How To Archive A Clinician'S Mailbox Before Termination Microsoft 365

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How To Archive A Clinician'S Mailbox Before Termination Microsoft 365. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

When a clinician leaves your allied health clinic, archiving their Microsoft 365 mailbox promptly is essential for preserving patient correspondence and meeting Australian privacy obligations. Archiving ensures that clinical records remain accessible to authorised staff while securing the departing employee’s data after their account is disabled or removed.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Export the clinician’s mailbox to a PST file using Outlook desktop.
2. Store the PST file in a secure, backed-up location with restricted access.
3. Apply a Microsoft 365 retention policy to the mailbox before disabling the account.
4. Disable the clinician’s Microsoft 365 account only after archiving is complete.

Detailed Instructions

Export the mailbox to a PST file

1. Open Outlook on a computer where the clinician’s mailbox is configured.
2. Select File from the top menu.
3. Choose Open & Export, then select Import/Export.
4. Select Export to a file and click Next.
5. Choose Outlook Data File (.pst) and click Next.
6. Select the mailbox account you want to archive. Ensure Include subfolders is checked.
7. Click Next, then choose a save location and file name for the PST file.
8. Select Replace duplicates with items exported to avoid duplicate entries.
9. Click Finish. If prompted, set a password to protect the exported file.

Apply a Microsoft 365 retention policy

1. Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin centre with an account that has compliance or global administrator permissions.
2. Navigate to Compliance > Data lifecycle management > Retention policies.
3. Select New retention policy and provide a name that identifies the former clinician and the reason for retention.
4. Choose the locations to apply the policy, including Exchange email for the clinician’s mailbox.
5. Set the retention period based on your clinic’s record-keeping requirements and Australian privacy obligations.
6. Review the settings and select Submit to apply the policy.

Securely store PST and OST data

• Store PST files in an access-controlled folder with permissions limited to authorised clinic administrators.
• Include the storage location in your organisation’s regular backup routine.
• Avoid storing PST files on removable USB drives or unsecured personal devices.
• Document the file location, export date, and the staff member who performed the archive for audit purposes.

Disable the clinician’s account

1. In the Microsoft 365 admin centre, go to Users > Active users.
2. Select the clinician’s user account.
3. Choose Block sign-in to prevent access while retaining the mailbox and licence.
4. Alternatively, convert the mailbox to a shared mailbox if other clinicians need ongoing access to the emails.

Troubleshooting

Export fails or takes a long time

• Ensure Outlook is fully connected to the mailbox and not working offline.
• For large mailboxes, export in smaller batches by selecting individual folders rather than the entire mailbox.
• Close other applications to free up system resources during the export.

Cannot open the PST file later

• In Outlook, select File > Open & Export > Open Outlook Data File.
• Browse to the PST location and select the file.
• If the file is password-protected, enter the password that was set during export.

Retention policy does not appear to apply

• Retention policies can take up to 24 hours to propagate across Microsoft 365 services.
• Verify that the clinician’s mailbox was selected as a location when the policy was created.
• Check that the administrator account used has the required compliance permissions.

If you need assistance with mailbox archiving, retention policies, or securing former staff data, Open a Ticket.

Still Having Issues?