What is shortcut resolution in Enterprise Vault exports?

When Enterprise Vault archives a message it replaces the original in the user mailbox with a shortcut stub. During export, shortcut resolution retrieves the full archived message content and restores it to the PST. Without shortcut resolution enabled your exported PST may contain only stubs rather than full messages.

What format does Veritas Enterprise Vault export in?

Enterprise Vault exports archived messages primarily as PST files. Individual message export as MSG files is also possible. The PST output is directly importable into Microsoft Outlook and the Microsoft 365 Import Service.

What is a journal archive export and why is it different?

A journal archive stores a copy of every message delivered through your mail system, including the original journal envelope containing BCC recipients and original SMTP routing data. When exporting from a journal archive, enabling journal envelope preservation ensures this compliance data is included in the exported PST, which is required for legal and regulatory purposes.

Can I export from multiple Enterprise Vault archives at once?

Yes. EV Search allows you to run a discovery search across multiple archives simultaneously and export all results as a single PST or per-archive PSTs. The Administration Console export is scoped to one archive at a time, but you can queue multiple export tasks to run sequentially.

How to Export Messages from Veritas Enterprise Vault - Step-by-Step Guide

Quick Answer

EV Administration Console → expand Vault Store → right-click the target archive → Export → configure PST output path and enable Shortcut Resolution → Finish. Monitor the task under Tasks and collect the PST from the output folder when complete. For discovery-based exports across multiple archives, use EV Search instead. Need to convert the PST to MBOX, PDF or another format? Use Univik Enterprise Vault Converter.

Always enable Shortcut Resolution. Enterprise Vault replaces original emails in user mailboxes with lightweight shortcut stubs. If you export the mailbox without shortcut resolution the PST will contain only stubs — not the actual message content. Shortcut Resolution must be enabled in the export task to retrieve full message content from the vault during export.

Who can export from Enterprise Vault? Vault Administrators have full export access across all archives. Delegated administrators can export archives within their assigned scope. Discovery searches and exports via EV Search require the Discovery Role to be assigned in the EV Admin Console. End users can export their own archive from Outlook using the EV Client add-in if the administrator has enabled this permission.

Two Export Paths: Admin Console vs EV Search

Feature	EV Administration Console	EV Search (Web UI)
Best for	Full archive migration, per-mailbox PST	Discovery searches, multi-archive export
Interface	Windows MMC snap-in (on EV server)	Web browser (any machine on network)
Scope	One archive at a time	Multiple archives simultaneously
Output location	Folder on EV server or UNC share	Download via browser or UNC share
Journal archives	✓ Full support	✓ Full support
Role required	Vault Administrator	Discovery Role

This guide covers the Administration Console path for steps 1–6. See the EV Search section below for the web-based discovery export workflow.

Open the EV Administration Console

Connect to the Enterprise Vault server using the MMC snap-in

On the Enterprise Vault server (or a machine with the EV management tools installed), open the Enterprise Vault Administration Console. This is a Windows MMC snap-in. Log in with a Vault Administrator account. In the left tree, expand your EV site, Vault Store and locate the archives you want to export.

Enterprise Vault Administration Console — Tree View

Enterprise Vault Administration Console

Connected: ev-admin

EV Site: Company HQ

Vault Store: VS-PROD-01

Archive Name	Type	Items	Size
john@company.com	Mailbox	42,814	18.4 GB
sarah@company.com	Mailbox	38,291	15.2 GB
mike@company.com	Mailbox	29,107	11.8 GB

Navigate to the Target Archive

Select the mailbox archive or journal archive you want to export

In the left tree, click Mailbox Archives (for user email archives) or Journal Archives (for compliance journal archives). The right pane lists all archives stored in that vault store. Click a column header to sort by name, size or item count. You can select one or more archives for export.

Mailbox Archives vs Journal Archives. Mailbox archives contain each user's personal archived emails. Journal archives contain a complete copy of every message that passed through your mail system, including those to and from users who may have left the organisation. If you need to export a specific user's mail, use their Mailbox Archive. If you need a compliance-complete record including BCC data, export from the Journal Archive.

Select Messages or Right-Click the Archive

Export the full archive or select a filtered subset

For a full archive export, right-click the archive name in the list and select Export from the context menu. This exports all messages in that archive. For a filtered export (specific date range or keywords), first open the archive and use the search/filter options to select specific items before right-clicking.

EV Admin Console — Right-Click Context Menu on Archive

Mailbox Archives — VS-PROD-01

Archive Name	Type	Items
john@company.com	Mailbox	42,814
sarah@company.com	Mailbox	38,291

Open Archive

Search Archive

Export

Properties

Delete Archive

Configure the Export Task in the Wizard

Set output path, enable shortcut resolution, configure journal envelopes

Clicking Export opens the Export Wizard. Work through its pages to set the PST output location, enable Shortcut Resolution and configure any date range or item type filters. For journal archives, also enable Preserve Journal Envelopes to include BCC and original SMTP data.

Enterprise Vault — Export Wizard Configuration

Export Wizard — john@company.com

Step 2 of 4: Output and Options

Output Format

PST file per archive

Creates john@company.com.pst. Recommended for Outlook import and migration.

Individual MSG files

One MSG file per archived message. Useful for legal review.

Output Location

\\EV-SERVER-01\EVExports\john_export\

Export Options

Resolve Shortcuts

Retrieve full message content from vault (required for complete export)

Preserve Journal Envelopes

Include BCC recipients and original SMTP routing from journal archives

Include Attachments

Export attachments embedded in PST (recommended)

Maintain Folder Structure

Recreate original Inbox, Sent Items and custom folders in PST

Date Range (optional)

Output location must be accessible to the EV server service account. The PST is written directly by the EV server process, not your workstation. The output path must be a UNC share or local drive that the EV service account has write access to. Do not specify a path that only your local machine can see.

Monitor the Export Task

Track progress in the Tasks section of the Administration Console

After clicking Finish, EV creates a background task. In the left tree, click Tasks to monitor all running and queued export jobs. Each archive export is a separate task. The status cycles through Queued → Running → Completed. Large archives may take many hours.

EV Admin Console — Tasks View Showing Export Progress

Enterprise Vault Administration Console

Connected: ev-admin

EV Site: Company HQ

VS-PROD-01

Collect the PST from the Output Folder

Retrieve the PST file from the UNC share or local path you configured

When the task shows Completed, navigate to the output folder you specified in the wizard (e.g. \\EV-SERVER-01\EVExports\john_export\). You will find the PST file alongside a task log file listing the items exported and any errors. Copy the PST to your local machine or migration staging area.

Review the export log file before using the PST. It lists any items that could not be exported due to corruption, access errors or vault partition issues. If there are errors, the log shows which items were skipped and why. Univik Enterprise Vault Converter reads this log automatically and flags any gaps in the converted output.

EV Search Export (Web-Based Discovery)

For discovery-based exports — searching across multiple archives with keyword, custodian and date filters — use EV Search, the web interface that comes with Enterprise Vault. EV Search is accessible from any machine on the network via browser. It is better suited to legal discovery exports that span multiple users or date ranges.

EV Search — Discovery Search and Export Interface

Discovery Search

Keywords

Custodians

Date From

Date To

Archive Type

81,105 messages found across 2 custodians

Date	From	Subject	Archive
2026-03-22	john@company.com	Q1 Report Final	Mailbox
2026-03-21	sarah@company.com	Contract v3 attached	Mailbox
2026-03-20	john@company.com	RE: Invoice approval	Journal

In EV Search, run your discovery search, then click Export Results. Choose PST format, whether to export per-custodian or as a combined file, and set the output location. The export is queued and you can monitor it under the Export Queue tab. When complete, a download link appears or the file is written to the configured UNC share.

Per-custodian PST output from EV Search. For Microsoft 365 migrations, choose one PST per custodian rather than a combined PST. This produces named files like john@company.com.pst that map directly to users when importing via the Microsoft 365 Import Service or PST import tools.

What is in a Veritas Enterprise Vault Export?

Enterprise Vault exports deliver a PST file per archive alongside a task log. With shortcut resolution enabled, the PST contains full message content with original folder structure, attachments and metadata.

EV Export Output Folder Contents

\\EV-SERVER-01\EVExports\john_export\ 18.4 GB

├ john@company.com.pst │ 42,814 messages, folder structure intact, shortcuts resolved ├ ExportTask_20260322_1402.log │ Exported items list, errors, skipped items └ [PST imports directly into Outlook or the Microsoft 365 Import Service] Folder structure inside PST mirrors original Inbox, Sent Items, custom folders Shortcut stubs replaced with full message content including attachments Journal envelope (if enabled): BCC recipients + original SMTP data in headers

Property	PST Export (Shortcut Resolution ON)	PST Export (Shortcut Resolution OFF)
Message content	Full message body and attachments	Shortcut stubs only — no content
Folder structure	Preserved if Maintain Folders enabled	Preserved (stubs only)
Attachments	Embedded in PST (if Include Attachments on)	Not present
Opens in Outlook	Yes — full readable messages	Yes — but stubs, not content
Journal envelope	Included if Preserve Journal Envelopes on	N/A
Export log	Always included alongside PST	Always included alongside PST

Convert Enterprise Vault PST Exports to MBOX, EML or PDF

EV PST files open directly in Outlook. For other destinations, Univik Enterprise Vault Converter handles EV-specific PST patterns including journal envelope headers and folder structure:

Thunderbird / Gmail migration — Convert per-mailbox PST to MBOX format
Legal / Compliance — Convert to PDF with journal envelope BCC data preserved
Per-message output — Convert PST to individual EML or MSG files for review platforms
Repair — Normalise EV PSTs that fail Outlook import due to EV-specific structures

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is shortcut resolution and why is it critical?

When Enterprise Vault archives a message it replaces the original in the user's mailbox with a shortcut stub — a small placeholder that points to the archived content. Without shortcut resolution the exported PST contains only these stubs, not the actual messages. Always enable Resolve Shortcuts in the export wizard. This instructs EV to retrieve the full message content from the vault partition and write it into the PST instead of the stub. Shortcut resolution is the most common cause of "empty" or unusable EV PST exports.

What format does Enterprise Vault export in?

Enterprise Vault exports archived messages primarily as PST files — one PST per archive, named after the archive (e.g. john@company.com.pst). Individual MSG file export is also available for per-message legal review. Every export also produces a task log file listing all exported items, errors and skipped messages. The PST files are directly importable into Outlook and the Microsoft 365 Import Service.

What is a journal archive and when should I export from it?

A journal archive stores a copy of every message delivered through your Exchange or Microsoft 365 environment, including the original journal envelope containing BCC recipients and original SMTP routing data not visible in standard email headers. Export from the journal archive when you need a compliance-complete record — particularly for legal proceedings where BCC discovery is required. Enable Preserve Journal Envelopes in the export wizard to include this data. Note that journal archives are typically much larger than mailbox archives because they capture all inbound and outbound messages for the entire organisation.

Can I export multiple archives at once from the Administration Console?

Not in a single export task. The Administration Console creates one export task per archive. However, you can queue multiple tasks back-to-back — right-click each archive in turn and select Export. EV will run the tasks sequentially. For cross-archive discovery exports, use EV Search which supports multi-archive searches and can export results as per-custodian PSTs in a single operation.

Who can export from Enterprise Vault?

Vault Administrators can export any archive from the Administration Console. Delegated administrators can export archives within their assigned delegation scope. Discovery searches and exports via EV Search require the Discovery Role to be assigned by a Vault Administrator in the EV Admin Console. End users can export their own archive from the Outlook EV Client add-in if the administrator has enabled the self-service export permission in the desktop policy settings.

Why is the exported PST very small or contains no messages?

This almost always means Shortcut Resolution was not enabled. The PST was populated with shortcut stubs rather than full message content. You must re-run the export with Resolve Shortcuts toggled on in the export wizard. Also check the export task log for errors — if the vault partition is offline or the vault service account lacks read access to the partition, shortcut resolution will fail silently and the PST will be empty or contain corrupt stubs.

The export task output folder must be accessible to whom?

The PST is written by the Enterprise Vault Service account (the Windows service account under which EV runs), not by the admin account you are logged in as. The output path must be a UNC share or local drive on the EV server to which the EV service account has write permission. If you specify a path that is only accessible from your workstation, the export task will fail with an access denied error.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

1 Exported PST is empty or contains only shortcut stubs

The export was run without Resolve Shortcuts enabled, or shortcut resolution failed. Delete the export task output, create a new export task and ensure Resolve Shortcuts is toggled on. Also check the export task log for vault partition access errors. If the vault partition is offline or the EV service account lacks read access, shortcut resolution silently fails and the PST contains only stubs.

2 Export task fails with "Access Denied" or cannot write to output path

The output path must be accessible to the EV Service account, not your personal admin account. Right-click the output share folder and check Permissions — the EV service account (usually EVServiceAccount) must have Full Control or at minimum Write and Modify. If specifying a UNC path, ensure the EV server has network access to that share. Do not use a path on your local workstation as the EV server cannot write there.

3 Export task is very slow or has been running for many hours

Shortcut resolution is I/O intensive — EV must read every message body from vault partition storage during export. On a large archive with many small messages this can take many hours. Check the EV server's disk I/O and ensure the vault partition storage is not under load from other jobs. Stagger export tasks — run one at a time rather than queuing all users simultaneously. Consider running exports overnight or over a weekend for very large archives.

4 PST cannot be opened or imported into Outlook

Run the PST through the Outlook Inbox Repair Tool: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\OfficeXX\scanpst.exe. EV PSTs occasionally have structural anomalies from the export process that cause Outlook import errors. If scanpst does not resolve it, use Univik Enterprise Vault Converter to extract the content and re-package it into a clean PST.

5 Export option is not visible for an archive

The Export option in the right-click menu is only available to Vault Administrators and delegated admins with export permission. If you are logged into the Administration Console but do not see Export, your account may not have the Vault Administrator role. Ask your EV administrator to check your role assignment in EV → Site → Properties → Administration. For EV Search exports, confirm the Discovery Role is assigned to your account.

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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 Veritas Enterprise Vault 15.x.