When it comes toexporting Exchange mailboxes to PST, you can usethe PowerShell command New-MailboxExportRequest in the Exchange Management Shell (EMS).You can also use the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) with the graphical user interface (GUI) but the process is limited when it comes tofiltering options. However, in both cases, you need to first fulfilsome requirements to execute the export.
Since Exchange Server works a lot with roles, you need to assign the MailboxImport/Exportrole, which is by default not even assigned to the administrator, to the user account you’ll be using for export. You can assign this role either from the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) or via PowerShell from the Exchange Management Shell (EMS).
In addition,you cannot export directly to a drive or location. The location must be a UNC path, like \\server\fileshare\myfile.pst.
If any of the roles or permissions are not assigned, then you may encounter issues when exporting the mailboxes to PST. This article will focus on the issues related to permissions that you might encounter when exportingmailboxes to PST. We will also be discussing the troubleshooting stepsto resolve such issues and complete the export.
Common Permissions-related Issues when Exporting Mailboxes to PST
When exporting the mailboxes to PST using the New-MailboxExportRequestcommand, you may encounter a number of issues or errors.Below are some common ones:
- New-MailboxExportRequest: The term ‘New-MailboxExportRequest’ is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program. Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct and try again.
- Access to the path is denied.
- You don’t have permission to perform this action.
- File share permission errors.
Causes behind the Permissions-related Issues during Mailbox Export
Let’s look at the possible causesbehind the permission-related issues when exporting mailboxes to PST:
- The Mailbox Import Export role is not manually assigned to the user which is running the command.
- Insufficient NTFS or share permissions on target export folder on the server. The user should have rights on the share and also on the folder’s security.
- The database is dismounted due to issue with services or licensing limitations.
- Network issues or DNS issues restricting access to the shared folder.
Solutions to Fix Permissions Issues during Mailbox Export to PST
You can follow the below solutions to fix the problem with permissions depending on the issue.
Issue 1:The term ‘New-MailboxExportRequest’ is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet
This issue means that the user doesn’t have the necessary rights to run the command. You need to confirm that the Mailbox Import/Exportrole is assigned to the user. You can run the command as given below to confirm that the role is in effect.
Get-ManagementRoleAssignment -role “Mailbox Import Export” -GetEffectiveUsers | ft -AutoSize
This will list all the users having the Mailbox Import/Exportrole. If the user (you’re using for the process) is not listed, you can check again and assign the role to the user accordingly. This can be done using the below PowerShell command.
New-ManagementRoleAssignment -Role “Mailbox Import Export” -User “Administrator”
Once the command is executed successfully, you should again run the Get-ManagementRoleAssignmentcommand to check that the role is assigned to the user.
Issue 2: Insufficient rights on the network share
You may encounter this issuewhen the rights on the share and the NTFS are not assigned. You can go to the location of the folder to confirm if the required rights are assigned.
- The network share folder should include the user (executing the export)and the Exchange Server Trusted Subsystem with full access. To check this, go tothe Security tab in the Properties of the folder.
- The share folder permission should also reflect full access permissions to the user and the Exchange Server Trusted Subsystem in the SharingFor this, click on the AdvancedSharing button andmake sure that the Share this folder is ticked.
Click on the Permissions button and confirm that both entries are listed. If not,you can add them with FullControl and retry the export.
Issue 3: Network Performance
Network performance can also impactthe export process. Youcanconsult with the network administrator andensure that the share is accessible on the network and the connection is clean and uninterrupted.
Proactive Measures and Best Practices
Here are some practices you can follow to avoid permissions issues during mailbox export:
- Include mailbox export permissions in RBAC templates for support teams
- Regularly audit export access logs
- Automate permission checks before PST export jobs
- Document share and NTFS configurations
An Alternative Solution to Export Exchange Mailboxes to PST
To avoid permission issues or other challenges when exporting mailboxes using PowerShell commands, you can use a third-party EDB to PST converter tool. Stellar Converter for EDBis one such tool that can bring a number of extra features while mitigating the challenges of PowerShell commands, and reducing manual role assignments.With thistool,you can directly open live or offline/orphaned Exchange Server databases from any version and of any size. You can granularly export user mailboxes, user archives, shared mailboxes, disabled mailboxes, and public folders to PST and various other file formats. You can also use the tool to export directly to a live Exchange Server database or Microsoft 365 tenant. It offers featuressuch as automatic mailbox matching, parallel exports, continuation in case of interruption, and priority exports for VIP users.
Conclusion
Above, we have discussed the issuesand challenges that you might encounter when running the PowerShell command for exporting Exchange mailboxes to PST. We have also provided the solutions to fix the permission-relatedissues that you may encounter whenexporting the mailboxesto PST. However, it is recommended to use a specialized EDB to PST converter tool, such as Stellar Converter for EDB that can directly export mailboxes from EDB file to PST, without the need of any additional permissions.
