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How to Migrate POP3 Email to Office 365? Easy Guide

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Published By Jamie Kaler 
Rollins Duke
Approved By Rollins Duke
Published On April 20th, 2026
Reading Time 7 Min Read
Here we are going to solve how to migrate POP3 email to Office 365 account directly. We will provide a solution to easily move POP3 inbox to Office 365. This article contains all necessary information for manual and automated instructions on how to perform a seamless POP3 to M365 migration while ensuring no data is lost during the process.

Quick Answer: Transfer POP3 to Office 365

Using an automated migration utility to transfer your POP email account to Office 365 quickly and easily is the best way to migrate POP email to Office 365.

  1. Download and install the POP3 to Office 365 Tool.
  2. Fill in your POP Server details (including the following): Host, Port, Email address, and Password.
  3. Choose the mailbox folders you wish to transfer.
  4. Choose to save to Office 365, fill in the destination credentials, and click Next to continue to migrate POP3 email to Office 365.

Why Migrate POP3 Email to Office 365?

The protocol known as Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) is a single usage application that was designed for use by one user at a time and thus could only download emails from a server to a user’s local computer. In an environment where many users share a device or work with multiple devices, issues arise for users and administrators, often leading to complaints about POP3 Office 365 not working efficiently.

  1. No ability to synchronize email between multiple devices. If an email is read on a desktop computer, it cannot be accessed from a mobile device (e.g., smart phone, tablet).
  2. If a device crashes, the data it has stored locally (e.g. email) is unrecoverable without a manual backup.
  3. POP3 only allows for the retrieval of message data from a mail server. Unlike Microsoft 365, there are no features or functionality in POP3 to sync calendars, contacts, or tasks.
  4. PST files (Outlook Data Files) are distributed across the organization, creating a lack of cohesiveness when it comes to administrating individual PST files for compliance and backup purposes.

The change from POP3 to Microsoft 365 means users can retain all their data in one location, avoid complex Office 365 POP3 configuration issues, and ensure that data is now accessible to them from any device that has an internet connection because it is stored in the cloud.

Method 1: Manual POP3 to M365 via PST Export and Import

The POP3 to M365 migration of data by an IT administrator or to a single account user by manually exporting data with Classic Microsoft Outlook is possible if you need to add POP email to Outlook 365, but takes time to complete.

Step 1: Exporting Data Locally as a PST File

  1. Open your version of Microsoft Outlook from your new POP3 account.
  2. Click File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
  3. Select Export to a file. Select Outlook Data File (.pst).
  4. Select the top-level folder of your inbox; check the Include sub-folders box, then save your file in a safe place on a local hard drive.

Phase 2: Import the PST File into Office 365

After adding a new Microsoft 365 account to the same Outlook profile, perform the following steps:

  1. Select File then click Open & Export, followed by Import/Export.
  2. Then select Import from another program or file and select Outlook Data File (.pst).
  3. Next, browse your saved file, choose to import items into your new Microsoft 365 mailbox’s same folder and then click on Finish.

This manual import option can create duplicates and also presents high inefficiencies when managing more than one user account or when managing large corporate data volumes.

Method 2: Smart and Automated POP3 to M365 Migration Tool

Manual exports of PST files and a potential negative impact on your data can be avoided by using the POP3 Backup Tool to migrate POP3 email to Office 365. The POP3 to M365 migration tool allows for easy to use, automated POP3 to M365 migrations of single or multiple email accounts with complete accuracy. To begin using the POP3 to M365 tool simply enter your server details into its user interface.

Get the solution Now:

How to Transfer POP3 Email to Office 365? Easy Steps

  1. Download and install the tool to migrate POP email to Office 365.
  2. Thereafter, enter the POP3 server credentials in the user interface panel.

    POP3 to M365 migration tool

  3. After that, select the required email folders from the POP Server that you want to migrate POP3 email to Office 365.

    select inbox

  4. Thereafter, choose the Office 365 saving option from the list of file-saving options. Enter the details of the Office 365 account. You can also log in with the Office 365 administrator account using the I am Admin option.
  5. Apply the advanced filter option from Filter Options for a selective POP3 to M365 migration.

    Filter Options

  6. Thereafter, click on Next to migrate POP3 email to Office 365 server.

Prime Advantages of the POP3 to Office 365 Migration Tool

  • Move Multiple POP3 Server Accounts: Migrate bulk POP Server accounts for a successful POP3 to M365 migration using the batch mode option via CSV, perfect for enterprise setups.
  • Connect POP Server with Proxy Settings: If you are experiencing POP server connection problems from a specific location, the software includes a proxy server connection option.
  • Migrate Emails with Attachments: By using POP3 Migration Plus, you can migrate POP3 email to Office 365 along with all emails and attachments from your old email account to your new Office 365 account.
  • Email Properties Preserve: POP3 Migration Plus will preserve all of your email properties such as Internet header information, sender and receiver information, and other metadata as they are transferred over to the new Office 365 account.
  • Maintain folder structure: The file folder structure on the source mail server is preserved during migration so that your files remain organized exactly as they were before you decided to migrate POP3 email to Office 365.
  • Secure Interface: Migrate your Email without risk of losing any data using a user-friendly interface that allows any technical and non-technical user to perform the migration process safely and easily.
  • Incremental Migration: Automatically determines what has been received as new e-mail and transfers that content after the initial migration to make the transfer process more efficient and to eliminate duplicate entries for the same content in the Office 365 account.
  • Automated Scheduling: Administrators can schedule transfers to occur without requiring manual intervention, making it easier to migrate POP3 email to Office 365 at set times each day, week or month.

FAQs: Pop3 to Office 365 Migration

Q 1: Does Office 365 support POP3?

Yes, however, when you use POP3 to connect to your Microsoft 365 email, you can only send and receive emails. You won’t be able to synchronize your contacts, to-do lists, or calendar across multiple devices.

Q 2: How do I enable POP3 in Office 365?

If you are wondering how to set up POP3 email on Office 365, follow these steps:

  1. Login to your Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
  2. Go to the Exchange admin center.
  3. Choose Recipients >> Mailboxes.
  4. Select the required user and click Edit.
  5. Choose Mailbox Features from the User Mailbox settings.
  6. Enable POP3 and click on the Save icon.

Q 3: Will this app help me move my POP email from my computer to Office 365?

Yes, you can use this app to easily migrate POP3 email to Office 365 without losing any data.

Q 4: If I migrate my POP account will the local emails no longer exist?

No, your emails will remain on your computer. The migration utility creates a new copy of your email on the Microsoft cloud and does not change or delete any of the original files.

Conclusion

In this article, we explained how best to move your POP3 email from an external server (POP3) to Office 365. We described both manual export and bulk transfer (automatic) methods to migrate POP3 email to Office 365. To ensure that your POP3 mailboxes are successfully migrated with no lost data, we recommend that you download the recommended professional tool to ensure that the root folder structure and all meta-properties are maintained when moving from the POP3 mail servers to Microsoft 365. If you have any further questions, contact our support team via live chat.

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