How to Migrate Office 365 to iCloud? Easy Steps

Many users begin by using Microsoft 365 for their work-related emailing needs, but later wish to have their emails on Apple’s cloud ecosystem. This may be due to the reasons given below:

• They wish to access Apple Mail on their Mac machine, iPad or iPhone device.
• They require easier access to email on all their personal Apple devices.
• They wish to have a unified storage solution in iCloud for contacts/calendars.

And then, they get stuck enquiring about these aspects: “How to safely move my business email from O365 into iCloud?” or “Is it possible to connect O365 to iCloud Mail with no loss of any email at all?” We will take up such queries in detail so that you get practical tips to migrate Office 365 to iCloud by avoiding any mistakes.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Understand why people want to migrate Office 365 to iCloud.
• Learn the manual procedure and see how it poses grave challenges.
• Explore an automated tool that works in a far better way.
• Learn the best practices of this migration to avoid data loss as well as errors.

Migrating emails & calendars from O365 to iCloud allows people to access their O365 data smoothly across multiple Apple devices. Since O365 & iCloud operate on different types of platforms, migrating email data is needed. Thus, many people face the need to transfer Office 365 to iCloud. Here, in this blog, we will be exploring the manual way to do this. Additionally, a dedicated tool will come at your disposal to get easy, fast & accurate email migration.

Understanding the Need to Migrate Office 365 to iCloud

Office 365 happens to be Microsoft’s suite of various productivity tools whereas iCloud happens to be Apple’s cloud storage service. These both, Office 365 & iCloud, happen to be 2 most popular platforms providing distinct benefits. Let us discuss them.

Office 365 is now known as Microsoft 365. This is like a subscription from Microsoft. It gives a complete package of tools & services such as Teams, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, & more. You can use all these tools online using a web browser or you can even download & install them on different devices.

iCloud happens to be a service provided by Apple. It allows storing data on Apple’s devices in the cloud. With this, it is possible to access all your data from various Apple devices, such as iPhone, iPad, Mac machines, and even Windows PC. iCloud even helps in keeping everything the same across all devices, such as ensuring your photos are there on all the gadgets. It has some extra features as well, such as Find My iPhone/Mac/iPad, iCloud Photos, iCloud Drive, etc.

So, Microsoft 365 is basically built for business & corporate users, while iCloud is targeted more at personal usage for Apple users. Due to technical differences, many people can’t migrate email from Office 365 to iCloud without getting into confusion. The complexity is the real challenge! Also, email migration is not just about moving mail messages, it is required to also keep folder structures, calendar items, contact details, etc. Many people tend to face delays and/or errors if they attempt to do so without proper, workable steps.

A World Statistic Showing Significance of This Process

O365 is very much popular. It is used by most enterprise cloud email users today globally. Around eighty percent people pick O365 for their cloud email services. This means so many users may require reliable migrations while switching services.

When Do Users Mostly Transfer Office 365 to iCloud?

iCloud gives a different set of benefits, sometimes sought by many users. Here are some common situations mentioned where such a migration is needed the most:

• For using multiple Apple devices such as Mac, iPhone, & iPad, you may find iCloud more smooth and the best-fit with your work culture. Once switched to iCloud, it will straightaway sync across all your Apple devices. It also enables you to access your mails, contacts, & calendars from anywhere. You get a comfortable, unified storage solution for all files, photos, & even backups of iOS devices.
• Compared to O365, iCloud has a much simpler interface, thus it is easier to use. Organizing data is more comfortable in iCloud than in O365.
• Some people prioritize privacy & data security. They may perceive iCloud to be far more secure as well as privacy-focused.
• Many people prefer using Apple’s suite of productivity tools like Pages, Numbers, & Keynote over Microsoft’s tools such as Excel, Word, etc.
• iCloud presents much more competitive pricing plans, specifically for people who have already invested in the Apple apps.
• iCloud gives more storage space as well as security across multiple platforms.
• People relying on iCloud for personal emails might wish that all their messages come in a single place.
• People switching from O365 business email to Apple’s ecosystem for personal usage might wish to migrate their emails.
• Such a process is sought while leaving a job or closing an O365 account.
• Some individuals need to export their old O365 emails for long-term Apple ecosystem usage.

Describing an Actual Scene

A freelance designer had been using an O365 account for all work emails on his Windows laptop. Later, he bought a new Apple Mac & an iPhone device, and now wanted all his old emails in his iCloud Mail, so that he could use the same email across all his Apple devices. When he attempted to transfer Office 365 to iCloud manually, he lost folder organization & even some crucial attachments. He got annoyed, so he looked for a better solution instead.

Many users tend to experience similar problems, after which, they realize that the manual procedure is long & complex. Still, you can check them out below; a technical person would be able to avail advantage out of such manual steps.

Migrate Email from Office 365 to iCloud Manually

Here is the manual procedure explained below:

Steps of This Manual Procedure

Manually moving emails from O365 to iCloud usually involves exporting them from O365 and then importing into iCloud. The steps are explained below:

• Firstly, Sign in to O365 Online:
  1. You need to log into your O365 email.
• Then, Export to a File (PST/EML):
  1. In Outlook desktop, you need to select your O365 mailbox.
  2. Now, you should go to File > then Open & Export > and then Import/Export.
  3. Here, you have to select “Export to a file.”
  4. Then, you must select the PST format.
  5. After that, save the file on your system.
• After That, Convert/Prepare Files:
  1. iCloud Mail doesn’t support straight PST import.
  2. You might have to break the PST into EML or may have to use Apple Mail for importing it first.
• Next, Import to Apple Mail:
  1. Firstly, open Apple Mail on Mac.
  2. Then, choose File > Import Mailboxes.
  3. After that, select the PST/EML files that you exported.
  4. Now, let Apple Mail import messages.
• Now, Sync with iCloud:
  1. Ensure Apple Mail has been connected to your iCloud account.
  2. You need to check that imported folders get synced to iCloud.

Advantages of This Manual Method

You can avail some benefits of this method, which are as follows:

• There is no need to pay any cost for tools.
• You get complete control over the files that are being exported.

There Are Many Disadvantages of This Manual Process

Getting the best output ain’t possible here as there are many demerits of using this process, check them below:

• This is a very lengthy procedure that is going to test your patience.
• As there are so many steps, errors are most likely to occur.
• Folder structures might even break.
• Email attachments or contacts can get lost during the process.

• You won’t have so much time by your side to get this long process done.
• It is not possible to handle big mailboxes smoothly.
• There are high chances of missing data.
• You may lose the folder order as well.
• Technical know how is must to avoid errors.

Main Features of This Pro Tool

The software has an elaborate set of features to take benefit from:

• Direct connection between Office 365 and iCloud systems.
• Migrates emails, folders, contacts, and calendar items safely.
• Maintains original folder structure and metadata.
• Option to filter emails by date, size, or folder.
• Migrate email from Office 365 to iCloud in batch for multiple accounts.

How to Migrate Office 365 mailbox data to iCloud?

The software delivers a very easy process of conversion, you can master it by just reading the steps given below:

1. Install & Run: Open the tool on your machine.
2. O365 Source: Select Office 365 as the email source and then enter your O365 credentials, and then, login.
   
3. Analysis of folders: The software is going to analyse your email folders. Select the folders you want.
   
4. Determine the Saving Option: Select IMAP as the saving option, & enter iCloud credentials.
5. The Process of Migration: Begin moving emails by pressing the Backup button.

The Pro Tool is Way Ahead of the Manual Way

Here is a simple comparison between the two, where the pro tool wins the race:

Some Very Frequently Asked Queries

Users, at times, ask several queries, answering which helps them a great deal with this process of migration:

Q: How to start the process to migrate Office 365 to iCloud Mail?
A: First you need to export the O365 mailbox to a file and then import that into iCloud Mail with supported tools/software. A better option is to choose an automated tool to get things done speedily.

Q: Is it possible to connect Office 365 to iCloud straight without exporting?
A: You can use a professional tool if you wish to skip the complex manual steps.

Q: Are emails prone to loss when I migrate email from Office 365 to iCloud?
A: Yes! If you do manual steps in an improper way, you are likely to lose mail messages; the professional tool tends to keep your email data safe.

Wrapping Up

A lot of talking has been done about the benefits of professional approach over the manual one. So, it is now over to you to make the move by picking the right tool to successfully migrate Office 365 to iCloud.