How to Upgrade Exchange 2013 to 2019 Without Issue?

Soon on April 11, 2023, Exchange server 2013 will lose support from Microsoft. This means its lifecycle will end, and now it will lack in providing better security and advanced features. This is why users still using Exchange 2013 should now move to another Exchange server. Nevertheless, users mostly choose Exchange 2019 because it is an advanced and upgraded version of the Exchange server, and it provides better security and advanced features as compared to other Exchange servers. Therefore, users now Upgrade Exchange 2013 to 2019. Each organization wants a secure and upgraded version to work smoothly in a safe environment. Users who haven’t begun migrating should now move to another Exchange server. As the security of data is the priority for users, and no one wants to risk the data.

Why users choose Exchange 2019-:

Several reasons and advantages are available, so users upgrade Exchange 2013 to 2019. All the reasons are explained as follows-:

1. Exchange 2019 supports up to 256 GB of memory, so you do not have to worry about space.
2. Improvement in the search infrastructure of Exchange 2019 has resulted in faster and more reliable failover between servers.
3. Exchange 2019 is the most upgraded and latest version of the Exchange server. Hence, users execute Exchange to Exchange migration task.
4. Exchange 2019 supports email address internationalization.
5. The organization should be aware of the fact that Exchange 2019 is the most protected and stable version.
6. Calendar migration is much better and more advanced than any other version of Exchange.

Ways to execute the migration task are discussed below-:

To upgrade Exchange 2013 to 2019, you have two methods available; manual and professional. You can choose either a manual or professional method to perform the migration task. Users want to execute Exchange to Exchange migration task smoothly. Hence, the professional method is the best method to perform the migration task, as the manual method includes risks and many disadvantages. This blog will guide you in choosing the best method to upgrade Exchange 2013 to 2019. Therefore, you can decide on the migration task without being concerned. 

First, let us discuss the manual method to execute Exchange to Exchange migration task. However, before executing the migration task, you must be aware of the requirements to execute the task.

Requirements to perform the migration task-:

Follow the instruction to upgrade Exchange 2013 to 2019 smoothly. Fulfil all the needed requirements.

1. Ensure Exchange 2019 must support that operating system.
2. Mailbox and Edge Transport server roles should be there in the component.
3. Window server 2019 standard or datacentre should be available as they are supported operating systems.
4. Supported hardware configurations for Exchange Server 2019 are as follows-:
5. Disk space of 13 Gigabytes should be available.
6. Intel processor that supports 64-bit architecture and AMD processor that supports 64-bit architecture.
7. The memory of the mailbox with 128 gigabytes minimum and Edge Transport with 64 gigabytes minimum should be there.
8. 1024 x 768 pixels must be available as screen resolution.
9. There is a requirement to file with NTFS; ReFS.
10. Your paging file size must be 25% of the installed memory.
11. Email client, which should be supported.
12. Outlook 2013.
13. With Outlook 2016.
14. Required Outlook for Mac for Office 365.
15. Outlook 2019.
16. Needed Outlook 2016 for Mac.
17. Outlook 2021.
18. Microsoft 365 Apps for the enterprise.
19. Supported .NET frameworks.
20. The most important recommendation is that the .NET framework is the latest one. It should be either Framework 4.8 or 4.7.2.

Steps to install Exchange 2019-:

After completing all the requirements and checking all the components, you can choose the Microsoft Exchange Server Deployment Assistant to check the checklist, thus, this can guide you to complete the installation.

Go to the Download center page to download Exchange 2019. After the completion, click setup.exe, and the installation wizard will open.

1: There will be two upgrade options- “connect to the internet and check for the updates” and “don’t check for updates right now”. Choose your option and click on Next.

2: Check the relation operation.

3: Accept the License application.

 4: On the setting page, there will be two options “Use recommended settings” and “don’t use recommended settings”. If you choose the setting, the Exchange server will automatically check for solutions whenever an error occurs.

 5: choose Mailbox Role on the Server Role Selection page.

6: To fight with all the threads and malware activity, the Malware protection setting will assist you. Choose Yes or No.

7: After the task, there will be a quick Readiness check, and to install the server file, click install.

8: After completing all the setup installations, you can click Finish and restart the computer.

Steps to migrate Exchange 2013 to 2019-:

After the installation, users have two servers in the environment. The next step for you is to migrate from the old Exchange 2013 to the new Exchange 2019. Users can complete the whole process in the Exchange Admin Centre by migrating the Exchange mailboxes.

Step 1- Log into the Admin centre first; go to the Receipts and mailboxes. Select the mailbox you need to migrate.

Step 2- Click the Add (+) option and select ‘move to a different database.

Step 3- Now select more mailboxes.

Step 4- Give a new name, select the Database from the Exchange 2019, and then batch the migration process. Users have two options to migrate the public folder, primary mailbox or Archive mailbox.

Step 5- Add the user who will receive the migration notifications.

Step 6- Select to start the batch migration or after a scheduled time. This allows users to start the batch migration later when there is not much load.

Step 7- the last step is to create the batch migration automatically or to complete the migration manually with the link ‘complete this migration batch.’

Step 8- After creating a new batch, it will be in the migration category, and you can start it whenever necessary.

Limitations of the manual method-:

1. The manual method is a complicated task.
2. It requires technical knowledge to upgrade Exchange 2013 to 2019. Otherwise, you can lose your data.
3. It is a time-consuming task involving many risks. However, there are several other limitations.

Professional method to execute the task-:

The professional method is the easiest way to upgrade Exchange 2013 to 2019. Therefore, it’s the better way to execute Exchange to Exchange migration task. The ideal professional software you can use to perform the task is Shoviv Exchange Migration Tool, as it has many advanced features.

Features of the software-

1. The GUI of the software is very user friendly; therefore, technical and non-technical users can upgrade Exchange 2013 to 2019 without any difficulty.
2. There is no alteration in the data, and the folder hierarchy remains the same with the Shoviv software. Hence, you can smoothly upgrade from Exchange 2013 to 2019. 
3. Moreover, the tool saves various items in formats like HTML, MSG, EML, RTF, vCard, etc.
4. It allows users to execute Exchange to Exchange migration tasks, even in a separate Active Directory Forest.
5. With a feature like Incremental export, you can resume the task from the last ended point and prevent data from duplicity.

Wrap up-:

It’s not easy to execute Exchange to Exchange migration task with a manual method because of its risks and limitations. Hence, it is better to opt for Shoviv Exchange Migration Tool as it involves advanced security features and Upgrade Exchange 2013 to 2019 without any alteration or wasting time. You can download and try the free demo version of the software.