How to Use New-MailboxExportRequest Cmdlet in Exchange Server? (A Complete Guide)

The PowerShell command - New-MailboxExportRequest - exports mailbox or personal archive to a PST file onto a shared network path. This requires the Mailbox Import Export RBAC role, which is not even assigned to an Exchange Server Administrator. This article will cover all the aspects of the command, along with all the parameters.

Commands related to Mailbox Export Request

• New-MailboxExportRequest – Creates the export request.
• Get-MailboxExportRequest – Check the status of the export.
• Remove-MailboxExportRequest – Used to remove completed/failed requests.
• Set-MailboxExportRequest – Resumes/modifies a suspended request.

What is New-MailboxExportRequest Command?

This PowerShell command is used to export user mailbox, shared mailbox, or user archive to PST file. This is ideal for exporting and distribution copies, since PST file is portable and used in any Microsoft Outlook without specific logins or profiles. It is dependent on the Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Replication (MRS) service, As this command runs in the background. there is no need to leave the PowerShell window open.

This command is available only in on-premises Exchange Server - from 2010 SP1 till the latest Subscription Edition (SE).

Here are some commands related to mailbox export.

Prerequisites for using New-MailboxExportRequest Command

Here are some requirements you need to meet to use this command.

1. Assign the Mailbox Import Export Role

This role is required for running the New-MailboxExportRequest command. However, it is not assigned - by default - to any user, even to the Enterprise Administrator.  Follow these steps to assign this role:

• Launch the Exchange Management Shell (EMS).
• Use the command below to assign the role to a user:

New-ManagementRoleAssignment -Role "Mailbox Import Export" -User username

You can also assign this role to a security group (a best approach). To do so, use the below-given command:

New-ManagementRoleAssignment -Role "Mailbox Import Export" -SecurityGroup "<group name>"

Once it is successfully executed, close the EMS and open it again.

2. Create a Share Folder on the Network

To be able to export a mailbox, you must have a share on a server. This must be created with the right permissions in hand. Here are the steps:

• Create the folder to host the PST files.
• Right-click on the folder and click on Properties.
• Click on the Sharing tab and click on Advanced Sharing.
• Tick Share this folder and click on Permissions.

• Remove the Everyone option and add the user which will be accessing the share as well as the in-built Exchange Server group, called Exchange Trusted Subsystem. Select Full Control as permissions.

3. Confirm that Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Replication (MRS) is Running

You should check that the service of the Mailbox Replication is running. This can be checked from Services Management window.

Alternatively, you can also check this by using the PowerShell command as given below.

If the service is not running, make sure that the service is started before exporting any mailboxes.

For more on MRS health monitoring, see Test-MRSHealth.

4. Have Sufficient Disk Space on the Target Share

This is very important for the export success. You must make sure that there is ample space on the destination path.

Syntax of New-MailboxExportRequest

Below is the full syntax of the command.

Let’s understand the different parameters used with the command.

Common Usage Scenarios (with Examples)

Exporting a mailbox using this command can be used for various reasons. Let’s list a few common ones:

• A user leaving the company and you want to keep a copy before removing the mailbox from the server.
• Archiving data and removing from the server due to compliance and regulations.
• Migrating to another system or server.
• Exporting data from merged or decommissioned environments.

Scenario 1 – Export a Single Mailbox to PST

A single mailbox can be exported by using the below command.

New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox "<username to export>" -FilePath "<full UNC Path with file>"

Scenario 2 – Export a Specific Folder Only

For this, you have to use the -IncludeFolders parameter with the command (see below).

For exporting multiple folders in a mailbox, you can mention the folders’ name and separate them with commas (see the below command).

Scenario 3 – Export Emails Received after a Specific Date

For this, you need to use the ContentFilter parameter with the Received condition by specifying the starting day, month, and year (see the below example).

New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox "<username to export>" -FilePath "<full UNC Path with file>" -ContentFilter {Received -gt "<yyyy-mm-dd>"}

Scenario 4 — Export Personal Archive Mailbox

You can use the command with the -IsArchive parameter, if you want to export only a user archive (see below).

Scenario 5 — Export with Bad Item Limit (Corrupt Mailboxes)

For exporting a mailbox with bad items or corrupt items, you can add the BadItemLimit parameter at the end of the command, along with AcceptLargeDataLoss. This is required when having a count of over 50.

New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox "<username to export>" -FilePath "<full UNC Path with file>" -BadItemLimit <total number> -AcceptLargeDataLoss

Scenario 6 — Export Multiple Mailboxes in Bulk

You can use a CSV file (specifying the mailboxes) and file path with the command and PowerShell loop for exporting multiple mailboxes.

Here is an example of the CSV file:

Mailbox,FilePath
user1@mycompany.lan,\\ex01\PSTExports\user1.pst
user2@mycompany.lan,\\ex01\PSTExports\user2.pst
user3@mycompany.lan,\\ex01\PSTExports\user3.pst

Once the file is populated, run this command.

For exporting all the mailboxes, you can use the below-given script.

Get-Mailbox -Database "<database>" | ForEach-Object {
$alias = $_.Alias
New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox $_.Alias -FilePath "<\\server\share>\$alias.pst"}

This will export all the mailboxes and create PST files based on the aliases of users.

How to Check Export Request Status?

You have to use the command - Get-MailboxExportRequest to get the status of all export requests. If you want to see the status of a specific mailbox, use the command with the -Mailbox parameter (see the below example).

It will display the status as InProgress, Success, Failed, or Suspended. Let’s see their specific meaning.

You can run the Get-MailboxExportRequest command with the Get-MailboxExportRequestStatistics command to see the percentage status of the export (see the below example).

To know the mailbox statistics of a specific user, use the below command.

Video demonstration to Export Exchange Mailbox to PST Using New-MailboxExportRequest  

Common Errors and Fixes

Let’s have a look at some issues that you might face and the solutions to fix them.

What are the Challenges and Limitations of Above Process?

Here are some challenges you may face while exporting the mailboxes using the above command:

• The Exchange Server must be running and accessible.
• It only works if the database is mounted and accessible.
• Requires scripting and you can make a mistake.
• Doesn’t work on public folders, deleted items, or disabled mailboxes.
• It can get complex when filtering.
• Running multiple exports can degrade the server’s performance.

Additionally, if the Exchange Server is not working, the database is not mounted, or there are issues with the server, you are not able to export the mailboxes. In such situations, you have to take then help of Stellar Converter for EDB - a specialized EDB to PST converter tool. You can open database - be it live or offline - from any version of Exchange Server and without any size limit. It allows you to save user mailboxes, user archives, shared mailboxes, disabled mailboxes, and public folders to PST and other file formats. There is also an option to export the mailboxes to a live Exchange Server or an Office 365 (Microsoft 365) tenant with automatic mailbox matching.

Conclusion

In this guide, we have explained how to export mailboxes to PST by using the command - New-MailboxExportRequest. The native command is best for a one-time export job or to export one mailbox at a time. You can use EDB to PST converter tool, like Stellar Converter for EDB to export multiple mailboxes to PST at a time. You can also export public folders and disabled mailboxes with this tool.