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Finally found solution to export Outlook 2011 to PST files

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Bigmacduck

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 15, 2009
228
5
I finally found a software that allows me to convert the Outlook for Mac 2011 back into Outlook for Windows 2010 PST files.

It requires a two step approach:

1. Open Outlook 2011 for Mac and open a finder Window. Drag a directory from the left navigation pane in Outlook 2011 and drop it into the finder window. It can take up to a few minutes without any prompt of progress window. Once finished, you find a file named directoryname.mbox in your finder window.

2. Purchase and download the software MBOX converter from SoftLay. http://www.mboxconverter.com/ The software costs 69 USD. You can test it first by downloading a demo license that extracts only 5 email files. The MBOX Converter takes the mbox file created in step 1 as the input and converts it into a PST file, with all the directory and sub-directory structure of the original folder in Outlook 2011.

Finally I have a working solution to port the Outlook 2011 message store back to Outlook 2010 if I have to. I previously used a local IMAP server, bit that process was too cumbersome and time consuming.

I hope you find this tip useful. :D
 
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Bigmacduck

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 15, 2009
228
5
Update: I tested a bit more and converted a folder with 350 emails. The process went pretty OK, but it took 6 hours and a few emails were corrupted. So I do not recommend MBOX converter for regular use to exchange email storage between Windows and Mac based Outlook. I would still consider it for emergencies.

I rather wait for a clever company that offers either:
- OLM import into Outlook 2010 on Windows
or
- PST export for Outlook 2011 on Mac
or
- standalone OLM to PST converter.
 
M

Monchompa

macrumors newbie
Mar 12, 2012
3
0
Ugh Mac Users...

you go to File>Export or File>import, It wont create a .pst but will make a .olm file.
 
B

Bigmacduck

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 15, 2009
228
5
Its about keeping Mac and PC Message store in sync

Monchompa said:
you go to File>Export or File>import, It wont create a .pst but will make a .olm file.
Click to expand...

LOL - do you think the world just consists of Macs? I need the PST format to keep a copy of my Outlook Message store that is on the Mac also on the PC. Outlook 2010 does not import OLM files.

So I am using Systools OLM to PST converter now and I am quite happy with that one.
 
B

Bigmacduck

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 15, 2009
228
5
How to Sync the Outlook Message Store between two Macs?

That brings me to my next challenge: I have several Macs and I mainly use the 11" MBA 2012 for travel and the 15" MBP 2012 in the office or at home.

For data file synchronization I am using Goodsync , which I warmly recommend as it works on and between the Mac and PC platform.

While working with PST files, the syncing between a Outlook 2010 (VM or Bootcamp) and a PC works just great in peer to peer sync mode, only the changed blocks are updated.

Now on the native Outlook 2011 on the two macs the syncing seems to be a bit trickier. The offline message store is no longer conveniently in one or several PST files, it is spread over thousands of files under the directory tree
/Users/username/Documents/Microsoft User Data/Office 2011 Identities/

Is it save to just sync this directory tree between the two macs (left to right or right too left)?

Today's save option I use is to delete the messages on the to-be-updated- mac and import a previously exported OLM file from the other mac. With a message store of 8GB, that is a pretty time consuming process. I want to do a sync in minutes, not hours.
 
M

mark1985

macrumors newbie
Feb 1, 2013
1
0
Bigmacduck said:
Update: I tested a bit more and converted a folder with 350 emails. The process went pretty OK, but it took 6 hours and a few emails were corrupted. So I do not recommend MBOX converter for regular use to exchange email storage between Windows and Mac based Outlook. I would still consider it for emergencies.

I rather wait for a clever company that offers either:
- OLM import into Outlook 2010 on Windows
or
- PST export for Outlook 2011 on Mac
or
- standalone OLM to PST converter.
Click to expand...

Hi Bigmacduck

Last time i used this tool to convert My MAC emails, and i am happy with this tool you can also use this tool and download from pst1.org

I hope you also will get good result
Best Regard
Mark:)
 
dianeoforegon

dianeoforegon

macrumors 6502a
Apr 26, 2011
907
137
Oregon
If you have IMAP or Exchange account you would not need to convert files. It's only POP messages or mail you have stored under "On My Computer" folders that need to be converted.

Try the new Office365. It's $4/month. Since it's Exchange that would be a cheap option to move data back and forth or just move your account to 365.


Microsoft Office 365 Marketplace
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/support.aspx
 
hallux

hallux

macrumors 68040
Apr 25, 2012
3,437
1,005
dianeoforegon said:
If you have IMAP or Exchange account you would not need to convert files. It's only POP messages or mail you have stored under "On My Computer" folders that need to be converted.

Try the new Office365. It's $4/month. Since it's Exchange that would be a cheap option to move data back and forth or just move your account to 365.


Microsoft Office 365 Marketplace
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/support.aspx
Click to expand...


People with Exchange accounts still store data locally on their computers. Space on Exchange servers in companies isn't infinite, sometimes people need to keep emails that might otherwise cause them to exceed allotted space.
 
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jlc1978

jlc1978

macrumors 603
Aug 14, 2009
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Badrottie said:
How about from PST to OLM for Office 2008 for Mac? I am about to leave Windows PC soon. :apple:
Click to expand...

Here's a free solution:

If you can connect to the Exchange server you can get the mail to the Mac that way. For files that are in local folders, move them bak to the server on the PC, get them on the Mac and move them to a local folder there. If space is an issue, do it in batches - move to server, move to Mac, move back to a local folder on the PC. This would work in the other direction (Mac -> PC) as well.

There is a program O2M that migrates .pst to Mail as well by converting the file.
 
Badrottie

Badrottie

Suspended
May 8, 2011
4,317
336
Los Angeles
jlc1978 said:
Here's a free solution:

If you can connect to the Exchange server you can get the mail to the Mac that way. For files that are in local folders, move them bak to the server on the PC, get them on the Mac and move them to a local folder there. If space is an issue, do it in batches - move to server, move to Mac, move back to a local folder on the PC. This would work in the other direction (Mac -> PC) as well.

There is a program O2M that migrates .pst to Mail as well by converting the file.
Click to expand...

Thanks jlc1978 I do not have Exchange server I will look at O2M. I hope it is free. :apple:
 
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hallux

hallux

macrumors 68040
Apr 25, 2012
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jlc1978 said:
Here's a free solution:

If you can connect to the Exchange server you can get the mail to the Mac that way. For files that are in local folders, move them bak to the server on the PC, get them on the Mac and move them to a local folder there. If space is an issue, do it in batches - move to server, move to Mac, move back to a local folder on the PC. This would work in the other direction (Mac -> PC) as well.

There is a program O2M that migrates .pst to Mail as well by converting the file.
Click to expand...

Getting them ONTO the Mac isn't the issue. Moving back to a PC is. Yes, the process you suggest would work in that situation as well but it's somewhat cumbersome in either direction. FWIW, Outlook 2011 on the Mac CAN import a PST, it turns it into an OLM, or adds it to the OLM for the identity but you can't go BACK to PST format. Rumor is that the next version of Outlook for the Mac will allow it to work directly with PST files AS PST FILES.
 
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jlc1978

jlc1978

macrumors 603
Aug 14, 2009
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hallux said:
Getting them ONTO the Mac isn't the issue. Moving back to a PC is. Yes, the process you suggest would work in that situation as well but it's somewhat cumbersome in either direction.
Click to expand...

While it is a bit cumbersome; at least it is a free solution and for a one time move not that bad. As a side note, the post I responded to specifically asked PC->Mac for Outlook 2008.

FWIW, Outlook 2011 on the Mac CAN import a PST, it turns it into an OLM, or adds it to the OLM for the identity but you can't go BACK to PST format. Rumor is that the next version of Outlook for the Mac will allow it to work directly with PST files AS PST FILES.
Click to expand...

That would be a nice step; even better would be bringing the Mac version up to full functional equivalence with the Win version.
 
jlc1978

jlc1978

macrumors 603
Aug 14, 2009
5,479
4,266
Badrottie said:
Thanks jlc1978 I do not have Exchange server I will look at O2M. I hope it is free. :apple:
Click to expand...

What are you using? If it's IMAP or POP and you've left the messages on the server you can simply resynch PC Outlook with that server. Alternatively, if I remember correctly, you can re-upload mail to an IMAP server by dragging and dropping the mail into the desired IMAP folder. Depending on your mail account you may need to do it in batches.
 
Last edited:
Badrottie

Badrottie

Suspended
May 8, 2011
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jlc1978 said:
What are you using? If it's IMAP or POP and you've left the messages on the server you can simply resynch PC Outlook with that server. Alternatively, if I remember correctly, you can re-upload mail to an IMPA server by dragging and dropping the mail into the desired IMAP folder. Depending on your mail account you may need to do it in batches.
Click to expand...

all accounts I have are POP…I will look at it. :apple:
 
dianeoforegon

dianeoforegon

macrumors 6502a
Apr 26, 2011
907
137
Oregon
hallux said:
People with Exchange accounts still store data locally on their computers. Space on Exchange servers in companies isn't infinite, sometimes people need to keep emails that might otherwise cause them to exceed allotted space.
Click to expand...

I'm suggesting 365 for moving your data not for long time use. This gets everything where IMAP only gets your mail. Office365 has a generous 25 GB limit.
 
E

El Salo

macrumors newbie
Aug 29, 2013
1
0
There is a way I found after many hours (I did not find a decent procedure or answer in almost all the important tech forums) to successfully import my Mac Outlook 2011 (O11) mails to Windows Outlook 2010 (O10). After trying to check olm to pst converters and so on, which are costly and with no guarantee that they will work, I started to think in other possibilities. The one I liked the most was to take all my mails from O11 which are in .elm format and to transfer them to .msg in order to fit them in O10. At first glance and according to many forums I checked, it also was a complicated task, yet I found a simple way to do it, which depending on the number of mails, that can take as low as 10 minutes and as long as 2h (which was my case considering that I had almost 24000 mails in around 8Gb).

The procedure is:
1) Open your O11 inbox on your Mac and create a folder in the Finder (call it for example Inbox 011) to copy and paste or to drag-and-drop all the mails from your inbox to the aforementioned folder.

2) Copy this Inbox O11 folder to a flash memory drive or any memory device (USB pen drive, SD card, external HD, etc.) to move it from your Mac to your Windows PC.

3) If you have Windows 7 o 8, install Windows Mail (or Outlook Express if your Windows is XP) in your Windows PC (if you do not have it already). After installing it, open Windows Mail. Windows mail, contrary to Outlook 2010, accepts .elm format.

4) Create a provisional E-mail account on Windows Mail

4) Connect your flash memory containing Inbox O11 folder containing all your mails from your Mac (see step 2) in your Windows PC, open the folder and drag-and-drop all the mails in the folder in the Inbox of your recently created account in Windows Mail (if you have many mails, I recommend you to do this task in stages, for example in lots of 2.000 or 3.000 mails per transfer).

5) Once you checked that all the mails are in the Inbox of your recently created Windows Mail account, you can perform the export/import.

6) Leave opened Windows Mail and open also Outlook 2010. Create your mail’s account you will use in Outlook 2010. In Windows Mail go to File -> Export Mail -> Email messages -> Select “Microsoft Exchange” format, it will pop-up a message

7)Select the folder you want to export, in this case will be the Inbox one from the account created

8) Now go to Outlook 2010, click on File -> Open -> Import -> Import Internet Mail and Addresses -> Select Outlook Express or Windows Mail and THAT’S IT

You can go to you Inbox in O10 and you will see you have all your mail from your old Mac’s O11. You can perform the same task for your Sent Items folder (or both Inbox and Sent Items at the same time)
 
DeepIn2U

DeepIn2U

macrumors G5
May 30, 2002
12,824
6,878
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
El Salo said:
There is a way I found after many hours (I did not find a decent procedure or answer in almost all the important tech forums) to successfully import my Mac Outlook 2011 (O11) mails to Windows Outlook 2010 (O10). After trying to check olm to pst converters and so on, which are costly and with no guarantee that they will work, I started to think in other possibilities. The one I liked the most was to take all my mails from O11 which are in .elm format and to transfer them to .msg in order to fit them in O10. At first glance and according to many forums I checked, it also was a complicated task, yet I found a simple way to do it, which depending on the number of mails, that can take as low as 10 minutes and as long as 2h (which was my case considering that I had almost 24000 mails in around 8Gb).

The procedure is:
1) Open your O11 inbox on your Mac and create a folder in the Finder (call it for example Inbox 011) to copy and paste or to drag-and-drop all the mails from your inbox to the aforementioned folder.

2) Copy this Inbox O11 folder to a flash memory drive or any memory device (USB pen drive, SD card, external HD, etc.) to move it from your Mac to your Windows PC.
Click to expand...

Um .... I'm a bit lost because you've left really specifics out; I think

Can you please define the following in-depth?
1. Mac Outlook 2011 (O11) - why are you calling it "(O11)"? Just as a simple way to isolate from Outlook 2010 on Windows? (I hope so).

2. Outlook 2011 Emails.
I'd like to confirm that you're not trying to guide us to copying "cached" emails that already exist on an Exchange Server and are considered 'live' and can easily be downloaded into any email program that supports Exchange (ActiveSync/EAS or Outlook Anywhere).

With that cleared up - Emails in Outlook both the 'live' (emails that are cached yet still reside on the server) and Archived (listed as "On My Computer" & considered offline) are consolidated into a single Database. This Database resides in the users Documents > Microsoft User Data > Office 2011 Identities > Main Identity (or any others that have been rebuilt due to corruption & recovered; sometimes listed as "Main Identity [Backed up 2013-07-29 18.25.26]" - date & time).

From a support stand-point I've got a user with over 12GB of archived "On My Computer" spread across 4 main root folders, and with a heirarchy the Devil would use as punishment for a soul sent to him I SWEAR!

Either way I think I can infer from your guide and give it a try just now and see how I make out and report back.

PS: I'm appalled Microsoft didn't create a utility to perform this function since they've been VERY big on cross-compatibility. Any new version of Office suite for OSX should have Outlook ability to import and export into PST files and maintain structure and compatibility (read and write) across both Windows/Mac platforms.
 
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T

thankfull-iom

macrumors newbie
Jan 8, 2014
1
0
thank you - works

El Salo said:
There is a way I found after many hours (I did not find a decent procedure or answer in almost all the important tech forums) to successfully import my Mac Outlook 2011 (O11) mails to Windows Outlook 2010 (O10). After trying to check olm to pst converters and so on, which are costly and with no guarantee that they will work, I started to think in other possibilities. The one I liked the most was to take all my mails from O11 which are in .elm format and to transfer them to .msg in order to fit them in O10. At first glance and according to many forums I checked, it also was a complicated task, yet I found a simple way to do it, which depending on the number of mails, that can take as low as 10 minutes and as long as 2h (which was my case considering that I had almost 24000 mails in around 8Gb).

The procedure is:
1) Open your O11 inbox on your Mac and create a folder in the Finder (call it for example Inbox 011) to copy and paste or to drag-and-drop all the mails from your inbox to the aforementioned folder.

2) Copy this Inbox O11 folder to a flash memory drive or any memory device (USB pen drive, SD card, external HD, etc.) to move it from your Mac to your Windows PC.

3) If you have Windows 7 o 8, install Windows Mail (or Outlook Express if your Windows is XP) in your Windows PC (if you do not have it already). After installing it, open Windows Mail. Windows mail, contrary to Outlook 2010, accepts .elm format.

4) Create a provisional E-mail account on Windows Mail

4) Connect your flash memory containing Inbox O11 folder containing all your mails from your Mac (see step 2) in your Windows PC, open the folder and drag-and-drop all the mails in the folder in the Inbox of your recently created account in Windows Mail (if you have many mails, I recommend you to do this task in stages, for example in lots of 2.000 or 3.000 mails per transfer).

5) Once you checked that all the mails are in the Inbox of your recently created Windows Mail account, you can perform the export/import.

6) Leave opened Windows Mail and open also Outlook 2010. Create your mail’s account you will use in Outlook 2010. In Windows Mail go to File -> Export Mail -> Email messages -> Select “Microsoft Exchange” format, it will pop-up a message

7)Select the folder you want to export, in this case will be the Inbox one from the account created

8) Now go to Outlook 2010, click on File -> Open -> Import -> Import Internet Mail and Addresses -> Select Outlook Express or Windows Mail and THAT’S IT

You can go to you Inbox in O10 and you will see you have all your mail from your old Mac’s O11. You can perform the same task for your Sent Items folder (or both Inbox and Sent Items at the same time)
Click to expand...

Just the fix I was looking for.
By having Windows Live Mail open in browser it is possible to drag the messages into the Live Mail inbox desktop then export to Outlook - cleardown on web by delete all and start next email account. Sadly no solution to subfolders but considering the appauling integration MAC-Windows this is the best solution so thanks again.
 
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