for future reference.
2. Migrating from a different platform to Office 365 like when need to migrate email from Gmail to Office 365. 
3. If you want to archive emails for long-term storage and retrieval.
4. When you need to share specific email messages without sending an entire inbox.
5. When transferring bulk email data from older systems to newer ones.

Why Use Office 365 Archive Mailbox?

The M365 archive mailbox is an integral part of email management. This is mainly used to store less frequently accessed emails, which helps in organizing the primary inbox efficiently. Users can transfer archived data to the primary mailbox whenever needed. Not only this but there are other benefits when importing EML to Archive Mailbox O365:

1. Ensures safe, encrypted email storage in the cloud for protection.
2. Quickly access archived emails anytime, from any device or location.
3. Offers unlimited storage space for email archives, expanding as needed.
4. Automatically archives older emails, reducing inbox clutter.
5. Integrates effortlessly with existing Office 365 applications and services.

How to Import EML to Archive Mailbox?

Now that you understand the basics of EML files and why opt for Office 365 Archive mailboxes, for storing the content. Let’s look at the process of importing EML to archive mailbox in M365. To do so, there are several methods available, depending on your needs you can choose any of them:

Method 1: Migrate EML Files to Archive Mailbox Using PowerShell Script

For importing EML files directly into the archive mailbox, PowerShell scripts allow to import EML to Outlook 365 in bulk. However, this solution is only suitable for technical users or Administrators, because of its complicated steps. 

Here are the commands to import EML data:

• Run the following cmdlets to connect to Office 365

Connect-ExchangeOnline -UserPrincipalName <admin_username> -ShowProgress $true

• Create the Import Request

New-MailboxImportRequest -Mailbox <email_address> -FilePath <file_path>

• Start the Import Process

Start-MailboxImportRequest
Start-MailboxImportRequest -Identity <import_batch_name>

• Monitor the Progress

Get-MailboxImportRequest
Get-MailboxImportRequest -Status InProgress

Once ensure the procedure is done, remove the import request. That’s it!

Method 2: Import EML to Archive Mailbox Via Outlook

Those who are non-technical users can opt for this approach. For the same, you just need to open Microsoft Outlook drag the EML file from the destination, and then drop that data within the archive folder. That’s all! Still, if you don’t understand the process then just go through the detailed steps given below:

1. Open Outlook, and ensure it synced with your Office 365 account. 
2. Now, drag the EML files into your Archive folder in Outlook. 
3. Once imported, you can access that content within Outlook.

Exceptional Features of this Solution!

• Supports importing large volumes of EML files.
• Retains email sender, subject, and attachments.
• Import EML to G Suite or Office 365 Efficiently
• Supports EML files from various email clients.
• Processes bulk imports quickly without delay.
• Ensures encrypted, safe data migration process.
• Allows configuring folder mapping and filtering options.

Steps to Import EML to Archive Mailbox via this Credible Utility

Now, after installing this automated solution, run it on your system and follow the stepwise instructions for further procedure: 

• Step 1. Choose the source platform (File System) & the target platform (Office 365) ad shown in the screenshot. 

• Step 2. On the same screen, you see the option to choose a category i.e. email. Click on that.

• Step 3. Select the folder path with Emails, Contacts, Calendars, and Documents. Create a folder named “eml” in the drive where data is stored. Hit the Validate button.

• Step 4. Now, provide the accurate credentials i.e. Admin Email & Application ID for the destination. Press the Validate option. 

• Step 5. User mapping options are also provided by this solution, just select any of them: Fetch Users, Import Users, and Download Template. 

• Step 6. For adding the Destination User Accounts, choose any from: User List Template or Import Users.

• Step 7. Lastly, hit the Start Import button to import EML to archive directly.

Best Practices for Importing EML to Archive Mailbox

Most of the users faced issues during this task, so it is essential to go through these best practices for migrating to Office 365 to ensure a hassle-free import procedure:

1. It is better to organize all the EML files into logical folders before import. This practice can prevent errors if doing bulk importing manually. However, if you using the specified automated software, then you can avoid this step. 
2. Ensure to take the backup of all the EML data, before importing or migrating the files. This ensures data continuity if you lose that during the task.
3. When needing to perform large data importing, then it is better to first import data in small batches, to see if everything goes right.
4. Whether you’re using PowerShell or Outlook, continuously monitoring the procedure is the key to a successful import. Since there are various risks associated with these manual methods, monitoring the task is essential to fix any issue quickly. 

Troubleshooting Import Issues

There are three main issues associated with the import EML to Archive mailbox task, and here we are going to tell you the accurate solutions for them: 

1. Large File Sizes: Many users faced issues with large-size file import because O365 has a limit of 150 MB to import email into it. Resolving this issue is easy, just split down those large-size EML files, and check the size of them before importing to save time. 
2. Attachment Issues: “Attachments are not showing in the imported emails” is the common issue, and to fix this check if your EML files are corrupted. If “yes” then first uncorrupted your files, try to import them, and verify now your attachments are available in the emails. 
3. Permissions Issues: Office 365 permissions like Global Administrator or Exchange Administrator, Mailbox Import Export Role, etc are required to import EML to Archive mailbox, so first verify that you have all the necessary credentials for the same, then initiate the process. Without all the permissions, this is impossible to add any data within Exchange Online. 

Security and Compliance Considerations

It’s essential to consider the security and compliance of your data when importing, and there are a few things you can do to enhance security: 

• Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): When you enable MFA, it adds another layer of security to your crucial data throughout the task. So, before initiating the procedure, first enable Multi-Factor Authentication.
• Set Retention Policies: Setting retention policies is mandatory to set the time for deleting the emails automatically that are no longer needed. 
• Encryption: Before starting with importing or migrating the EML files, first ensure that they are encrypted to prevent unauthorized access.

Bring it All Together!

We learned all the things about importing EML to Archive mailbox in M365. We covered all that is necessary for this task i.e. best methods, best practices, troubleshooting tips, etc.  By following this comprehensive guide, you can efficiently import EML to Archive mailbox within minutes.