How to Export Public Folders to PST – Step by Step Guide

Exporting the public folder from the Exchange into PST can be a regular task for most Exchange admins. However, as the public folder is important, many also look to secure themselves against future threats. In an Exchange organization, a public folder can contain essential data that is shareable among multiple users within the company.

Users can straightaway use the PowerShell commands, and Exchange Admin Center to export public folders to PST, but there is no native tool available to complete this task. In many cases, many found using these methods quite tricky because of a lack of support. Do not worry though this article will guide you through a step-by-step procedure to move the complete data from the public folder into PST.

What are Public folders in Exchange Server?

Basically, the purpose of creating the public folder in an Exchange environment is to share information among users within the organization. Exchange admin has the right to create the public folder, and they have the option to grant access to any particular user. Using the public folder for any business can improve their working, as receiving information via email in one particular folder is more manageable.

The public folder contains company information, and sometimes the admin looks to create a backup of them. If users configure their Outlook profile with the Exchange, then they can access the public folder in Outlook. All public folder data save in the Exchange database as a pub. edb.

Due to multiple issues like database file corruption, many Exchange admins look to export public folders to PST, and this blog is about finding the solution.

Manual Solution to Export Exchange On-Premises Public Folder into PST

You must be careful if you have a task to export a public folder to a PST file. Moreover, a method to export public folder is totally different from exporting the Exchange mailboxes. Also, using PowerShell Cmdlet, Exchange Admin Center, and Outlook, users can export their public folder. But users can face difficulties while handling the task through such methods.

Export Public Folder through MS Outlook

To start the export of the public folder, ensure that your system should have an Outlook. Create some space according to the public folder size; if not, this procedure will not work as data is stored in the pub. edb in compressed form, then there is the possibility that the resultant PST will be more significant in size than the public folder size.

Also, be sure that your Exchange is connected with Outlook and grant permission to export the public folder to PST file.

Follow the below-shared steps to export your Public folder data into PST file:

• You need to launch Outlook on your system and tap on the File.
• Select Open & Export, and later click on Import/Export.
• Now select the Export to a file option and click next.
• Click on next after choosing the Outlook Data File.
• Once the file is added, you need to expand the folder and choose the desired item. Also, you can select the subfolder using the software and include the subfolder option. Here, the filter option is also given, which you can use to include and exclude some data. Once done with the required settings, click on the Next button.

This process will take its own time, depending on factors like total data added. As Outlook has the maximum capacity to open PST files up to 50 GB in size, ensure that if the resultant files exceed the limit, then you can split the PST to open them in your Outlook account. However, using Outlook, you can easily export public folder to PST, but this method has multiple limitations:

1. Users cannot process multiple public folders at one point in time.
2. If the size of the public folder is large, then there are changes that Outlook crashes in between the export process.
3. It’s time-consuming; moreover, core technical knowledge is required to run the process smoothly.
4. There is also a chance of file corruption due to the large public folder size.

Professional Software to Export Exchange Public Folder into PST

You can rely on other methods if you find issues while establishing a connection between your Outlook profile and Exchange. Using a third-party utility like Shoviv Exchange EDB Recovery tool is a perfect example of performing the task in minimal time as it bypasses lengthy procedures. Users can export public folders to PST in simple steps and due to its better GUI navigation to the EDB file is also easier.

Its capabilities are countless means the software offers multiple user-oriented features which allow conducting the successful export of the public folder. The software can add multiple EDB files and, at the same time, preview them all, which also helps to verify the data. Exporting the selective data is possible through this software filter option.

Most importantly, its incremental export helps a lot if the process gets interrupted. When the export experiences are interrupted intentionally or unintentionally, then due to this option, the software will resume the process from the point where it gets stopped. Check the procedure to export public folder to PST using this software in the following section of the article.

Quick Steps to export public folder through Shoviv EDB Recovery Tool:

• After installing the software, open it in your system.

• Add the public folder using the software Exchange Server Single Store option. Also, mention the required credentials like Exchange name, email, and password. Click Finish to continue with the process.

• Now you will see public folder data, expand them using the software preview pane. After selecting the required item, click on the Outlook PST option.

• You can include the sub-folder from this window through the check/uncheck subfolder option. Click next after choosing the required subfolder.

• Filter the data on criteria such as Process Item Date and Process Message class. Click the Next button to move ahead.

• Use the software split option to break the large file into smaller ones. There is an option to export the resultant file into the existing PST. Along with that, users can also set the password on the resultant PST file. Once done then, click on the Next button.

• The software will not start exporting the public folder, and it will also show the live process where users can check the total item filtered, duplicate items, and much more. Now click on Finish to end the export.

Wrap Up

A public folder in an Exchange organization is helpful in cases such as collaboration and archiving. It also helps to migrate the data from one server to another Exchange. In addition, when users need to create a backup of the public folder, many users look to export public folder to PST because it is easier to access public folder data through the Outlook account.  

In this write-up, we have listed one free &paid solution to export the Exchange public folders. However, the manual solution has multiple downtimes, whereas third-party software quickly performs its job without causing any trouble to the data integrity. In the end, we suggest you try the alternative approach to the manual method to ease your task.