Introduction
Switching from Lotus Notes to MS Outlook is one of the many examples of email migration which is becoming common these days among organizations and individuals across the world. At times, you might need to access Lotus Notes NSF files in MS Outlook due to professional requirements. But you cannot do the same because MS Outlook supports only PST format. You need to convert NSF files to PST format to access them in MS Outlook.
Why NSF to PST migration is required?
The major reason behind NSF to PST migration is the vulnerability of NSF files towards corruption. Lotus Notes NSF files are very much likely to get corrupted due to various reasons such as virus attacks, file header corruption, abrupt system shutdown or power failure, Checksum mismatch etc.
If you try to access a corrupt NSF file, you are likely to get error messages. Some common error messages are:
“Unable to open Name and Address Book (-names.nsf), due to error “File does not exist”. Locations cannot be used until the problem has been corrected.”
“Your current ID does not specify an Internet certificate for signing.”
Lotus Notes access error: ‘database is not opened yet.’
Although, data migration is becoming a common trend these days because of changing business needs, cost-effectiveness and data management issues, there are some basic reasons behind NSF to PST migration as well, such as:
MS Outlook provides offline accessibility of mailbox with offline folders
MS Outlook offers better data management features and security options than Lotus Notes
MS Outlook is more user-friendly than Lotus Notes
MS Outlook demands less maintenance cost
Data sharing is easier in MS Outlook than Lotus Notes
Perform NSF to PST migration
If you simply want to access NSF files in MS Outlook, you can convert them to Outlook PST format using manual (Import/Export) method. Below given is the entire manual NSF to PST conversion process.
Manual method to perform NSF to PST conversion
Before starting the conversion, it’s mandatory to take back up of original NSF file. There are chances that original file gets damaged during the conversion process. Manual NSF to PST conversion method goes through two stages:
- Export Lotus Notes NSF file
- Import the exported NSF file in MS Outlook
First stage
Perform the following steps to export Lotus Notes NSF file:
- Open IBM Lotus Notes
- Open NSF database file
- Click on File > Export (Export Wizard window of Lotus Notes appears)
- Select a location to save the file and Select Comma Separated Value or Structured Text in Save as type
- A dialog box pops up – mark the required option and Select OK
- Type a new name for the exported NSF file and select the Export button
Selected NSF file is successfully exported at specified location. Now, import the exported NSF file in MS Outlook.
Second stage
Perform the following steps to import the exported NSF file in MS Outlook:
- Open MS Outlook
- Click on File > Import (Import and Export Wizard is open)
- Select Import from another program or file and click Next
- Select Comma Separated values (Windows)
- Browse the location of Exported NSF file and check Replace duplicates with item imported
- Select a folder where you want to import the data and click Next (Import process begins)
- As soon as it gets over, click Finish
Exported NSF file is successfully imported in MS Outlook. You can access your Lotus Notes data in MS Outlook now.
However, manual method has its limitations and drawbacks. First, it’s a bit lengthy and might confuse non-technical users. Second, there is risk of data loss during the process. And third, it cannot migrate large amount of Lotus Notes data to MS Outlook, which makes it less preferred among organizations looking to migrate huge Lotus Notes data.
Manual method is also incapable of migrating corrupt NSF files to MS Outlook. Although, you can try using fixup -f, compact -i -c -d -k and updall –R commands to repair corrupt NSF files or NSF error messages but they are unable to repair corrupt or damaged NSF files in all the cases.
If manual method fails to provide desired results, you can use a third-party software like Kernel for Lotus Notes to Outlook to migrate NSF files to MS Outlook. It performs effortless NSF to PST conversion in almost every condition.
Kernel for Lotus Notes to Outlook
It’s an advanced software to convert Lotus Notes NSF files to Outlook PST files accurately. The software is renowned to perform quick and accurate migration of entire Lotus Notes data to MS Outlook. The software performs complete migration of all Lotus Notes emails, contacts, drafts, attachments, events, notes, appointments, calendar items, etc. to MS Outlook. It provides option to save migrated NSF files in HTML, TEXT and RTF formats. It is also capable of migrating multiple NSF files and Domino Server files through Advanced data scanning mode. It also supports Unicode Characters migration.
The trial version of the software is absolutely free. You can simply download and start using it for free and can easily get familiar with its functioning and important features. To know more about the software, visit – http://www.nsftopst.net