How to Export Windows Live Mail to Office 365: Complete Migration Guide
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Quick Answer: To export Windows Live Mail to Office 365, convert your Windows Live Mail EML files using a dedicated EML to Office 365 migration tool, or manually import them through Microsoft Outlook as an intermediary. The direct tool method is recommended because it uploads emails without requiring Outlook to be installed.
Windows Live Mail was discontinued by Microsoft in 2017 and is no longer compatible with modern versions of Windows 10 and 11 in standard configurations. If you are still using Windows Live Mail or have EML files archived from it, migrating to Microsoft 365 (Office 365) is the practical path forward. You gain cloud storage, modern security features, collaboration tools, and access from any device. This guide walks you through every step of the migration.
What Is Windows Live Mail?
Windows Live Mail was a free desktop email client included in the Windows Essentials suite. It was discontinued in January 2017 when Microsoft ended support for Windows Essentials. The program stores email messages as individual EML files organized in folder directories under C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail\.
EML is a standard email format and is compatible with many email clients, but Office 365 does not accept direct EML uploads. You need either a conversion tool or an intermediary application to get those emails into your Microsoft 365 mailbox.
Why Migrate Windows Live Mail to Office 365?
- Continued access: Windows Live Mail no longer works reliably on Windows 10 or 11. Office 365 (Outlook) is fully supported and actively developed.
- Cloud sync: Your emails are accessible from any device with an internet connection.
- Collaboration: Office 365 integrates with Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and the rest of the Microsoft ecosystem.
- Security: Modern threat protection, multi-factor authentication, and regular security updates.
- Compliance and archiving: Built-in tools for email retention policies and legal holds.
How to Export Windows Live Mail to Office 365: Step-by-Step
Method 1: Using Email Backup Wizard (Recommended)
Email Backup Wizard can read Windows Live Mail’s EML files directly and upload them to an Office 365 mailbox without requiring Outlook to be installed on the migration computer.
Step 1: Locate Your Windows Live Mail Data
Windows Live Mail stores your email data in: C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail\. If the AppData folder is not visible, open File Explorer, click the View tab, and check “Hidden items”. Inside the Windows Live Mail folder you will see subfolders for each account you had configured, and within those, subfolders for each email folder. Each email message is saved as an individual .eml file.
Step 2: Download and Install Email Backup Wizard
Download the installer from the official website and run it on a Windows computer. The setup takes about two minutes.
Step 3: Select Windows Live Mail as the Source
Open Email Backup Wizard and select Windows Live Mail as the source. Browse to the Windows Live Mail data folder path from Step 1. The tool will scan the folder structure and display a list of all the email folders and their message counts.
Step 4: Select Office 365 as the Destination
Choose Office 365 as the destination. You will be prompted to enter your Office 365 email address and sign in via Microsoft’s OAuth authentication. This means your credentials are handled directly by Microsoft’s login page, not stored by the tool.
Step 5: Map Folders and Configure Options
The tool will display your Windows Live Mail folder structure alongside your Office 365 mailbox folders. Map each source folder to the corresponding destination folder. You can choose to create new folders in Office 365 that match your original Windows Live Mail structure, or merge everything into existing folders like Inbox and Sent Items.
Step 6: Start the Migration
Click Start Migration. The tool will upload your EML files to Office 365 in batches. For a typical Windows Live Mail archive of 10,000 to 30,000 emails, expect the process to take 1 to 3 hours depending on your internet connection. Progress is shown in real time with a per-folder breakdown.
Step 7: Verify in Outlook or OWA
Once the migration completes, open Outlook or Outlook on the Web (OWA at outlook.office365.com) and check your folders. Search for a few specific emails from your Windows Live Mail archive to confirm they arrived with the correct dates, senders, and attachments.
Method 2: Via Microsoft Outlook as an Intermediary (Manual)
If you have Microsoft Outlook installed and prefer a manual approach, you can import the EML files into Outlook and then sync them to Office 365 via IMAP or Exchange.
- Open Microsoft Outlook and add your Office 365 account if you have not done so already.
- To import EML files into Outlook, you need to drag them from File Explorer into an Outlook folder. Outlook does not have a built-in “Import EML” menu option. Select all EML files in a folder (Ctrl+A), then drag them into the target Outlook folder (for example, Inbox or a custom folder you create).
- Outlook will import the EML messages. Depending on how many you are dragging, this may take a few minutes per folder.
- Since your Office 365 account is connected to Outlook via Exchange, the imported messages will automatically sync to the Office 365 mailbox in the cloud.
- Repeat for each Windows Live Mail folder you want to migrate.
Limitation: Dragging EML files into Outlook works well for small folders but becomes impractical for large archives. Also, some older EML files from Windows Live Mail may not display correctly in Outlook if they contain non-standard encoding. For large migrations, the Email Backup Wizard approach is more reliable and much faster.
What Gets Preserved During Windows Live Mail to Office 365 Migration
- Original sender, recipient, date, and subject information
- Email body in HTML and plain-text formats
- All attached files (documents, images, archives, etc.)
- Inline images embedded in message bodies
- Folder structure recreated as mailbox folders in Office 365
- CC and BCC header information
Common Problems and How to Fix Them
Windows Live Mail folder is not found by the tool
This usually happens when the AppData folder is hidden. In File Explorer, go to the View tab and enable “Hidden items”. Then navigate to C:\Users\[your username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail. If you cannot find it there, use Windows Search to look for a file with the .eml extension to locate where Windows Live Mail stored its data.
Emails are arriving in Office 365 without their original dates
This happens when the migration tool reads only the import date rather than the original send date from the email headers. Email Backup Wizard preserves the original dates stored in the email headers. If you used the Outlook drag-and-drop method and see incorrect dates, the issue is usually with how Outlook interprets the EML headers. Try re-importing using the dedicated migration tool instead.
Some attachments are missing after migration
Large attachments sometimes fail to upload if there are connection interruptions during the migration. Office 365 also has a 25 MB attachment size limit per email. Emails with attachments larger than 25 MB will be uploaded, but the attachments may be stripped or the email may bounce. Check your migration log for any errors related to specific messages. Email Backup Wizard generates a detailed log file after each migration run.
Office 365 is showing a login error during migration
If your organization has conditional access policies or multi-factor authentication enforced, you may need to generate an app password or have your IT administrator whitelist the migration tool’s IP address. Check with your Office 365 administrator if you encounter repeated authentication failures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I migrate Windows Live Mail to Office 365 without Outlook?
Yes. Email Backup Wizard reads the EML files directly and uploads them to Office 365 via the Microsoft API. You do not need Outlook installed on the migration computer at all.
How long does a Windows Live Mail to Office 365 migration take?
For a typical archive of 10,000 to 30,000 emails, expect 1 to 3 hours. The actual time depends on the total size of your attachments, the number of emails, and your internet upload speed. Email Backup Wizard processes emails in batches and handles API rate limiting automatically.
Will the original folder structure be preserved in Office 365?
Yes. The migration tool creates matching folders in your Office 365 mailbox that correspond to your Windows Live Mail folder names. Inbox goes to Inbox, Sent goes to Sent Items, and custom folders are created as subfolders.
Is it possible to migrate multiple Windows Live Mail accounts to Office 365?
Yes. You can run the migration tool multiple times, each time selecting a different Windows Live Mail account folder as the source and a different Office 365 mailbox as the destination. This is useful for migrating a whole team from Windows Live Mail to Microsoft 365.
What happens to my Windows Live Mail data after the migration?
Nothing. The migration tool reads your EML files but does not delete or modify them. Your original Windows Live Mail data folder remains intact after the migration. You can choose to delete it manually once you have confirmed that everything migrated correctly.
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