Export Office 365 emails to MSG Securely: Best Automated Methods
-
Written By
Aradhya Jain -
Approved By
Shivam Rathore -
Updated on
May 28th, 2026 - Read Time
6 minutes
Common User Query: I have a large Office 365 mailbox and need to save all emails as MSG files. Outlook only lets me do one email at a time, and manually dragging thousands of emails to my desktop is not practical. Is there a faster way to export Microsoft 365 to MSG in bulk — without losing attachments or the folder structure?
Introduction: Many Office 365 users face this same problem every day. Outlook simply does not offer a straightforward way to export Office 365 emails to MSG in bulk. There is no select-all, no batch download, nothing close to a one-click solution. For a few emails, the manual process is manageable. But once your mailbox grows, it turns into a hectic, time-consuming task. This guide explains how the manual method works, and provides a professional DRS Softech Office 365 Backup Tool to handle large mailbox exports cleanly.
What Is an MSG File?
An MSG file is Microsoft Outlook’s own format for storing a single email message. When you save an email as MSG, everything stays inside that one file. The subject line, sender and recipient addresses, the body text, all attachments, and the full set of metadata like timestamps and message headers. You can open an MSG file by double-clicking it in Windows, as long as Microsoft Outlook is installed. That is why MSG is the go-to format for legal holds, email audits, archiving, and moving messages between Outlook accounts.
Quick Fact: Unlike PST files — which bundle an entire mailbox into one large archive — an MSG file holds just one email. This makes individual messages easy to locate, share, or present as evidence without opening an entire mailbox file.
Why Convert Office 365 Emails to MSG?
- Cloud accounts can be suspended, hacked, or accidentally deleted. MSG files on a local drive give you a copy that no one can take away.
- Regulatory bodies and courts often require emails in their original format. MSG preserves all headers and metadata that matter in legal proceedings.
- Moving to a different email platform? Exporting to MSG gives you a portable copy that can be imported into most Outlook-compatible systems.
- Moreover, instead of forwarding a long thread, you can attach one MSG file that contains the complete email — attachments included.
Manual Method to Export Office 365 Emails to MSG
This is the built-in way to save Office 365 emails as MSG files. It works perfectly when you only need to export a handful of messages. Here is exactly how to do it:
- Firstly, make sure your Office 365 account is connected and fully synced before you start.
- Go to the folder — Inbox, Sent Items, or any custom folder that contains the email you want to save.
- Click on the email message to highlight it. Do not open it, just select it from the list.
- Click the File tab in the top menu bar, then choose Save As from the options.
- In the “Save as type” dropdown at the bottom of the dialog, select Outlook Message Format – Unicode (*.msg).
- In the end, choose a folder on your computer, give the file a name if needed, and hit Save.
Limitations of the Manual Method
- Only one email can be exported at a time — no bulk option available.
- Folder structure is not preserved automatically.
- Easy to miss emails when working through a large mailbox.
- There is no date range filter or selective export by folder.
- Also, repeating this for hundreds of emails wastes hours of work time.
Export Office 365 Emails to MSG (Best for Large Mailboxes)
For hundreds or thousands of emails across multiple folders, a dedicated DRS Softech Office 365 Backup Tool is the practical solution. This tool connects directly to your Office 365 account, pulls down all the data you select, and saves everything as individual MSG files. It offers several advanced features, like Preview, Remove Duplicate, Date Filter, and more.
You can export Office 365 email to PST and other formats. With its simple interface, every user can easily use it. No technical skill is required. Furthermore, it is highly compatible with all Windows and Mac versions.
Simple Steps to Save Office 365 Emails to Outlook MSG
- Download and install the DRS Softech Office 365 to MSG Converter Tool.
- Click Continue and enter your Office 365 credentials to Sign In.
- Import users via CSV or click Add User Automatically. Select Primary Mailbox, Online Archive, or Public Folder. Click Next.
- Preview and select the Office 365 emails to export. Press Next.
- Select MSG as the Saving Format from the given list.
- Lastly, apply advanced features and filters. Press Convert.
Real-Life Scenario: Export Office 365 Emails to MSG
A logistics company needed to export five years of Office 365 emails from multiple employee mailboxes for a legal case within 48 hours. Manually saving emails through Outlook was not practical. Using the DRS Softech Office 365 Backup Tool, the IT team selected the required mailboxes, applied a date filter, chose MSG format, and completed the export in just a few hours. All emails, attachments, and metadata were preserved successfully.
Conclusion
In this technical blog post, we explored several methods to export Office 365 emails to MSG. The manual method only works for a small number of emails and consumes a lot of time. For large mailboxes, the DRS Softech Office 365 Backup Tool is the best solution to convert bulk Office 365 emails without losing attachments. It is an ideal solution for businesses, technicians, and enterprise users. In addition, you can download the demo version of this tool to understand its features and functions.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Ans. Open Outlook, select the email, click File > Save As, and choose Outlook Message Format (*.msg). Then select the destination folder and save the email.
Ans. The export may fail due to incomplete mailbox synchronization, poor internet connection, Outlook profile issues, or insufficient permissions. Large mailbox exports may also fail with manual methods.
Ans. Enterprises export emails to MSG for legal compliance, audits, email archiving, investigations, and secure offline backup. MSG files preserve all email properties and metadata.
Ans. Technicians can quickly back up, transfer, analyze, or share individual email messages without exporting an entire mailbox. MSG files also simplify troubleshooting and forensic investigations.
Ans. Yes, Many organizations export Office 365 emails to MSG because the format preserves original email headers, timestamps, attachments, and metadata required for compliance and legal documentation.
Ans. Yes, Managed IT service providers often use the DRS Softech Office 365 to MSG Backup Tool to manage client backups, legal requests, mailbox migrations, and long-term email storage efficiently.
