This guide explains every step of using the DRS Softech Email Migration Tool. The software supports two migration modes: PST Migration and IMAP Migration, each with its own workflow depending on your source and destination. Follow the steps below that match your migration scenario. No technical background is required.
When you open the software, the left navigation panel contains the following sections:
Explore: Overview of the tool and available migration options.
Plans: View and manage your license plan.
Source: Start point for all migrations — select PST or IMAP.
All Reports: View complete logs of all past migration sessions.
Active Tasks: Monitor currently running migrations in real time.
Software Guide: Access step-by-step usage instructions within the tool.
Activate Software: Enter your license key to activate the full version.
Note: The free demo version processes up to 50 emails per folder. Upgrade to the full version for unlimited migration.
How to Migrate Email Data: Step-by-Step Process
Step 01: Select Source Type
Launch the software and click Source from the left navigation panel. The Select Source screen displays two options:
PST Migration — for migrating local Outlook PST files
IMAP Migration — for migrating from a live IMAP-connected mailbox
Click PST Migration to begin.
Step 02: Load Your PST Files
On the Select Files screen, you have two options:
Select PST: Click this to browse and load one or more individual PST files from your system or external drive.
Select Folder: Click this to load an entire folder containing multiple PST files at once, recommended for bulk migrations.
Once your files are loaded, click Next to proceed to the Preview panel.
Step 03: The Preview panel displays the complete folder tree of your loaded PST file, including Inbox, Outbox, Sent Items, Drafts, Deleted Items, Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, and all custom folders.
Click any folder in the left panel to load its emails in the center panel.
Use the search dropdown to filter emails by Subject, From, or To.
Click any email to preview its full content in the right panel.
Once you have reviewed your data and confirmed it is loading correctly, click Next to move to the destination settings.
Note: The Preview panel is available only when a single PST file is loaded. If you loaded multiple files using the Select Folder option, the tool will skip this step and proceed directly to the destination settings.
Step 04: Choose Your Destination
The Filters screen offers two destination tabs:
File Format: Export your PST data to a file format such as PST or PDF.
Email Clients: Migrate directly into an email platform such as Office 365.
Select the tab that matches your required destination and follow the corresponding steps below.
Option A — If You Choose File Format (PST or PDF)
Step 05(A) Select File Format and Destination Path
Click the File Format dropdown and select either PST or PDF as your output format. Then click the Browse button under Select Destination Path to choose the folder where your migrated files will be saved.
Step 06(A): Configure Migration Filters
The Migration Filters section gives you complete control over what gets migrated. Configure the following options as needed:
Skip Previously Migrated: Skips any items already migrated in a previous session, useful for incremental or interrupted migrations.
Date Filter: Set a start and end date to migrate only emails within that specific time period.
Item Types: Select which data types to include: Email, Contact, Calendar, and Task. Only checked item types will be migrated.
Attachments: Check Skip Attachments if you want to migrate email content only without carrying over attached files.
Save Contacts As VCF: Downloads all contact records locally in VCard format during migration.
Save Calendar As ICS: Downloads all calendar entries locally in iCalendar format during migration.
Split Resultant File: Define a maximum file size in MB to automatically split large PST output files into smaller, more manageable segments.
Custom Folder Name: Enter a name for the output folder. If left blank, the tool uses a default folder name.
Duplicate Handling: Select the parameters — Subject, From, Body, CC, To — to automatically detect and remove duplicate emails before migration.
Select the tab that matches your required destination and follow the corresponding steps below.
Step 07(A): Start Migration
Once all filters are configured, click Start Migration. The tool processes all selected data, applies every configured filter, and saves the output to your specified destination folder.
Note: The Preview panel is available only when a single PST file is loaded. If you loaded multiple files using the Select Folder option, the tool will skip this step and proceed directly to the destination settings.
Option B — If You Choose Email Client (Office 365)
Step 05(B) Select Email Client
Click the Email Clients tab and select Office 365 from the dropdown.
Step 06(B): Login Type
You will then be prompted to choose your Login Type:
Admin Login: Use this for business accounts where you are a Global Administrator. This option enables tenant-wide migration and can process multiple mailboxes simultaneously. Admin Login supports two authentication methods:
Modern Authentication: Secure OAuth-based login via Microsoft sign-in
Client Secret: Application-level access using a registered Azure app and secret key
Single Login: Use this for individual personal or business mailbox access. Single Login authenticates one mailbox at a time and is suitable for personal migrations or single-user business account transfers
Step 07(B): Add Connection and Authenticate
Click Add Connection. The Microsoft 365 authentication window opens. Complete the sign-in and grant the required permissions. Once authenticated successfully, the interface confirms the connection and prompts you to proceed to the migration filters.
Step 08(B): Configure Migration Filters
Configure the following filters for the Office 365 migration:
Date Filter: Migrates only emails within your specified date range
Item Types: Select Email, Contact, Calendar, and Task as needed
Attachments: Enable Skip Attachments to exclude attached files from the migration
Save Contacts As VCF: Saves contacts locally in VCard format
Save Calendar As ICS: Saves calendar data locally in iCalendar format
Folder Mapping: Enable Preserve Original Folder Hierarchy to recreate the exact source folder structure in the Office 365 destination mailbox
Custom Folder Name: Define a custom name for the migrated folder in the destination
Duplicate Handling: Automatically removes duplicate items based on your selected parameters
Step 09(B): Start Migration
Click Start Migration. The tool authenticates with Office 365, applies all configured filters, and migrates all selected data directly into the destination mailbox without any manual import steps.
Step 01: Select IMAP Migration
Use IMAP Migration when your source data is stored in a live mailbox, such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, GoDaddy, or any corporate IMAP server.
Step 02: Choose Account Type
Single Account: Use this for individual personal or business mailbox migration. This is the only mode that shows the Preview panel before migration.
Batch/CSV: Use this to bulk-migrate multiple IMAP accounts simultaneously. Prepare a CSV file containing all account credentials and load it into the tool. You can map emails and folders across accounts in the batch process.
Note: The Preview panel is available only in Single Account mode. For large files or Batch/CSV mode, the tool proceeds directly to the filter configuration step without a preview.
Step 03: Enter IMAP Credentials and Test Connection
For Single Account mode, enter the following credentials:
IMAP Server: Your provider's IMAP server address (for example: imap.gmail.com for Gmail).
Port: The IMAP port number (commonly 993 for SSL).
Security: Select the appropriate security protocol (SSL, TLS, or None).
Click Test Connection to verify that your credentials are correct and the connection is active. Once the connection is confirmed, click Continue to proceed.
Step 04: Review Mailbox Tree and Select Folders
The Mailbox Tree screen displays the complete folder structure of your connected IMAP account, along with a summary showing: Total Folders, Total Mails, Total Sub-Folders, and Connection Status.
Opt for the Maintain Folder Hierarchy option to keep your mailbox folder hierarchy intact.
Browse the folder list and check or uncheck the folders you want to include in the migration. Click Fetch Mail Count to load the exact email count per folder before proceeding. Once your selection is confirmed, click Continue to Filter.
Step 05: Choose Your Destination
The Destination Filter Panel offers two tabs:
File Formats: Export to PST or PDF.
Email Client: Migrate directly to Office 365 or Outlook.
Option A — If You Choose File Format (PST or PDF)
Step 06(A) Configure File Format Filters
Select PST or PDF as your output format and configure the available filters:
Date Filter: Include only emails within a specific date range.
Advanced Mail Filter: Apply additional keyword or header-based filtering for more targeted extraction.
Remove Duplicates: Automatically detect and remove duplicate emails from the output.
Free UP Server Space: Removes or archives emails from the source IMAP mailbox after successful migration to free up storage.
Create Merged PDF: Combines all migrated emails into a single PDF document for easy archiving and sharing.
Add Attachments in PDF: Embeds attachment files directly within the merged PDF output.
Output Folder: Browse and select the destination folder where migrated files will be saved.
Save Attachments in Folder: Saves all email attachments separately in a dedicated folder alongside the migrated output.
Miscellaneous Options: Additional output and formatting preferences for the migration.
Custom Folder Name: Define a personalized name for the output folder.
Click Next and then Start Migration to begin the process.
Option B — If You Choose Email Client (Office 365 or Outlook)
Step 06(B): Select Email Client and Authenticate
Select Office 365 or Outlook from the Email Client dropdown. Choose your Login Type:
Admin Login: For business accounts with Global Administrator access. Supports Modern Authentication and Client Secret ID for secure application-level access.
Single Login: For individual personal or business mailbox access.
Click Add Connection and complete the authentication process. Once authenticated, proceed to the filter configuration.
Step 07(B): Configure Email Client Filters
Date Filter: Migrate only emails within your specified date range.
Advanced Mail Filter: Apply additional targeting based on email headers or keywords.
Remove Duplicates: Eliminate repeated emails automatically before migration.
Free UP Server Space: Clears migrated emails from the source server after transfer.
Output Folder: Set the destination path for the migrated data.
Save Attachments in Folder: Store attachments separately in a dedicated folder.
Miscellaneous Options: Additional settings for output formatting and behavior.
Custom Folder Name: Name your output folder for organized migration.
Click Next and then Start Migration to complete the process.
Quick Tips
For large IMAP migrations, use Batch/CSV mode and enable Folder Mapping to keep all folder structures consistent across every account in the batch.
Enable Skip Previously Migrated whenever rerunning a migration to avoid processing already-completed data.
Use the All Reports section after migration to verify item counts, check for errors, and confirm that everything migrated successfully.
Admin Login requires Global Administrator credentials and admin consent from your Microsoft 365 tenant before the connection can be established.
Single Account mode is suitable for both personal email accounts and individual business mailboxes — not just personal use.