How to Restore and Backup Microsoft 365? Proven Methods

Why is Microsoft 365 Backup Important?

Backup is necessary for some important reasons:

1. A backup guarantees that important information such as emails, contacts, documents, and calendars can be recovered.
2. Regular backups will reduce the effect of cyber attacks, enabling you to recover data to a secure position.
3. Microsoft backups help companies comply with standards by safely storing data.
4. When data is lost, a backup ensures that there is no disruption to business operations.

Overall, Microsoft backup is important to safeguard business-critical information, achieve compliance with regulations, and provide continuity of operations.

Manual Approach of Office 365 Email Backup

The process to backup Microsoft 365 data is quite possible, but it won’t be efficient. In this section, we elaborate on some manual methods to backup Microsoft data.

1. Exporting Office 365 Emails to PST Using Outlook

The most common manual methods for Microsoft backup are exporting email into PST format. In this process, we manually save emails of Outlook into a file on our local storage.

Steps:

1. First, download and open Microsoft Outlook on your system.
2. Next, log in with valid credentials to authenticate.
3. After that, select the desired file that you want to backup.
4. Now, go to the File section in the info section.
5. Here, select Open & Export > Import and Export option.
6. Now, choose the Export to a file option, and choose the Outlook Data File (.pst).
7. After that, choose the desired location on your local system to save it.
8. In the end, rename it and verify that all your items are successfully backed up on your local system.

Advantages:

• It is simple to execute and does not need extra software.
• After being exported, the PST file can be opened offline.

2. Backup Microsoft 365 Using eDiscovery

Another way to backup Outlook 365 emails is through Microsoft 365’s Compliance Center. It provides a built-in option called the eDiscovery feature that allows you to search and export content across Microsoft 365. This can be used to backup all types of email items from multiple sources.

Steps:

1. Open your preferred Web Browser and search for Microsoft 365 admin center. 
2. After that, log in with your valid credentials.
3. Next, navigate to the Compliance Center.
4. In the compliance center, go to the solutions and select eDiscovery.
5. Then, create an eDiscovery and configure the search criteria.
6. Now, run it and acquire the wanted or desired email data that you want to backup.
7. In the end, download the exported data to a local system.

Advantages:

• This technique can gather emails and other information from multiple Microsoft 365 applications.
• You can search and export data from various users and devices simultaneously.
• You can use search filters by keywords and timestamps.

3. Backup Microsoft 365 by Forwarding of Emails

In this method, we forward email data to a specific email address. This is useful for a small number of email data or specific email data. It is not suitable for a large number of email data.

Steps:

1. First, download and run the Microsoft Outlook application on your system.
2. After that, verify yourself by entering valid credentials.
3. Next, select the desired email data that you wish to backup.
4. Right-click on it and select the Forward option.
5. Here, enter your desired or destination email address.
6. After forwarding it, organize all emails carefully.
7. Lastly, verify that all email data is imported.

Advantages:

• Manually forwarding emails does not involve any extra equipment or technical know-how.
• This technique does not need paid tools or services.

4. Backup Microsoft 365 by Saving Emails as PDF Files

Another masterpiece method is to save your email data into a PDF. This format is easy to read, easy to access, and easy to manage. This can be done by printing your email into a PDF.

Steps:

1. First, download, install, and launch Microsoft Outlook on your default system.
2. Next, log in with your valid credentials.
3. Then, choose the file you would like to convert.
4. Next, proceed to the File section under the Info category.
5. Now, click on the Print option within the file panel.
6. After that, choose the Microsoft Print to PDF option from the available list.
7. Next, choose another feature within the Print Options tab.
8. Then, after setting the properties and features, click on the Print button.
9. Now, enter the desired location and name of the output files.
10. Lastly, click on the Save button to save the file.

Advantages:

• PDF documents are easily read and shared.
• Does not need any other equipment besides Outlook and the PDF printer.

Limitations of Manual Method

The manual process to backup Outlook emails has several drawbacks:

• It involves exporting emails manually and does not have the feature of automatic backup.
• The export contains only data present in your Outlook client.
• If the PST file is damaged, the backed-up emails might not be accessible.

• Needs knowledge of the Compliance Center and eDiscovery features.
• Just emails are forwarded; attachments and other content from OneDrive and SharePoint are not.

Although the manual methods to backup Microsoft 365 may be helpful for small-scale or ad hoc requirements, they have several drawbacks. For organizations seeking efficient, secure, and scalable backup solutions, automated backup software is a more suitable choice. These software tools provide smooth, periodic backups without the intricacies and constraints of manual processes.

Professional Ways to Office 365 Backup solution

Using the Office 365 Backup & Restore Tool, you can take backups of the email data and bypass the disadvantage of manual backups. It is a solution for backup as well as email data security. With this tool, you can take a single email or entire mailbox backup in a few clicks. In addition, you can skip duplicate email messages from chosen folders by using the To, From, Subject, and Body fields. Additionally, it offers a simple-to-use and comprehensible interface for users. Apart from that, this tool also helps you save Outlook emails to Hard Drives.

Simple Steps to Backup Microsoft 365 Using a Tool

1. Download, install, and run the Office 365 Backup & Restore Tool on your system.
2. After that, choose the Backup option and then, click on the Continue button.
3. Here, select the Use Modern Authentication option and enter the Office 365 credentials, then click on the Sign In button.
4. Select the Mailbox, Online Archive, or Public Folder for backup, then click Next.
5. Here, select Save As PST options from the Software drop-down list.
6. After that, browse the destination path to save Office 365 mailboxes.
7. Now, apply the advanced feature to your saving file.
8. Finally, click the Convert button to start the mailbox backup process.

Conclusion

In summary, we outline the best methods to backup Microsoft 365. The manual approach is not favored due to its long process and time-consuming procedure. Therefore, the automated method is the best option for the users to perform the task. Besides that, employing the automated tool can protect your important data. Moreover, it provides access to advanced features, improved integration with other services, or compliance.