Mailbox recovery from Exchange EDB file is a demanding task that requires expertise in Exchange Server. The intricate native methods available for single mailbox recovery are unapproachable for users who have just started working with Exchange Server. If you are one of those novice users having trouble in understanding the procedure of mailbox recovery, then worry not. This blog will help you with carrying out Exchange database recovery with easy and trusted solutions. Considering the tricky manual methods, we aim to provide you with simple and easy steps to accomplish complete or single mailbox recovery from the Exchange Server.
The methods mentioned in this blog will allow you for a secure Exchange database recovery for various Exchange versions such as Microsoft 365, Exchange 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and earlier. Further, we recommend users create a complete Exchange mailbox backup to ensure data safety.
Why do we need a single mailbox recovery?
An admin or user can do an Exchange data recovery for a single mailbox due to several reasons, such as:
Accidental mailbox deletion: A single mailbox recovery can help users to restore accidentally deleted data of an individual user.
Data compliance: The EDB recovery can be done in accordance with the organization’s compliance policy.
EDB file corruption: Mailbox corruption is another primary reason for Exchange data recovery with or without an Exchange recovery tool.
Backup mailbox: Mailbox item recovery can also aid in data backup or archiving.
How to carry out single mailbox recovery from Exchange server?
Exporting a user mailbox from Exchange Server can be done through the Office 365 admin portal. However, to recover messages from a corrupted EDB file we recommend a professional tool. In this section, we will discuss both manual and automatic methods.
Method 1: Using Office 365 admin center
Microsoft Office 365 admin portal allows to select and perform single mailbox recovery of any user. The steps to do so are as follows:
- Open Office.com and click on Admin.
- Select the option Show All from the left panel. Then, from the left pane, under the admin center category, select Compliance.
- Select the option eDiscovery Classic eDiscovery Content Search New Search.
- Provide a Name and description for the search and click.
- Under Specific locations, select Exchange mailboxes and click on Choose users, groups, or teams.
- Search for the user whose mailbox you want to recover/extract. Select the user and click Done. Then click Next.
- In the Conditions section, you can set rules or conditions for downloading the data. Click Next after defining the conditions.
- Finally, review the search request details and click on Submit.
- Click on the newly created search, click on the Action button and select Export results.
- Select the options according to your requirements and click on.
- A pop-up will open, displaying the message “A job has been created”. Click OK to continue.
- Switch to the Export tab and select the newly added export job. The job will take some time to finish, depending upon the mailbox size. Keep refreshing the page to update the job status.
- Once the job is completed, an export key will be generated. Copy the Export key and click on the Download results.
- eDiscovery Export tool will start to download. Open the tool and paste the export key you copied in the previous step. Specify a destination to save the data and provide a name for the output PST file. Finally, click Export.
- You can open the PST file in Outlook to access the mailbox content.
You can extract/recover the Exchange database mailbox using the abovementioned steps. However, this method is only recommended for experienced Microsoft Office admins since it requires the execution of complex steps and allows access to sensitive data. Any incorrect step may lead to personal information leaks and even permanent data loss.
Method 2: Mailbox recovery using an Exchange recovery tool
Utilizing a specialized tool like Kernel for Exchange Server eliminates the complexity and data loss risk present in Exchange database recovery. The robust Exchange database recovery tool is designed and optimized to handle an EDB file of any size. The tool allows users to safely recover restore Exchange mailboxes. Complete data integrity is maintained, and files/folders are restored with original structure hierarchy.
The smart algorithms embedded in the tool efficiently scan and recover all mailbox content such as email, contact, attachments, etc. With this tool, you can securely synchronize your Exchange mailboxes to Office 365. The Exchange recovery tool can efficiently recover mailboxes from Live Exchange, Exchange Online, Offline Exchange database files, corrupted EDB files, and more.
Steps for single user Exchange data recovery with the tool
Here, we will show you Exchange database recovery with an offline EDB file. For the procedure, user must be aware of the location of the Exchange EDB file. Steps for the EDB recovery are as follows:
Step 1. Download, install, and launch the Kernel for Exchange Server tool.
Step 2. Click the Add Source button.
Step 3. From the list of sources, select Offline EDB File option and click Next.
Step 4. To select the EDB file, click on the browse button. If you don’t know the EDB file location, then use the search button next to the browse button to search for the EDB. Click Next after EDB file selection.
Note: For Exchange server version 2003 or earlier, you must also select and upload a .STM file
Step 5. Choose Standard Scan and click Next to begin the file scanning.
Note: Deep mode provides a deeper file analysis is recommended in case standard mode fails to list any object in the mailbox.
Step 6. Click Finish to add the EDB file.
Step 7. The Exchange recovery tool will list the EDB file’s mailboxes.
Step 8. Select and right-click on the mailbox you want to recover and select Export Mailboxes to PST.
Note: In addition to PST, you can also choose to export mailbox to Live Exchange/Office 365, Public Folder, and more.
Step 9. Select the data items you want to save and apply filters to customize the mailbox exporting job. Click browse to specify the destination to save the PST file and click Export.
Step 10. The mailbox recovery will start. You will get a summary report after the process is finished. Click OK to exit the process.
Conclusion
Single mailbox recovery can be done with the Office 365 admin center. However, the admin center should only be accessed by a skilled person to prevent data loss and security breaches. For an easy and secure Exchange database recovery, you must employ Kernel for Exchange Server tool. The tool even allows for an easy Domain migration from one Office 365 tenant to another.
