Does Smarsh export include supervision review metadata?

Yes. Smarsh exports include supervision status flags, reviewer annotations, escalation history and compliance tags applied during the review workflow. This metadata is critical for regulatory audits and legal proceedings where the review trail must be preserved alongside the message content.

Can I export non-email channels from Smarsh?

Yes. Smarsh archives multiple communication channels including email, Bloomberg Message, ICE Chat, Refinitiv Eikon, Microsoft Teams, Slack, SMS and social media. All archived channels are searchable and exportable through the same Connected Archive interface. Each channel type is identified in the export metadata.

How to Export Messages from Smarsh Connected Archive - Step-by-Step Guide

Quick Answer

Log in to Smarsh Connected Archive → eDiscovery → Search → set criteria → run search → select messages → Export → choose PST or EML → confirm. Monitor the job under eDiscovery → Export Jobs and download when complete. Exports include supervision metadata, review flags and all archived channel types. Need to convert the output to MBOX, PDF or other formats? Use Univik Smarsh Archive Converter.

Smarsh is built for financial compliance. Connected Archive is designed for FINRA Rule 3110 (supervision), SEC Rule 17a-4 (records retention), CFTC and MiFID II. Every export preserves supervision status flags, reviewer annotations and the complete review audit trail alongside message content — all of which are required for regulatory examination responses.

Who can export from Smarsh Connected Archive? The Compliance Officer and Administrator roles have full eDiscovery export access. Supervisors and Reviewers can flag and annotate messages but cannot initiate bulk exports. Your organisation's Smarsh administrator can grant the eDiscovery export privilege to specific roles at the firm level.

Log in to Smarsh Connected Archive

Open your browser and go to your firm's Smarsh Connected Archive URL (typically https://[yourfirm].smarsh.com or through your Smarsh partner portal). Sign in with your Compliance Officer or Administrator credentials. You need a role that includes eDiscovery export privileges.

Smarsh Connected Archive — Main Navigation

Smarsh

Navigate to eDiscovery

The eDiscovery section is the hub for search, export and legal hold

Click eDiscovery in the top navigation bar. The eDiscovery section contains Search (to query the archive), Export Jobs (to monitor and download exports) and Legal Holds. All bulk exports originate from an eDiscovery search.

Smarsh — eDiscovery Section with Sidebar

eDiscovery Search

Use the search form below to find messages across all archived channels. Then select results and export.

Run a Search

Filter by date, custodian, channel type and keywords

In the eDiscovery Search page, enter your search criteria. Smarsh lets you filter by date range, sender (custodian), recipient, keywords and channel type (Email, Bloomberg, ICE Chat, Teams, etc.). You can also filter by supervision review status to export only flagged or cleared messages. Click Search to run.

Smarsh — eDiscovery Search Form

✓ 94,217 messages match your search criteria across 2 custodians and all channels.

Filter by channel type for focused exports. If you only need email for an Outlook migration, select Email only. If you need Bloomberg Message records for a FINRA examination, filter to Bloomberg Message. Each channel type has its own metadata structure in the export. Filtering reduces export size and makes the output easier to work with.

Select Messages and Click Export

Choose all results or specific messages from the search output

After the search runs, the results appear in a paginated list showing sender, date, subject, channel type and supervision review status. Use the header checkbox to select all results, or tick individual rows. With messages selected, click the Export button in the toolbar.

Smarsh — Search Results with Export Toolbar

94,217 messages selected — all current search results

Date	From	Subject / Content	Channel	Review Status
2026-03-22	j.smith@firm.com	Q1 client portfolio review	Email	Cleared
2026-03-21	m.jones@firm.com	Re: trade confirmation XYZ	Bloomberg	Flagged
2026-03-20	j.smith@firm.com	Internal: compliance checklist	Teams	Cleared
2026-03-19	m.jones@firm.com	Client advisory call notes	Email	Pending

Configure the Export Job

Name the job, choose format and set metadata inclusion options

Clicking Export opens the export configuration dialog. Name the job, choose your output format and decide whether to include supervision metadata, review annotations and audit trail alongside the message content.

Smarsh — Export Job Configuration Dialog

Export Job Name

Description (optional)

Output Format

PST

Microsoft Outlook format. One PST per custodian.

Migration

EML + ZIP

Individual EML files in a ZIP archive.

eDiscovery

Export Content Options

Include Supervision Metadata

Review status, flags, annotations, escalation history

Include Review Audit Trail

Reviewer actions, timestamps and comments per message

Include Attachments

Embed all message attachments in output

One PST/ZIP per Custodian

Separate output file per sender (recommended)

Always include supervision metadata for regulatory responses. If the export is for a FINRA examination, SEC inquiry or litigation hold, keep Include Supervision Metadata and Include Review Audit Trail turned on. These fields prove that all required messages were reviewed by a supervisor within the required timeframe under Rule 3110.

Monitor and Download the Export

Track job progress under eDiscovery → Export Jobs

After clicking Start Export, navigate to eDiscovery → Export Jobs. Your job appears with a status indicator. Large exports may take several hours. Smarsh sends an email notification when the export is ready. When status shows Complete, click Download.

Smarsh — Export Jobs Page

Export Jobs

Smith & Jones — 2024–2026 All Channels

PST • 94,217 messages • 2 custodians • Created: Mar 22, 2026 15:04

✓ Complete

j.smith_2024-2026.pst

22.1 GB

m.jones_2024-2026.pst

18.4 GB

Bloomberg Export — Q1 2026

EML + ZIP • 12,481 messages • Created: Mar 22, 2026 14:22

⏳ Processing

54% complete • ~6,740 messages processed

Multi-Channel Exports

Smarsh Connected Archive captures communications across many channels beyond email. The same eDiscovery search and export workflow applies to all of them. When exporting non-email channels, Smarsh converts the native format to a standard representation:

Channel	Export representation	Common regulatory use
Email	PST or EML (native format)	General supervision, FINRA 3110
Bloomberg Message	EML representation + metadata CSV	Broker-dealer supervision, SEC 17a-4
ICE Chat / Refinitiv	EML representation + metadata CSV	Commodities (CFTC), energy trading
Microsoft Teams	EML conversation thread + metadata	MiFID II, financial services compliance
Slack	EML representation per channel/DM	General supervision
SMS / Text	EML representation per conversation	Mobile supervision, FINRA

Non-email channels are represented as EML, not in their native format. A Bloomberg Message or Teams conversation exported from Smarsh will appear as an email-like EML file, not as a Bloomberg or Teams native file. This is by design for regulatory production — the content is identical to the original but rendered in a universally readable format. Include the metadata CSV file in your export to preserve the original channel identifiers and timestamps.

What is in a Smarsh Connected Archive Export?

A Smarsh PST export delivers per-custodian PST files alongside metadata files that carry the supervision review trail. An EML export delivers a ZIP containing individual EML files plus the same metadata.

Contents of a Smarsh Export Package

Smith_Jones_2024-2026_AllChannels_export/ 40.5 GB

├ j.smith_2024-2026.pst │ All channels, j.smith, 22.1 GB ├ m.jones_2024-2026.pst │ All channels, m.jones, 18.4 GB ├ supervision_metadata.csv │ Review status, flags, annotations per message ├ review_audit_trail.csv │ Reviewer actions, timestamps, escalations ├ message_inventory.csv │ Full inventory: channel, date, sender, subject, ID ├ export_summary.txt │ Job details, message count, any errors └ [PST files include all archived channels converted to email format] Always include metadata CSV files in regulatory productions

File	Contents	Required for
custodian.pst / .zip	All message content and attachments	All export types
supervision_metadata.csv	Review status, flags, reviewer ID, annotation text	FINRA Rule 3110, regulatory audit
review_audit_trail.csv	Every reviewer action with timestamp, proving timely review	FINRA examination, SEC inquiry
message_inventory.csv	Message ID, channel, date, sender, recipient, subject	All productions, chain-of-custody
export_summary.txt	Job name, total count, date range, errors list	Completeness verification

Convert Smarsh Exports to MBOX, EML or PDF

Smarsh PST files open in Outlook. For other workflows — Thunderbird migration, legal PDF production or per-message review platforms — Univik Smarsh Archive Converter handles Smarsh PST patterns and reads the supervision metadata CSV files:

Thunderbird / Gmail migration — Convert per-custodian PST to MBOX format
Regulatory PDF production — Convert to PDF with supervision metadata preserved in document properties
Per-message review — Convert PST to individual EML or MSG files for review platforms
Channel segregation — Extract only email, only Bloomberg or only Teams messages from a combined PST

Univik Smarsh Archive Converter

Convert Smarsh PST and EML exports to MBOX, PDF and 10+ formats. Reads supervision metadata CSV. Handles all Smarsh channel types. 100% offline.

⬇️ Free Download Learn More →

Frequently Asked Questions

What formats does Smarsh Connected Archive export in?

Smarsh exports as PST files (one per custodian, suitable for Outlook import) or as a ZIP archive containing EML files. Both formats are accompanied by metadata CSV files: supervision_metadata.csv (review flags and annotations), review_audit_trail.csv (reviewer action timestamps) and message_inventory.csv (full message list with channel identifiers).

Does the export include supervision review metadata?

Yes, if you enable Include Supervision Metadata in the export configuration. The export package includes CSV files with every message's review status (cleared, flagged, escalated, pending), the reviewer's ID, annotation text, escalation reason and the timestamp of each review action. For FINRA examinations and SEC inquiries, these files prove that supervision was conducted within required timeframes under Rule 3110. Always include them in regulatory productions.

Who can export from Smarsh Connected Archive?

The Compliance Officer and Administrator roles have eDiscovery export access by default. Supervisors and Reviewers can flag and review messages but cannot initiate bulk exports. Your firm's Smarsh administrator can assign the eDiscovery export privilege to additional roles in the Administration settings. If you do not see an Export button after selecting messages, your role does not have this privilege.

Can I export Bloomberg Messages and other non-email channels?

Yes. Smarsh archives and exports all channels it captures: email, Bloomberg Message, ICE Chat, Refinitiv Eikon, Microsoft Teams, Slack, SMS and social media. Non-email channels are converted to EML representation for export — each Bloomberg message or Teams conversation appears as an email-like EML file with the original content and channel metadata preserved in the accompanying CSV files. Filter the export by channel type to isolate specific platforms.

What regulatory frameworks is Smarsh designed for?

Smarsh Connected Archive is built specifically for financial services compliance: FINRA Rule 3110 (supervision of registered persons), SEC Rule 17a-4 (records retention for broker-dealers), CFTC Regulations (swap dealer and FCM recordkeeping), and MiFID II (EU investment firm communication recording). The supervision metadata and review audit trail exports are structured to satisfy examination requests under all these frameworks.

Can I export just the flagged messages from a supervision review?

Yes. In the eDiscovery Search form, use the Review Status filter and select Flagged. This limits search results to messages that were flagged during supervision review. You can then export only those messages along with their full supervision metadata. This is the standard approach for producing flagged messages for a FINRA examination or internal investigation.

How long are Smarsh export downloads available?

Smarsh export download links are available for a limited period after the export completes (typically 7–30 days depending on your firm's configuration). Download the files as soon as the export is complete and save them to a secure internal storage location. After expiry you must re-create the export job.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

1 No Export button visible after selecting messages

The Export button only appears for accounts with the Compliance Officer or Administrator role, or roles that have been granted the eDiscovery Export privilege. If you do not see an Export button, your role does not include this permission. Ask your firm's Smarsh administrator to grant the eDiscovery Export privilege in Administration → Roles & Permissions.

2 Export job stuck in Processing for a long time

Large exports covering multiple custodians or many years of data can take several hours. Smarsh will send an email notification when complete — wait for that rather than repeatedly refreshing. If the job has been Processing for more than 24 hours with no notification, contact Smarsh Support with the export job name and creation timestamp.

3 Some channels are missing from the export results

Check the Channel Type filter in the search form — if you selected a specific channel (e.g. Email only), messages from other channels (Bloomberg, Teams) will not appear. Set Channel Type to All Channels to see all captured communications. Also confirm with your Smarsh administrator that the missing channel is enabled for archiving in your firm's Smarsh configuration.

4 PST cannot be opened in Outlook

Run the PST through the Outlook Inbox Repair Tool: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\OfficeXX\scanpst.exe. If the import error persists, use Univik Smarsh Archive Converter to re-package the content into a clean PST. The converter also handles the Smarsh-specific non-email channel representations inside the PST that can cause Outlook import issues.

5 Download link expired before I could save the files

Smarsh export download links expire after a firm-configured retention period (typically 7–30 days). If your link has expired, you must re-create the export job from scratch: go to eDiscovery → Search, run the same search again and create a new export job. Download the files immediately after the job completes and save them to secure internal storage.

Need to Convert Your Smarsh Export?

Convert Smarsh PST and EML exports to MBOX, PDF and 10+ formats. Reads supervision metadata CSV. Handles all Smarsh channel types. 100% offline.

⬇️ Download Free Converter View Converter Details →

About This Guide

This guide is written and maintained by the Univik team, developers of file conversion and digital forensics tools since 2013. We verify each guide against the latest version of each platform. Last verified: March 2026 with Smarsh Connected Archive.