Help GuideLog in to the Zix admin portal → Archive → Search → set criteria → Search → select messages → Export → choose PST or EML → confirm. Download the export when ready. Zix automatically decrypts any Zix-encrypted messages before packaging them — no decryption keys needed. Need to convert to MBOX, PDF or another format? Use Univik Zix Archive Converter.
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Log in to the Zix Admin Portal
Access the Zix Message Archiving admin interface
Open your browser and navigate to your organisation's Zix Message Archiving portal URL. This is typically provided by Zix or your managed service provider when the service is provisioned. Log in with your Administrator credentials. The portal is fully web-based — no software installation is required.
Search for Messages
Filter the archive by date range, sender, recipient and keywords
Use the search form to narrow down the messages you need. You can filter by sender, recipient, subject keywords, date range and message direction (inbound, outbound or both). Administrators can search across all mailboxes; end users see only their own messages. Click Search to run the query.
Select Messages and Click Export
Choose all results or specific messages from the search output
After the search runs, the results appear in a list showing sender, date, subject and encryption status. Use the header checkbox to select all results, or tick individual rows. With messages selected, click the Export button in the action toolbar.
| Date | From | To | Subject | Encryption | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-22 | john@company.com | client@partner.com | Q1 contract renewal | Plain | |
| 2026-03-21 | hr@company.com | candidate@applicant.io | Offer letter enclosed | Zix Encrypted | |
| 2026-03-21 | finance@company.com | vendor@supplier.io | Invoice #INV-2248 attached | Zix Encrypted | |
| 2026-03-20 | legal@company.com | counsel@lawfirm.com | NDA final version | TLS Secured |
Configure the Export
Name the job, choose format and confirm automatic decryption
Clicking Export opens the export configuration dialog. Name the job, choose PST or EML format and set any additional options. Note the automatic decryption confirmation — Zix will decrypt all encrypted messages before packaging them.
Download the Export
Monitor status under Archive → Export Jobs and download when ready
After clicking Start Export, go to Archive → Export Jobs to monitor progress. The export processes in the background. Large exports may take several hours. When status shows Ready, click Download to save the PST or ZIP file.
End-User Self-Service Export
If your administrator has enabled end-user archive access, individual users can log in to the Zix end-user portal with their email address and export their own archived messages — without needing administrator involvement. This is the recommended path for users who want a personal archive export for their own records.
What is in a Zix Message Archiving Export?
Zix exports deliver a PST file or a ZIP archive of EML files alongside a metadata inventory CSV. All messages — whether originally plain, Zix-encrypted or TLS-secured — are exported as readable plaintext.
| Property | PST Export | EML + ZIP Export |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Single PST file | ZIP containing EML files |
| Opens in Outlook? | Yes — import directly | No — needs conversion |
| Encrypted messages | Automatically decrypted | Automatically decrypted |
| Attachments | Embedded in PST | Encoded inline in EML |
| Metadata CSV | Always included | Always included |
| Best for | Outlook or M365 migration | eDiscovery, legal review, converter input |
Convert Zix Exports to MBOX, EML or PDF
Zix PST files open directly in Outlook. For other destinations, Univik Zix Archive Converter handles both PST and EML ZIP exports from Zix, including the decrypted content structure:
- Thunderbird / Gmail migration — Convert PST or EML ZIP to MBOX format
- Legal / Compliance PDF — Convert to PDF with original headers and encryption status metadata preserved
- Per-message output — Convert PST to individual EML or MSG files for legal review platforms
- Repair — Fix Zix PST structural issues that cause Outlook import errors
Convert Zix PST and EML exports to MBOX, PDF and 10+ formats. Handles decrypted Zix content structure. Reads metadata CSV. 100% offline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Troubleshooting Common Issues
The Export button only appears for accounts with Administrator access or accounts that have been granted the eDiscovery Export privilege. If you are logged in with a standard user account or a supervisor account that has not been granted export access, you will not see the Export option. Ask your Zix or IT administrator to grant the required privilege in Administration → Roles and Permissions.
Large exports containing many Zix-encrypted messages require additional processing time because each encrypted message must be decrypted before it is packaged. A large export with thousands of encrypted messages can take several hours. Zix sends an email notification when the export is ready — wait for that rather than repeatedly refreshing. To reduce processing time, scope your search to a narrower date range or a single mailbox per export job.
Check the metadata_inventory.csv file included in the export — it lists every message that was included and flags any that could not be exported due to errors. Also confirm the archive start date for your organisation: messages from before Zix archiving was configured for your domain will not be present unless a historical import was performed. For inbound/outbound gaps, check whether the Direction filter in the search form inadvertently excluded one direction.
Run the PST through the Outlook Inbox Repair Tool first: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\OfficeXX\scanpst.exe. If the import error persists, use Univik Zix Archive Converter to extract and re-package the content into a clean PST file that Outlook accepts without errors.
End-user access to the archive portal must be enabled by the administrator for each user or user group. If a user cannot log in, ask the Zix administrator to check that end-user archive access is enabled for that account in Administration → User Access Settings. Also confirm the user is logging in with their current email address (not an old alias) and that their mailbox is within the domains covered by the Zix archiving licence.
Convert Zix PST and EML exports to MBOX, PDF and 10+ formats. Handles decrypted Zix content. Reads metadata CSV. 100% offline.
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 Zix Message Archiving (OpenText).
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