How to Backup IMAP Emails Locally – 7 Easy Steps

In enterprise environments, using cloud-based email services or hosted IMAP servers enforces mailbox storage quotas. As teams exchange numerous emails, including attachments, storage quotas are reached quickly. This affects the workflow continuity and also degrades the performance. To solve this, the user needs to backup IMAP emails locally. Read on to see how to use the IMAP Backup Tool for fast and efficient backup. But before that, let’s understand what IMAP emails are and why you should back them up locally. 

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) is an email protocol that allows users to check emails from multiple devices. It stores all the email messages on the server and allows real-time synchronization. 

Similar Article: Migrate Email From cPanel to Office 365.

Why Save IMAP Emails Locally?

Companies choose to backup IMAP emails to improve accessibility, free up storage space, and meet compliance regulations. Here are the reasons why one should do it: 

• IMAP stores emails in the cloud, and one may lose data if there’s an outage or a cyber attack. Therefore, a local backup will protect your emails no matter what happens.
• Keeping emails as a record is required in many industries. A local IMAP backup will meet compliance and legal matters. 
• Email services provide limited storage space. Local IMAP backup will help free up space, hence avoiding extra storage fees. 
• As we know, IMAP stores emails online, therefore, the access is limited. Local storage keeps everything accessible if you are traveling to remote places.
• Local email backups make it easier to transfer messages, change formats, or reduce the risk of missing emails.
• Local backups protect your emails if syncing and configuration go wrong.

How to Backup IMAP Emails Locally?

There are three methods to backup IMAP emails. One is a manual method using an email client, Outlook, and also using Apple Mail for macOS users. Another is by using a professional and reliable backup tool. Users can choose either of them depending on the complexity and specific needs.

Backup IMAP Emails to PC Using Microsoft Outlook

MS Outlook provides a built-in import/export feature through which one can save IMAP emails into a PST File. This file can later be accessible in Outlook or can be transferred to other file formats.

Follow a step-by-step guide to backup emails from IMAP mail server:

Step 1: Add your IMAP Email Account to Outlook

1. Open the Outlook application.
2. Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
3. Click on New and enter your IMAP email address and password.

Step 2: Export it to a PST File

1. Once they are fully synced, navigate to File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
2. Choose Export to a file and click on Next to continue.
3. Select Outlook Data File and click Next.
4. Now, select the folders that you want to back up.
5. After that, click Next. Then, choose the destination path to save the resultant file.
6. Lastly, click on Finish.

Limitations: The backup file will only include emails and not the contacts and calendars unless you have selected it. 

Save IMAP Emails Locally Using Apple Mail

This is only applicable to macOS users. This method is suitable to free up storage space and when the user wants to access the emails locally. It is best suited for personal backups and small business users.

Follow these steps to locally save IMAP emails:

1. Open Apple Mail.
2. Navigate to Mail > Preferences > Accounts.
3. Now, select your IMAP account. 
4. Go to Mailbox > New Mailbox and set the location as On My Mac.
5. Go to the IMAP folder or inbox and select the emails that you want to back up.
6. Drag and drop into the new local mailbox located as: On My Mac. 

Limitations: Handling large mailboxes consumes a lot of time and involves manual steps. There is no feature to schedule backups. 

An Expert-Recommended Tool to Backup IMAP Emails Locally

The IMAP Backup Tool helps users to back up and migrate their emails easily. It supports various export formats, exports multiple emails at once, and directly migrates to webmail clients. This tool preserves attachments, avoids duplicates, and has email filtering options. Hence, the tool makes the whole process fast, flexible, and reliable. Whether migrating or backing up the data, it maintains data accuracy and keeps your email data structured. 

These are the following steps to save IMAP Emails locally:

1. Download and run the software.
2. Click on Continue and choose either Single Mode or Batch Mode.
3. Enter the login credentials of the IMAP account. 
4. Select the mailbox folder that you want to back up and click Next.
5. Choose File Formats and select whichever file format you want to back up your emails. Click Next to proceed.
6. Select any additional features if you want.
7. Finally, click on the Convert button to start the backup process.

Related Post: Backup Email from Office 365 Webmail.

Conclusion

Backing up IMAP emails locally is crucial for safeguarding the data and minimizing storage space. This guide walks you through two manual techniques and one expert-recommended way to backup IMAP emails locally. While manual techniques can work, they are slow, error-prone, and involve technical complexities. Unlike manual methods, a professional IMAP Backup Tool offers a more secure and reliable experience. This tool ensures data accuracy, making it ideal for businesses handling large amounts of emails. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q- What is the best way to back up IMAP emails locally?

Ans- There are several ways to back up IMAP emails. They are:

• Using an Email client such as Thunderbird or Outlook.
• With the help of a professional IMAP Backup Tool.
• Manually drag and drop emails to a local folder.

Q- Can I backup IMAP emails locally to an external hard drive?

Ans- Add IMAP account to Outlook > File > Open & Export > Import/Export. Select Export to a file > Outlook Data File (.pst). Now, select the desired folders and back them up. Once the PST File is saved locally on your computer, move it to your hard drive.