How to Convert Lotus Notes Archive to PST?

Summary: In this post, we have explained archiving in Lotus Notes and how to locate NSF archives on your system. We have provided a manual solution that you can use to convert NSF archives to .PST if you have adequate technical knowledge. We have also provided a third-party NSF to PST converter software (downloadable below) that’s safer and easier.

IBM Lotus Notes is a powerful workflow software that organizations use for information management. It organizes and stores mailbox information, such as emails, attachments, contacts, events, etc., in NSF files. With time, these NSF databases become bigger and make Lotus Notes and the computer system sluggish. To improve the performance of Lotus Notes, you can archive the NSF database.

What’s Archiving in Lotus Notes?

Lotus Notes archives and folders are Lotus Notes database files (.NSF files) containing archived mailbox items. Archiving is the process of copying old Lotus Notes data to another location. Users can archive their emails and other mailbox items to save space in their Lotus Notes account. Archiving is also a way to create a backup of your mailbox data.

Where are the Lotus Notes Archive Files Saved?

Usually, the archive files are located in the archive folder inside Lotus Notes data folder.  Thus, the default path is:

Lotus\Notes\Data\Archive\ArchiveName.nsf

Lotus Notes Archive File Location

To locate these files, follow these steps:

Lotus Notes Archive Settings

The archive location will be displayed inside What Should Happen to the Selected Documents? section.

How to Convert Lotus Notes Archives to PST?

To convert a Lotus Notes archive file to Outlook Data File (.PST) directly, you need to use an advanced third-party NSF to PST converter software. If you don’t want to purchase the software, you can also convert archived NSF files to PST with a manual solution.

Manual Way to Convert Lotus Notes Archive to PST

The manual way to move Lotus Notes archive to Outlook can be broken down into two steps:

Step 1: Convert NSF archive to CSV

In this, you need to export NSF archive to a CSV file by following these steps:

Opening NSF Archive File

Step 2: Import CSV File into Outlook

Now that you have saved the NSF archive data in a CSV file, you can import this file into Outlook by following these steps:

Outlook Import and Export Wizard

By following these two steps, you can migrate Lotus Notes archive to Outlook successfully. However, there are some challenges in this method.

Challenges in the Manual Way

To overcome these challenges, you can use a third-party NSF to PST converter tool in the direct method explained below. 

Direct Way to Convert Lotus Notes Archive to PST

You can use a third-party software, such as Stellar Converter for NSF, to move Lotus Notes archive to Outlook PST. It’s safe, easy to use, and even allows batch conversion of Lotus Notes files (Technician edition).

Stellar Converter for NSF Features

The following are some of the best features of the NSF to PST converter software by Stellar:

To use Stellar Converter for NSF, follow these steps:

Stellar Converter for NSF Main Window
NSF Archive File Preview
File Format Options for Saving NSF
Software Displays an Alert Message After Saving the File

Also Read: How to Convert NSF to Office 365?

Conclusion

Converting IBM Lotus Notes archives to Outlook-supported PST can be a challenge for an organization that’s migrating to Outlook. There is a workaround/manual way to do that, but it’s viable for only small and few NSF archive files. For converting large and multiple NSF archives, a dedicated NSF to PST converter software is recommended. Stellar Converter for NSF is one such software that can yield the desired results fast and with utmost safety.

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