Exporting mailboxes to PST is a common task that Exchange admins often perform for backup, migration, archiving, and compliance purposes. This seemingly straightforward process, at times, becomes a hassle due to unexpected errors, resulting in the export failure. This usually happens when using the native tools – Exchange Admin Center (EAC) and Exchange Management Shell (EMS). In this article, we will list some common errors that can occur when exporting Exchange mailboxes to PST and see how to resolve them.

Common Errors when Exporting Mailboxes to PST and the Solutions Thereof

Below, we will be mentioning some common errors that you may encounter when exporting Exchange mailboxes to PST, the reasons behind these errors, and their fixes. 

• Mailbox Export Request Stuck in Queue

When you create a mailbox export request, the mailbox export status changes from queued to InProgress to Completed or Completed with Warning/Failed. You can check the status of export request with Get-MailboxExportRequestStatistics command. Sometimes, mailbox export request status shows ‘queued’ indefinitely. 

Reasons for Mailbox Export Request Stuck in Queue Issue:

This error can occur due to the following reasons:

• MSExchangeMailboxReplication service is stuck 
• Exchange database backup is running in the background and interfering with the export request
• Antivirus software is restricting access to the transaction logs or the database
• Replication problem in DAG
• Problem with the file share/UNC path for PST export

How to Fix this Mailbox Export Error?

Depending on the reason, you can try these troubleshooting solutions to fix this issue:

1. Restart Exchange’s MRS Service. For this, use the Restart-Service MSExchangeMailboxReplication PowerShell command. 
2. If any backup is running, wait for it to complete and then try to export again.
3. Check and change the destination UNC path for PST export.

For detailed troubleshooting steps, read Error Solved: Mailbox Export Request Stuck in Queued. 

• New-MailboxExportRequest File could be Locked

When using the New-MailboxExportRequest command to export mailboxes to PST, you can get the error “The server or share name specified in the path may be invalid, or the file could be locked.” 

Reasons for New-MailboxExportRequest File could be Locked Error

This error can show up due to the following reasons:

• Import/Export role is not assigned to the user account performing the export
• Exchange Trusted Subsystem security group does not have Full Control (NTFS) and Read/Write (Share) permissions on target folder

How to Fix this Mailbox Export Error?

You can fix this error by assigning the Import/Export role to the user account and providing network share and NTFS permissions.

For assigning the Import/Export role, you can follow the steps mentioned below:

• Run the below command in the Exchange Management Shell to check if the user account has the required role:

Get-ManagementRoleAssignment -Role “Mailbox Import Export” | where {$_.RoleAssigneeName -eq “youradminuser”}

• If you see that the role isn’t assigned, you can assign it by using this PowerShell command:

New-ManagementRoleAssignment -Role “Mailbox Import Export” -User “youradminuser”

Follow these steps to provide NTFS and network share permissions:

a) Right-click on the folder where the PST files will be exported. After that, click on Properties. Then, go to the Sharing tab at the top. Click on Share.

b) Provide network share permissions to the Exchange Trusted Subsystem.

c) Close the window and go to the previous window. Click on the Security tab. Click on Edit and then add Exchange Trusted Subsystem in the list. After that, click the checkbox next to Full Control to allow Exchange Trusted Subsystem to write PSTs to disk. 

C. New-MailboxExportRequest – Access to path is denied

When exporting mailbox to PST file using the New-MailboxExportRequest command, you may get the Access to path is denied error. 

Reasons for New-MailboxExportRequest – Access to path is denied Error

You may encounter this error due to the following reasons:

• Using a local path instead of a UNC path while exporting mailbox to PST. 
• When the user account performing the export doesn’t have the Import/Export role assigned. 
• When the Exchange Trusted Subsystem doesn’t have network share and NTFS permissions. 

How to Fix this Error?

You can try these troubleshooting solutions to fix this error:

• Ensure that you are using a UNC path (not a local path) in the PowerShell command for PST export. 
• Assign the Import/Export role to the user account you’re using for export. 
• Provide NTFS and network share permissions to the Exchange Trusted Subsystem. 
• New-MailboxExportRequest couldn’t Connect to the Source Mailbox

This error indicates connectivity issue which is preventing Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Replication Service (MRS) from exporting mailboxes to PST.

Reasons for New-MailboxExportRequest couldn’t Connect to the Source Mailbox Error 

This error pops up because of the following two reasons: 

• When the connection to the server is unstable, it can prevent PST export. 

• The MAPI protocol permits access to MS Exchange mailboxes from MAPI clients. When this protocol is disabled, it can throw up this error.

Avoid Mailbox Export Errors – Use a Professional EDB to PST Converter Tool

To export Exchange mailboxes to PST without any errors or issues, you can use a professional EDB to PST converter tool, such as Stellar Converter for EDB. This tool converts mailboxes from EDB file to PSTs without relying on Exchange services. It does not require the Mailbox Import Export role or any additional permissions. 

With Stellar Converter for EDB, you can export mailboxes even from an offline mailbox database. The tool provides many filter options, such as exclude emails from Junk Mail and Deleted Mail folders, or based on Sender IDs. You can even export mailbox data based on a particular date range. It can process up to 8 mailboxes simultaneously using parallel processing technique. The tool can also export mailboxes from EDB file directly to live Exchange Server and Microsoft 365.

Conclusion

This article explains different errors that you may encounter when exporting mailboxes to PST using the native Exchange tools – EMS and EAC. It also provides solutions to fix these errors. However, to avoid such errors, you can consider using Stellar Converter for EDB – a professional EDB to PST converter tool. It works directly on EDB file and does not rely on Exchange’s MRS service. It can export mailboxes and other items from EDB file (online or offline) to PST and various other formats. The tool supports EDB files of all Exchange Server versions.