After using Microsoft Outlook for many years—and occasionally having to work with IBM Lotus Notes—I eventually faced the problem of archiving my Lotus Notes data and converting it into Microsoft Outlook.
For years, Microsoft offered an Outlook Connector that could transfer Lotus Notes data into Outlook. Unfortunately, it worked only under specific conditions and was not supported with some later combinations of:
- Microsoft Outlook 2003 with Service Pack 3 or certain critical updates
- Microsoft Outlook 2007
- Lotus Notes releases newer than approximately version 6.5.4
After several hours of research, I could not find a free, open-source, or reliable workaround for converting large numbers of messages. There were several complicated methods for transferring one message at a time, but none that offered a practical way to migrate an entire mailbox.
I eventually found a commercial application that successfully converted all of my Lotus Notes messages into Microsoft Outlook without any problems.
Address Magic Personal PLUS
Years earlier, I had purchased Address Magic Personal, a utility designed to convert address books between different email applications.
The company later released Address Magic Personal PLUS, which added support for converting:
- Address books
- Email messages
- Calendars
At the time, the application cost $49.95. I was initially reluctant to pay for it, but it was less expensive than most competing conversion utilities and offered more features.
Because the original Address Magic Personal application had worked as advertised, I was willing to try the upgraded version.
It worked.
I successfully converted all of my Lotus Notes 6.5.4 messages into Microsoft Outlook 2003 SP2 without encountering any errors.
This article describes software and versions that were current when the conversion was performed. It is retained as a historical reference for older Lotus Notes and Outlook installations.
Converting Lotus Notes to Outlook
The application was simple to install and use. The following screenshots show the basic conversion process.
Step 1: Start the Conversion Wizard
Click Next, select Convert messages, and then click Next again.
Step 2: Select Lotus Notes as the Source
Step 3: Select Microsoft Outlook as the Destination
Select Lotus Notes, click Next, select Outlook 2003, and click Next again.
Step 4: Configure the Import
Step 5: Complete the Conversion
Select Do not import duplicates, and then click Finish.
The application supports several other conversion combinations. Although the destination option shown in the wizard was Outlook 2003, the developer’s website stated that Microsoft Outlook versions from 1997 through 2007 were supported.
For my Lotus Notes 6.5.4 to Outlook 2003 SP2 migration, the conversion completed successfully and saved a considerable amount of manual work.