You want to import your mail from an older version of Outlook into your new Outlook mailbox, or you simply want to backup your mail.
Solution
Thankfully the process is the same for modern Outlook as it was for previous versions of Outlook.
1. In Outlook > Select the “File” Tab > Open > Open & Export > Import/Export
Note: On older versions of Outlook its simply Open > Import (you select Import even if your going to Export!)
2. Export to a file.
3. Outlook Data File (.pst).
4. Select your mailbox, select the ailbox – {username} > To back up everything (calendar contacts the lot), tick “Include sub folders” > Next.
Note: If using a POP mail account, here it may say Personal Folders.
5. Choose a location to save the .pst file.
6. If you want to password protect this (remember someone can import your .pst and read all your mail). I usually leave this option blank > OK.
7. After a few seconds the mailbox will export. (Note: if the mailbox is very small this might happen so quickly nothing is displayed on the screen). And there it is.
To “Import” your mailbox,
1. Launch thewWizard as above (Step 1) > Select “Import from another program or file” > Next.
2. Outlook Data File (.pst) >Next.
3. Browse to, and select your .pst file > Next.
4. Stop and think! where do you want to import the files to? Select as appropriate > Finish (Note at this point if the .pst is password protected you will be prompted for a password).
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There are plenty of reasons for wanting to look at a message header, to see where a mail has come from or from which email address it was sent for example. Different versions of Outlook have different methods of letting you read the email header.
Solution
Display Message Headers with Outlook 2013
1. Open the mail in question and select ‘file’.
2. Info > Properties.
3. Your message headers are displayed.
Display Message Headers with Outlook 2010
1. Open the mail in question and select ‘file’.
2. Info > Properties.
3. Your message headers are displayed.
Display Message Headers with Outlook 2007
1. Option 1: Open the mail in question, and select the expand icon next to ‘Options’.
2. Option 2: From the inbox right click the relevant message and select ‘Message Options’.
3. Your message headers are displayed.
Display Message Headers with Outlook 2003
1. Option 1: Open the mail in question > View > Options.
2. Option 2: From the inbox right click the relevant message and select ‘Options’.
3. Your message headers are displayed.
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Importing and adding friends into your “Circles” is easy if you use Gmail, however if your contacts are in Microsoft Outlook then they wont get picked up automatically.
Solution
Export Outlook 2010 Contacts
1. Launch Microsoft Outlook > File > Open > Import.
Export Outlook 2007/2003/2000 Contacts
1. Launch Microsoft Outlook > File > Import and Export.
If you create a new user, give them a mailbox, and they seemingly fail to appear then don’t panic!
Firstly and fore mostly: If you do anything in Exchange: Apply the “cup of coffee rule”, never make a change then go and prove that change works straight away! check it later.
However most of us work in the real world and you have a user who needs to use this mailbox yesterday!
1. Before you do anything send the user you created a ‘Test Email’ from your own account. If you receive an error message then you can investigate further (Note: Set your Outlook client to send you a delivery report on the test email as well). Then check the mailbox Exists (See Check for existence of mailbox sections below).
Check for the Existence of the mailbox (Exchange 2000 /2003)
1. Click Start > All Programs > Microsoft Exchange > System Manager.
2. Expand the Exchange Organisation > Administrative groups > Administrative group name (First Administrative group is the default).
Note: If you cannot see Administrative Groups right click the Very top object > Properties > Tick Display Administrative Groups.
3. Expand Servers > Server-name > Storage Group (First Storage group will be the default) > Mailbox Store > Mailboxes.
4. The Mailbox SHOULD be in the right hand window (Providing you are in the correct administrative group, on the correct server, and in the correct mailbox store!).
Check for the Existence of a mailbox (Exchange 2007/2010)
Remember with Exchange 2007 / 2010 you create the mailbox with the Exchange system Manager anyway!
1. On the Exchange Server, Start > All Programs > Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 > Exchange Management Console.
2. Expand recipient Configuration > Mailbox.
3. The Mailbox should be listed in the centre window.
Check for the Existence of a mailbox (Exchange 2013/2016)
Connect to the Exchange admin center > recipients > mailboxes > locate your user.
Mailbox is there but the user is not listed on the Global Address List
1. Make sure the user is not “Hidden from the Global Address List”
Exchange 2000/2003
On the Exchange Server > Click Start > run > dsa.msc {enter} >Locate the user in question > Right Click the user > Properties > Exchange Advanced Tab > Ensure “Hide from Exchange Address Lists” is NOT ticked.
Exchange 2007/2010
On the Exchange Server > Start > All Programs > Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 > Exchange Management Console Expand recipient Configuration > Mailbox > Locate the Mailbox for the user in question > Right Click the Mailbox > Properties > General Tab > Ensure “Hide From Exchange Address Lists” is NOT ticked.
Exchange 2013/2016
Connect to the Exchange admin center > recipients > mailboxes > locate your user > Edit > Ensure “Hide From Exchange Address Lists” is NOT ticked.
Make sure the user is on the Global Address List on the server.
The easiest way to do this is simply connect to Outlook Web Access, and query the GAL directly (OWA uses the GAL no the OAB like Outlook running in cached mode does).
Exchange 2000/2003
Click Start > All Programs > Microsoft Exchange > System Manager > Expand Recipients >All Global Address Lists > Right Click Default Global Address List > Properties > General Tab > Preview > Check the user is on this list.
Exchange 2007/2010
On the Exchange Server > Start > All Programs > Microsoft Exchange Server > Exchange Management Console > Select Organisation Configuration > Mailbox > Address Lists Tab > Locate the all users Object > Double Click it > Select Preview > Check the user is on this list > OK > Cancel.
Exchange 2013/2016
Connect to the Exchange admin center > organization > address lists > Default Global Address List > Edit > Preview recipients in the global address list includes… > Locate the user.
The User/Mailbox IS listed on the Server But NOT in Outlook.
Remember, if you are looking at the Global Address List in Outlook then you are NOT looking at the Servers Global Address List*. If you are using Outlook you may be in “Cached Mode”, and you are looking at a copy called the “Offline address book” This only gets updated Every 24 hours, and the copy on the server only gets updated every 24 hours at 04:00 (by default). In addition to this there a a few methods by which your Outlook clients get the offline address book.
*Note: Unless you are NOT in cached mode.
Outlook 2003 (and older)* clients get their OAB from a public folder, Outlook 2007 (and newer) clients can get their OAB from ‘Web-based distribution’ (basically form the website on the Exchange (or Exchange CAS) server. So there are three factors stopping you seeing that new user on the GAL (I personally advise you simply wait, however if that’s not an option, read on).
*Exchange Supported versions of Outlook
Support for Outlook 2000 was dropped with Exchange 2007, Exchange 2010 only supports Outlook 2003 (post SP2). Exchange 2013 only supports Outlook 2007 (post SP3 and cumulative update), and Outlook 2010 must be at SP1 with cumulative update.
a. Firstly force update the Offline Address Book.
b. Force your Outlook Client to Download the Offline Address book.
c. Check that the OAB is getting distributed from the Exchange/CAS server.
Update the Offline Address Book from the Global address List
Exchange 2000 / 2003
Click Start > All Programs > Microsoft Exchange > System Manager > Expand Recipients > Offline Address Lists > Right Click the “Default Offline Address Book” > Rebuild > HEED THE WARNING > OK > Right Click it again > Properties, You will see the time it updates (by default) you can change that here..
Exchange 2007 / 2010
1. On the Exchange Server > Start > All Programs > Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 > Exchange Management Console > Select Organisation Configuration > Mailbox > Offline address book tab > Right Click the Default Offline Address Book > Update > HEED THE WARNING > OK > Right Click Again > Properties > You can change the Schedule at which it updates.
Exchange 2013/2016
You can also force the OAB update with the following PowerShell command;
Click Start > All Programs > Microsoft Exchange > System Manager > Expand the Exchange Organisation > Administrative groups > Administrative group name (First Administrative group is the default) > Expand Servers > Server-name > Storage Group (First Storage group will be the default) > Public Folder Database > Ensure it is mounted.
Then expand Folders > Public Folders > OFFLINE ADDRESS BOOK > Make sure it’s displayed as per the image below.
Exchange 2007 / 2010
On the Exchange Server > Start > All Programs > Microsoft Exchange Server > Exchange Management Console > Select Organisation Configuration > Mailbox > Offline address book tab > Right Click the Default Offline Address Book > Properties > Distribution.
Note: Make sure the Generation Server is set to a server that exists, and it’s online.
In the diagram below you can see this server is performing public folder AND web based distribution, this is probably because you ticked this box when you installed the product.
For public folder distribution ensure the public folder database is mounted, and at least one server holds a replica. Also in the properties of the mailbox database, your users are using, make sure it points to the correct public folder database.
For web-based distribution make sure the site is up.
Exchange 2013/2016
Exchange 2013/2016 will only be distributing the OAB via web-distribution. make sure the default website is up.
Force Outlook to Download the New Offline Address Book
For all versions of Outlook (since 2003) you have two choices, either take Outlook out of cached mode* (so it queries the ‘live’ global address list). Or force Outlook to download the latest version of the offline address book.
*Note: Disabling cached mode is not really a fix!
Outlook 2003 Download The Offline Address Book
Tools > SendReceive > Download Address Book > OK.
Outlook 2003 Turn off Cached Mode
Tools > E-mail Accounts > View or change existing email accounts > Next > Select the account > Change > un-tick “Use Cached Exchange Mode” > Next.
What used to be a fiddly job, is now very simple to do, setting up Outlook Anywhere (formally known at RPC over HTTP) takes about 10 minutes.
What is Outlook Anywhere?
This is a system that lets you connect Microsoft Outlook to to your Exchange server over the web, this means you can connect to to your email, calendaring and tasks etc, without the need for a VPN connection.
Solution
Outlook Anywhere with Exchange 2007 (Exchange 2010 Skip to Step1)
If you plan to deploy Outlook Anywhere with Exchange 2007 there is an additional step you need to carry out before you start. From server manager > Feature > Add Features > Add in the ‘RPC over HTTP Proxy’ feature before you start. (Note: you DONT need to do this if you are running SBS 2008).
Step 1 Configure Exchange
1. First we need to turn it on: from within the Exchange Management, expand Server configuration > Client Access > Select the server in the central pane > Select “Enable Outlook anywhere” in the action pane.
2. Enter the publicly addressable name of your Exchange server, for this example I’m using NTLM authentication > Enable.
Note: The external host name is the address that you would type into a browser to contact the Exchange server i.e. for Outlook Web Access http://mail.domaina.com/owa. This would mean the public name is mail.domaina.com. This name must be the Common Name (CN) on the Exchange server’s digital certificate.
3. Take heed of the information, nothing’s going to work for 15 minutes (Even Exchange is telling you to apply the cup of coffee rule) > Go and have a hot milky beverage.
4. Look at the timestamps and the clocks, this one took 14 minutes (for once the dialog had it spot on!) You should see Event ID 3007, 3003, 3004,(all these are normal) and finally,
5. Event ID 3006 > Outlook Anywhere is up and running on the server. (Note: you will NOT see this on an Exchange 2007 Server, see the second screenshot).
Note: To Access from Outside your network the public name of the Exchange server (in this case mail.domain.com), needs TCP port 443 (HTTPS) open to it, or “Port Forwarded” to the Exchange server.
Note2: To work internally make sure that mail.domaina.com resolves to the INTERNALIP address of the Exchange server.
6. You may also want to execute the following command. Particularly if you use SBS, which has a habit of setting remote.publicdomain.com as the default outside name.
[box] Set-WebServicesVirtualDirectory –Identity ‘EXCHANGE-MAILEWS (Default Web Site)’ –ExternalUrl https://mail.domain.co.uk/ews/exchange.asmx[/box]
Step 2 Configure Outlook for Outlook Anywhere
1. In this example I’m using Outlook 2010 and the mail profile/account has NOT been setup, if you already have an account edit it, select “More Settings” and jump to number 4.
Note: To support Outlook Anywhere you need a minimum of Outlook 2003 SP2
2. If you are setting up your Outlook client internally, the autodiscover service should fill in the details for you.
3. If it auto configures the settings for you, tick the box to manually configure server settings.
4. More Settings.
5. Connection Tab > Tick “Connect to Microsoft Exchange Server using HTTP” > Click “Exchange Proxy Settings”.
6. Put on the URL (Public name of Exchange – see step 1 number 2) > I’m using NTLM authentication you may be using basic, if you don’t know, check with your IT department, or try each one.
7. Security Tab > Ensure “Encrypt data between Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Exchange” is selected.
8. Restart Outlook – you may be asked for your username and password again this is normal.
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