In Exchange Server, a move request refers to migrating a mailbox from one database to another. While a local move request relates to moving the mailbox within a single Active Directory forest, a remove request happens across different Active Directory forests.
You can use the local request to move the primary mailbox and the linked archive to the same or another database through the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) or Exchange Management Shell.
Using an EDB to PST converter tool, such as Stellar Converter for EDB would be even better to avert the hassles involved in the manual methods. Let’s proceed with the move requests through EAC and EMS.
Move Exchange Mailbox by using EAC
You can use the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) to move mailboxes in your on-premises organization. But this method applies only to Exchange servers 2019, 2016, and 2013. Here are the steps:
1. Login to EAC with your account
2. Click Recipients ->Migration->Add+ and then choose Move to a different database.
3. In the resulting New local mailbox move wizard, follow the instructions and click Next.
4. You will see the Move configuration page in the subsequent window. Here, you will need to configure the following settings:
- New migration batch name
- Configure Archive settings
- Specify the target database for the primary mailbox
- Specify the target database for the archive mailbox
- Set Bad item limit – the maximum number of corrupted items allowed in a mailbox before the request fails. By default, its value in the EAC is 10.
5. Next, configure the settings on Start the batch page. When done, click New.
Limitations of moving mailbox through Exchange Administration Center
This method appears convenient but it does have certain demerits. Listed below are some of them:
- You need to have the requisite permissions to perform the task.
- There can be potential restrictions on the size of the mailbox that you want to move to another database
- In the case of large mailboxes, the time to move them to another database might be longer
- Large mailboxes can also cause throttling, based on the database size and network bandwidth
- There may be a limit on the number of mailboxes that you can move at a time because of restrictions on system resources
- Advanced migration options might be missing from the EAC.
- The Exchange Administration Centre also lags in advanced customization options available in EMS.
Move Exchange mailboxes to another database using Exchange Management Shell (EMS)
Here are the steps to perform mailbox migration to another database with the help of EMS
1. Open EMS as an administrator
2. Get the database name that includes the mailbox that you want to move.
3. Run the EMS cmdlet Get-Mailbox to get the location of the mailbox.
Get-Mailbox MBuser | Format-List Database
4. Create a local move request by running the below cmdlet
New-MoveRequest -Identity MBuser -TargetDatabase “DBUser01” –BadItemLimit 10
Here DBUser01 is the name of the database where you want to move the mailbox
BadItemLimit is the maximum number of damaged items in the mailbox that you can skip when moving the database
5. If you want to move all the mailboxes from one database to another, run the below EMS command:
Get-Mailbox -Database ” DBUser02″ | New-MoveRequest -BatchName ” DBUser02 to DBUser01 ” -TargetDatabase ” DBUser01 ” -Priority High -BadItemLimit 51 –AcceptLargeDataLoss
6. Next, check the mailbox move status request by running the following command:
Get-MoveRequestStatistics -Identity MBuser
Limitations of moving mailbox through EMS
This manual method can help you to move your mailbox or mailboxes to another database. Nevertheless, it accompanies several drawbacks:
- Considerable downtime in moving public folders and mailboxes to a different Exchange database
- It needs high-end technical acumen and expertise to run the EMS commands
- Only the experts can proceed with this method, as it is intricate and less user-friendly
- An inexperienced person may end up losing data while moving the database through these EMS commands
To get detailed insight into the steps to move a mailbox to another database through EAC or EMS, browse through this Microsoft link. If you find problems in migrating mailboxes through any of these two moves, a comparably easier and convenient method is to use a third party tool. Stellar Converter for EDB is a suitable software in this regard.
Move Exchange mailboxes to another database using Stellar Converter for EDB
You may encounter several issues while doing the manual processes through PowerShell cmdlets or EAC. You may also face hassles in exporting public folders or mailboxes to PST and moving them to another database. The Stellar Converter for EDB oversees all these shortcomings and helps you to migrate your mailboxes to new database.
Crucial Features
Prominent features of this EDB to PST converter include:
- Migrates mailbox components from online or offline EDB files to Outlook PST files
- Moves multiple mailboxes from an offline EDB file to a live Exchange server
- Saves up to 4 mailboxes simultaneously from offline Exchange database
- Changes mailbox export priority order when exporting EDB to Office 365 or Live Exchange
- Exports mailboxes directly to live Office 365 from the offline Exchange database
- Allows converting selected mailboxes and saving them in multiple formats
- Converts and saves data from archive mailboxes and public folders to PST, Office 365, or Live Exchange
Steps for Conversion
Here are the simple steps to help you convert EDB to PST files in a different database.
- Install and run the EDB to PST converter on your system
- Use the Browse option to select the EDB file
- Click ‘Next’ to start the conversion
- Save the converted file into your preferred file format
Conclusion
Many circumstances can cause you to move a mailbox or multiple mailboxes to another database in the Exchange Server. For this task, you can seek the help of the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) or the Exchange Management Shell (EMS) commands.
Both these methods will work fine but only to some extent. They have respective limitations, such as the need to have deep-rooted technical knowledge, limited permissions, inability to migrate mailboxes with large files, risk of data loss during migration, and so on.
The widely preferred Stellar Converter for EDB provides a significant respite from such hassles. It allows you to move your mailboxes to another Live Exchange database in a few simple steps. The organization offers its EDB to PST Converter in three different versions for you to invest in the most feasible ones. Click through the official Stellar Info website to learn more about this wonder tool.
