How to Export Exchange Mailbox to PST File Using PowerShell

Before you can export mailboxes to PST files, you need the Mailbox Import Export role. This role is not assigned to any role groups by default, so you must explicitly assign it to your user account.

Open Exchange Management Shell as an administrator and run this command:

New-ManagementRoleAssignment –Role "Mailbox Import Export" –User "yourusername"

Replace yourusername with your actual username. For example:

New-ManagementRoleAssignment –Role "Mailbox Import Export" –User "administrator"

Get-ManagementRoleAssignment -RoleAssignee "yourusername" | Where-Object {$_.Role -like "*Import*"}

PST exports cannot target local folders like C:\PSTExports. You must create a UNC network path (shared folder) that Exchange Server can access.

Create a folder on your Exchange server or file server:

New-Item -Path "D:\PST" -ItemType Directory
New-SmbShare -Name "PST" -Path "D:\PST" -FullAccess "Everyone"

Configure the required permissions on the shared folder. The Exchange Trusted Subsystem group needs Change/Read permissions, and SYSTEM needs Full Control:

# Set folder permissions
$acl = Get-Acl "D:\PST"
$accessRule1 = New-Object System.Security.AccessControl.FileSystemAccessRule("Exchange Trusted Subsystem","Modify","ContainerInherit,ObjectInherit","None","Allow")
$accessRule2 = New-Object System.Security.AccessControl.FileSystemAccessRule("SYSTEM","FullControl","ContainerInherit,ObjectInherit","None","Allow")
$acl.SetAccessRule($accessRule1)
$acl.SetAccessRule($accessRule2)
Set-Acl "D:\PST" $acl

Test-Path "\\$env:COMPUTERNAME\PST"

Now you can export a single mailbox using the New-MailboxExportRequest cmdlet. This is the most common scenario for individual mailbox exports.

Use this basic syntax to export a mailbox:

New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox "username" -FilePath "\\servername\share\username.pst"

Here's a practical example:

New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox "amanda.morgan" -FilePath "\\EX01-2016\PST\amanda.morgan.pst"

You should see output similar to this:

Name              Mailbox                                    Status
----              -------                                    ------
MailboxExport     company.local/Users/Amanda Morgan          Queued

Get-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox "amanda.morgan" | Format-List Name,Mailbox,Status,PercentComplete

Monitor progress until Status shows "Completed". Large mailboxes may take several hours to export.

If your organization uses archive mailboxes, you can export them separately using the -IsArchive parameter. This is essential for complete data migration or compliance requirements.

Export an archive mailbox with this command:

New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox "username" -FilePath "\\servername\share\username_archive.pst" -IsArchive

Practical example:

New-MailboxExportRequest -Name "Amanda_Archive_Export" -Mailbox "amanda.morgan" -FilePath "\\EX01-2016\PST\amanda.morgan_archive.pst" -IsArchive

You can also export both primary and archive mailboxes simultaneously by running two separate commands:

# Export primary mailbox
New-MailboxExportRequest -Name "Amanda_Primary" -Mailbox "amanda.morgan" -FilePath "\\EX01-2016\PST\amanda.morgan_primary.pst"

# Export archive mailbox
New-MailboxExportRequest -Name "Amanda_Archive" -Mailbox "amanda.morgan" -FilePath "\\EX01-2016\PST\amanda.morgan_archive.pst" -IsArchive

Get-Mailbox "amanda.morgan" | Select-Object Name,ArchiveStatus,ArchiveDatabase

Then monitor both export requests:

Get-MailboxExportRequest | Where-Object {$_.Mailbox -like "*amanda.morgan*"} | Format-Table Name,Status,PercentComplete

For compliance or data retention purposes, you often need to export only specific date ranges. Use the ContentFilter parameter to specify date criteria.

Export emails within a specific date range:

New-MailboxExportRequest -ContentFilter {(Received -lt '03/09/2026') -and (Received -gt '03/09/2025')} -Mailbox "amanda.morgan" -FilePath "\\EX01-2016\PST\amanda.morgan_2025.pst"

You can also filter by other criteria like sender, subject, or message size:

# Export only emails from specific sender
New-MailboxExportRequest -ContentFilter {From -like "*@contoso.com"} -Mailbox "amanda.morgan" -FilePath "\\EX01-2016\PST\amanda_contoso_emails.pst"

# Export emails larger than 10MB
New-MailboxExportRequest -ContentFilter {MessageSize -gt '10MB'} -Mailbox "amanda.morgan" -FilePath "\\EX01-2016\PST\amanda_large_emails.pst"

# Export emails with specific subject
New-MailboxExportRequest -ContentFilter {Subject -like "*Project Alpha*"} -Mailbox "amanda.morgan" -FilePath "\\EX01-2016\PST\amanda_project_alpha.pst"

Get-MailboxStatistics "amanda.morgan" | Get-MailboxFolderStatistics | Where-Object {$_.FolderPath -eq "/Inbox"}

For enterprise migrations or mass exports, you can export multiple mailboxes simultaneously using PowerShell loops. This method is much more efficient than exporting mailboxes one by one.

Export all mailboxes in your organization:

foreach ($Mailbox in (Get-Mailbox -ResultSize Unlimited)) {
    New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox $Mailbox.Identity -FilePath "\\EX01-2016\PST\$($Mailbox.Alias).pst"
}

Export mailboxes from a specific database:

$Mailboxes = Get-Mailbox -Database "Mailbox Database 01"
foreach ($Mailbox in $Mailboxes) {
    $ExportName = "Bulk_Export_" + $Mailbox.Alias
    New-MailboxExportRequest -Name $ExportName -Mailbox $Mailbox.Identity -FilePath "\\EX01-2016\PST\$($Mailbox.Alias).pst"
}

Export mailboxes from a CSV file (useful for selective exports):

# Create CSV file with headers: DisplayName,Alias
# Example content:
# "John Doe","john.doe"
# "Jane Smith","jane.smith"

$Users = Import-Csv "C:\temp\mailboxes_to_export.csv"
foreach ($User in $Users) {
    $ExportName = "CSV_Export_" + $User.Alias
    New-MailboxExportRequest -Name $ExportName -Mailbox $User.Alias -FilePath "\\EX01-2016\PST\$($User.Alias).pst"
}

# Check overall progress
Get-MailboxExportRequest | Group-Object Status | Select-Object Name,Count

# Get detailed status
Get-MailboxExportRequest | Format-Table Name,Mailbox,Status,PercentComplete -AutoSize

Sometimes you need to export only specific folders or exclude certain folders from the export. Exchange provides granular control over what gets exported.

Export only the Inbox folder:

New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox "amanda.morgan" -FilePath "\\EX01-2016\PST\amanda_inbox_only.pst" -IncludeFolders "\Inbox"

Export multiple specific folders:

New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox "amanda.morgan" -FilePath "\\EX01-2016\PST\amanda_important_folders.pst" -IncludeFolders "\Inbox","\Sent Items","\Important Projects"

Exclude specific folders (like Deleted Items or Junk Email):

New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox "amanda.morgan" -FilePath "\\EX01-2016\PST\amanda_clean_export.pst" -ExcludeFolders "\Deleted Items","\Junk Email","\Drafts"

Combine folder filtering with content filtering:

New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox "amanda.morgan" -FilePath "\\EX01-2016\PST\amanda_filtered.pst" -IncludeFolders "\Inbox","\Sent Items" -ContentFilter {(Received -gt '01/01/2025') -and (MessageSize -lt '50MB')}

Export to a specific folder structure in the PST:

New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox "amanda.morgan" -FilePath "\\EX01-2016\PST\amanda_structured.pst" -SourceRootFolder "\Inbox" -TargetRootFolder "\Amanda_Inbox_Backup"

Get-MailboxFolderStatistics "amanda.morgan" | Select-Object FolderPath,ItemsInFolder | Sort-Object FolderPath

Proper monitoring of export requests is crucial for enterprise environments. Exchange provides several cmdlets to track progress and manage ongoing exports.

Check the status of all export requests:

Get-MailboxExportRequest | Format-Table Name,Mailbox,Status,PercentComplete,BytesTransferred -AutoSize

Get detailed information about a specific export:

Get-MailboxExportRequest -Name "Amanda_Backup_2026" | Format-List *

View export statistics and progress:

Get-MailboxExportRequestStatistics -Identity "Amanda_Backup_2026" | Format-List Name,Status,PercentComplete,BytesTransferred,ItemsTransferred,EstimatedTransferSize

Remove completed export requests (cleanup):

# Remove specific completed request
Remove-MailboxExportRequest -Identity "Amanda_Backup_2026" -Confirm:$false

# Remove all completed requests
Get-MailboxExportRequest -Status Completed | Remove-MailboxExportRequest -Confirm:$false

Cancel a running export request:

# Suspend the request first
Suspend-MailboxExportRequest -Identity "Amanda_Backup_2026"

# Then remove it
Remove-MailboxExportRequest -Identity "Amanda_Backup_2026" -Confirm:$false

Resume a suspended export:

Resume-MailboxExportRequest -Identity "Amanda_Backup_2026"

# Save as Monitor-Exports.ps1
do {
    Clear-Host
    Write-Host "Export Status - $(Get-Date)" -ForegroundColor Green
    Get-MailboxExportRequest | Group-Object Status | Format-Table Name,Count -AutoSize
    Get-MailboxExportRequest | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq "InProgress"} | Format-Table Name,PercentComplete,BytesTransferred -AutoSize
    Start-Sleep 30
} while ((Get-MailboxExportRequest | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq "InProgress"}).Count -gt 0)

Export operations can fail for various reasons. Here are the most common issues and their solutions, based on real-world troubleshooting experience.

Issue 1: Permission Denied Errors

If you get "You don't have permission" errors, verify your role assignment:

# Check current role assignments
Get-ManagementRoleAssignment -RoleAssignee $env:USERNAME | Where-Object {$_.Role -like "*Import*"}

# If no results, assign the role again
New-ManagementRoleAssignment –Role "Mailbox Import Export" –User $env:USERNAME

Issue 2: UNC Path Access Denied

Verify the network share permissions and test connectivity:

# Test UNC path access
Test-Path "\\EX01-2016\PST"

# Check share permissions
Get-SmbShareAccess -Name "PST"

# Verify folder permissions
Get-Acl "D:\PST" | Format-List

Issue 3: Export Stuck in Queued Status

Check the Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Replication service:

# Check service status
Get-Service MSExchangeMailboxReplication

# Restart if needed
Restart-Service MSExchangeMailboxReplication

# Check MRS configuration
Get-MailboxServer | Get-MailboxReplicationService

Issue 4: Large Mailbox Export Failures

For mailboxes larger than 50GB, use these parameters:

New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox "large.mailbox" -FilePath "\\EX01-2016\PST\large_mailbox.pst" -Priority High -LargeItemLimit 100 -BadItemLimit 50

Issue 5: Exchange Online Limitation

Remember that Exchange Online doesn't support PST exports via PowerShell. For Office 365, use these alternatives:

- Microsoft 365 Security & Compliance Center (Content Search)
- Microsoft Purview eDiscovery
- Third-party migration tools
- Outlook client export (for individual users)

# Create test mailbox
New-Mailbox -Name "TestExport" -UserPrincipalName "testexport@company.com" -Password (ConvertTo-SecureString "TempPass123!" -AsPlainText -Force)

# Test export
New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox "TestExport" -FilePath "\\EX01-2016\PST\test_export.pst"