Switching to Mac Mail from Outlook 2011? While both clients have a simple interface, so you will not have much problem getting used to working on a different software, it is the data migration that you need to deal with.
Importing Outlook 2011 to Mac Mail can be a bit daunting if this is your first time. Even for users who might have done it earlier can face tedious challenges.
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Ways to import Outlook 2011 to Mac Mail
Here we will look at some of the ways you can migrate your emails, contacts, and calendar, and which one should you pick for your needs.
- Sync data across clients using an intermediary email account (IMAP based email)
- Drag and drop Outlook folders to Mac Mail to convert them to MBOX
- Use a third-party email file converter
Sync Data Using an Email Account
Sync Data Using an Email Account
This is simple in theory. Add an email account to both Outlook 2011 and Mac Mail. Let the data sync first from the Mac Mail local database to the email servers, and then, from the servers to the Outlook2011 client. Note that the email account should support IMAP, like Gmail.
Few problems with this method
- You need an email account that offers storage to the servers equal to the data size you want to migrate. Or else,you can do the same steps outlined above in multiple parts, which makes the job more tedious than already is.
- The internet connection should be fast and allows high data bandwidth because you are uploading And downloading the data.
- It results in certain database elements missing or modified metadata.
Drag and drop folders from Outlook 2011 to the desktop
This method is simple again, only in theory. Just drag the email folders from Mac Outlook 2011 to your desktop. It converts them into MBOX files that you can import back to Mac Mail.
Sadly, it too has major flaws:
- Does not apply to contacts and calendar. Only email folders convert to MBOX files
- You need to drag each folder separately, making the process lengthy and tedious if you have many folders.
- This approach also loses data integrity along the way. Not every little detail of email folder gets converted into MBOX files.
- Does not automatically take folders structure into account automatically, because you are manually handling each folder.
Third Party Email Migration Tools
This must be the best approach to import Outlook 2011 to Mac Mail. Unless you have a unprofessional and sloppy tool to convert data. The way these tools work is by first uploading the Olm files, native files of Outlook Mac, and the tool converts them into MBOX files. The only right choice is a professional software that developers built by considering all the factors and little challenges that make this job overly complicated.
Thankfully, there is one such utility for Mac that does the job for you in a precise and quick manner. Called “OLM Extractor Pro,” from USL Software, you can get a trial version setup with the link below.
Get it to import Outlook 2011 to Mac Mail
Get ti here: https://www.uslsoftware.com/download/olm-extractor-pro/
It keeps the folder hierarchy, Unicode text characters, graphics, headers, and all such intricate information in email databases. It delivers thorough data migration without any gaps in the data integrity.
Conclusion
The only problem with this method is that you must rely on third-party tools. The above two methods do not need installing any application on your computer. But since USL Software is a well trusted company, you do not need to worry about anything. It is a simple to install utility with even simpler interface.
