ARTICLE INTENDED FOR:

Penn State faculty, staff, students, and affiliates transitioning from an older version of Outlook to Penn State's Office 365 version. 

INTRODUCTION:

This article details the steps for importing Outlook files from older versions into Office 365's desktop version of Outlook.

NOTE: Users must first export their email messages, contacts, and calendar from the older version of Outlook to a .pst file. 
Visit this Microsoft support site for instructions on exporting Outlook files.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS:

Importing Outlook Files from an Existing .pst File

NOTE: The screenshots below illustrate the transfer of files from the PC versions of Outlook 2013 and 2016. Alternate versions of Outlook may appear slightly different.

1. Open the newest version of Outlook.
2. Click the File tab at the top, left-hand corner.
3. Click Open & Export from the left side of the menu.
4. Click Import/Export to open the wizard.
   
   Figure 1: The Import/Export button in Outlook.
5. Select Import from another program or file and click the Next button. 
   
   Figure 2: The Import and Export Wizard. 
6. Select Outlook Data File (.pst) and click the Next button. 
   
   Figure 3: The Outlook Data File (.pst).
7. Click Browse to select the .pst file you want to import. 
8. Select the appropriate radio button. These options determine how to import duplicate records in the .pst file. 
   
   Figure 4: Options to import an Outlook data file. 
   
   1. Replace duplicates with items imported: this option replaces any existing folders and files with duplicate names. For example, contact information for John Smith, from the older (imported) version, will replace any contact information for John Smith in your current Office 365 Outlook version.
   2. Allow duplicates to be created: this option creates two contacts named John Smith, if the name is present in both versions.
   3. Do not import duplicates: this option does not create duplicates or replace any files from the older or newer version.
9. Click the Next button.
   
   NOTE: If the .pst file was assigned a password, you may need to enter that password (the program may prompt you to do this twice).
   
   
10. Select a destination for your imported .pst file.
    
    Figure 5: The options to import your Outlook file. 
    
    1. Import items into the current folder: this option allows you to select a folder in which to import the .pst file.
    2. Import items into the same folder in: this option imports your .pst file to your Penn State Office 365 mailbox.
11. Click the Next button.
    
    NOTE: While importing the .pst file, you may see a connection error. This occurs when the Internet connection pauses, even briefly. Once your Internet connection reestablishes, Outlook resumes importing the .pst file. 
    
    
12. Click the Finish button. 
13. To verify the file imported, check your Outlook folders for content from the .pst file. 

LINKS:

• Penn State's Office 365 Homepage
  
• Office 365: Applications
• Office 365: Training
• Frequently Asked Questions:
  • Office 365: FAQs--General
  • Office 365: FAQs--Migrating to Office 365
  • Office 365: FAQs--Outlook (Email and Calendar)
  • Office 365: FAQs--Applications and Security