How to Copy Mailbox Content to Another Mailbox with Microsoft Purview
Question details
The user is looking for a way to replace the retired Search-Mailbox cmdlet in order to copy email content from one Microsoft 365 mailbox to another.
- Product
- Microsoft Purview / Exchange Online
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Migrating specific emails or migrating mailbox content between accounts within Exchange Online following the retirement of legacy search cmdlets.
- Observed behavior
- The traditional Search-Mailbox command is retired, meaning administrators must find a modern method to search, extract, and migrate mailbox data.
Ensure your Microsoft 365 admin account is assigned the eDiscovery Manager or eDiscovery Administrator role within the Microsoft Purview compliance portal to access search and export features.
Use Microsoft Purview eDiscovery to Export and Import Data
Since directly copying search results between mailboxes is no longer standard, use eDiscovery to search the source mailbox, export the results as a PST, and import it into the destination mailbox.
Microsoft has retired the Search-Mailbox cmdlet. As a standard replacement, administrators cannot directly pipe search results from one mailbox to another. The approved method involves using Microsoft Purview eDiscovery to extract the required mailbox data to a local PST file, which can then be securely imported into the target mailbox.
Sign in to the Microsoft Purview compliance portal using your administrator credentials.
Navigate to 'eDiscovery' > 'Standard' in the left pane, click 'Create a case', and provide a name and description for your search operation.
Open the newly created case, go to the 'Searches' tab, and click 'New search'. Select the specific source Exchange mailboxes and configure your search conditions (e.g., date ranges, keywords).
Once the search completes, select the search name, click 'More', and choose 'Export results'. Select the options to export the data as a PST file.
Go to the 'Exports' tab, select your export job, copy the export key, and click 'Download results' to open the eDiscovery Export Tool. Paste the key and download the PST file to your local drive.
Use the Outlook desktop client's 'Import/Export' wizard to upload the downloaded PST file into the target user's mailbox, or use the Microsoft 365 Network Upload service for bulk imports.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Microsoft retire the Search-Mailbox cmdlet?
Microsoft retired the legacy Search-Mailbox cmdlet to centralize security, compliance, and data search operations within modern platforms like Microsoft Purview eDiscovery and the New-ComplianceSearch cmdlets, which offer better security and scaling.
Is it possible to directly copy eDiscovery results to another mailbox without a PST file?
No, directly copying eDiscovery search results into a target mailbox is not supported as a standard replacement feature. You must export the data to a PST file or use official Exchange backup/restoration processes.
What permissions are required to use eDiscovery in Microsoft Purview?
To create cases, run searches, and export mailbox data, your Microsoft 365 admin account must be explicitly assigned either the eDiscovery Manager or eDiscovery Administrator role in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal.
How do I import a PST file if I don't want to use Outlook?
For larger organizational requirements, administrators can use the Microsoft 365 Network Upload service found in the Microsoft Purview portal. This allows you to bulk-upload PST files to Azure Storage and map them directly to user mailboxes using a CSV file.
