Export Compliance Search results in Office 365 Dedicated

  • Article

 

Applies to: Exchange Online Dedicated

After a compliance search is successfully run, you can export the search results to a local computer. When you export email results, you can download individual messages or copy those messages to a PST file. There are also additional documents and reports that are included with the exported search results. See the More information section in this topic for a description of each of these export-related documents.

Exporting the results of a compliance search is a two-step process.

Step 1: Prepare search results for export

Step 2: Download the search results

Before you begin

The computer you use to export the search results must meet the following system requirements:

  • 32- or 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and later versions

  • Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7

  • A supported browser:

    • Internet Explorer 10 and later versions

      OR

    • Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome, with the ClickOnce add-in installed

Step 1: Prepare search results for export

  1. In the Exchange admin center, click Search.

  2. On the Compliance search page, select the search for which you want to export the results.

  3. In the details pane, under Export results to a computer, click Start export.

    Note

    If the results for a search are older than 7 days, you are prompted to update the search results. If this happens, cancel the export, click Update search results in the details pane for the selected search, and then start the export again after the results are updated.

  4. On the Export the search results page, under Include these items from the search, choose one of the following options if the search included unindexed items:

    • Export only indexed items

    • Export indexed and unindexed items

    • Export only unindexed items

    Note

    These options are displayed only if the Include items that have an unrecognized format, are encrypted, or weren't indexed for other reasons checkbox was selected when the compliance search was run. If this checkbox wasn't selected, only indexed items from the search results are exported.

  5. Under Export Exchange content as, choose to download the search results as individual messages or as PST files.

  6. Click Start export.

    The search results are prepared for downloading. When the search results are ready for download, the Download exported results link is displayed under Export the search results in the details pane for the selected search.

Step 2: Download the search results

  1. In the details pane for the search that you started the export for, click Download exported results .

    The Export the search results window is displayed and contains the following information about the search results that will be exported. You can start downloading search results even if the preparation of the data isn't complete.

    • Estimate of the number of items that will be downloaded.

    • Estimate of the total size of the items that will be downloaded.

    • Whether indexed (and fully searchable items) items from the search results will be exported, indexed and non-indexed items (items that have an unrecognized format or are encrypted) will be exported, or only unindexed items will be exported.

    • The format of mailbox messages (individual messages or PST files).

    • The status of the export preparation process.

  2. Under Export key, click Copy to clipboard. You will use this key in step 5 to download the search results.

    Warning

    Because anyone can install and start the eDiscovery Export tool, and then use this key to download the search results, be sure to take precautions to protect this key if you copy it to a file or send it to someone.

  3. Click Download results.

  4. If you're prompted to install the Microsoft Office 365 eDiscovery Export Tool, click Install.

  5. In the eDiscovery Export Tool, paste the export key that you copied in step 2 in the appropriate box.

  6. Click Browse to specify the location where you want to download the search result files.

  7. Click Start to download the search results to your computer.

    The eDiscovery Export Tool displays status information about the export process. When the export process is complete, you can access the files in the location where they were downloaded.

More information

  • When you export search results, the following documents are included in addition to the search results.

    • Export Summary   An Excel document that contains a summary of the export. This includes information such as the number of content sources that were searched, the estimated and downloaded sizes of the search results, and the estimated and downloaded number of items that were exported.

    • Manifest   A manifest file (in XML format) that contains information about each item included in the search results.

    • ResultLog   An Excel document that contains information about each item that is download as a search result. The result log contains information about each message, including:

      • The location of the message in the source mailbox (including whether the message is in the primary or archive mailbox).

      • The date the message was sent or received.

      • The Subject line from the message.

      • The sender and recipients of the message.

  • All search results and the export reports are included in a folder that has the same name as the compliance search. The email messages that were exported are located in a folder named Exchange.